Warlock Apprentice

Chapter 2357: Chapter 2358: Pursuit and Slaughter

Renko, wrapped in an unparalleled momentum, broke through the obstacles of the Mist like a sharp sword, piercing straight into the enemy crowd. In just an instant, he created a gap in the encirclement.

Little Flea watched this scene with eyes full of surprise. He had heard that Renko was powerful, but he hadn’t expected him to be this formidable. A single person breaking through the siege of nearly a hundred people! Even with the secret medicine, without a good foundation, this would be impossible to achieve!

Not even the Big Man could do such a thing.

”Let’s go while we have the chance!” While Little Flea was still in awe, Baro didn’t forget Renko’s instructions. He jumped up, ready to leave.

”But, but... Mr. Renko...” Birch’s face was full of hesitation.

”No buts. Do you want to let down Mr. Renko’s sacrifice for us?” Baro’s eyes were bloodshot. His heart ached too, and he felt powerless, but he understood that now wasn’t the time to let these emotions overrule reason.

Renko had already swallowed the secret medicine, and nothing could change that. The only thing they could do now was not to let down Renko’s sacrifice, to carry his will and escape from here!

”Only when we get back to the Moonlight Skylark do we have a chance to counterattack, a chance to avenge Mr. Renko!”

Looking at the blood-soaked figure fighting fiercely ahead, Birch and Little Flea’s eyes turned red as they took a deep breath and nodded. The opportunity that Renko exchanged with his life was one they didn’t want to, and couldn’t, disappoint!

”Go!” Birch gritted his teeth, suppressing the urge to turn back, stood up, and pulling Little Flea along, ran in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, Renko, battling at the forefront, seemed to hear the emotional shout from behind. In his blood-red eyes, which had descended into madness, a glimmer of clarity flashed, and the tightly pressed corners of his mouth curved up slightly, carrying a hint of relief.

”Baro has fled!”

”Don’t let them escape, chase them quickly; we must capture them—this is an order from the Big Man!”

”If they dare resist, kill them directly!”

A man at the back of the crowd shouted loudly. The people, almost paralyzed with fear after witnessing Renko’s slaughter, responded one after another, as facing Baro and his group was certainly easier than dealing with a raging Renko.

Most people started pursuing Baro, and Renko noticed it too. Without hesitation, he swung his sword to block the pursuers.

With Renko’s strength, it was naturally easy to hold back this disorganized group. Moreover, he could stop them and kill a few in the process.

However, there were simply too many people. Renko slaughtered squad after squad, but more came relentlessly.

Meanwhile, Renko could feel the effects of the Poison Mushroom Pills enhancing... Although the pills temporarily rid him of exhaustion and made him excited, a stronger effect wasn’t necessarily better. As the effects intensified, he would indeed become increasingly excited, able to ignore severe injuries as long as his limbs and head were intact; however, in exchange, he would become more and more frenzied and bloodthirsty, eventually losing his sanity and turning into a walking corpse.

Renko desperately tried to maintain his reasoning, but his increasingly chaotic thoughts made things appear blurry, even with double images. Although his attacks grew fiercer, with almost every swing of his sword claiming a life, his diminishing control allowed some people to slip past him and pursue Baro and the others far ahead.

”Some are catching up!” Birch shouted.

”Don’t worry, keep running!” Baro shouted.

After running a few hundred meters further, both Birch’s and Little Flea’s speeds noticeably declined, but even quicker was the decline of Captain Baro’s pace.

Birch: ”Captain, maybe you should let her down.”

The reason Baro slowed down was because he wasn’t only responsible for himself but also carrying the weight of that woman. In Birch’s opinion, no matter how beautiful or famous she was, what did it matter? Could she possibly be more important than his own life? Carrying this woman might just get Baro killed.

Baro hesitated briefly before saying, ”I can still manage.”

”Even if you leave her here, they won’t harm her immediately. The Big Man won’t kill her right away, and we can save her after we return to the Moonlight Skylark,” Birch advised.

Baro: ”...I understand. When I can’t hold on any longer, I’ll let her go.”

Since Baro was so insistent, Birch couldn’t say more and continued running in silence.

As they got closer to Dock 4, only one bridge away from reaching the Moonlight Skylark’s territory, their hope of survival grew ever larger. However, at that moment, a figure emerged from the forest, slowly walking to the middle of the bridge and blocking their path.

Initially, they thought it was their patrol, but as they drew nearer, they realized something was amiss.

The newcomer was an overwhelmingly rotund man, his exposed skin wrapped in white bandages—even his face was wrapped, exposing only his mouth, nose, and one eye. That lone exposed eye was blood-red, completely unlike a human’s.

Most importantly, this bandage-wrapped man held a bone club studded with nails, reflecting a pale, icy sheen under the water’s light.

Sensing ill intentions from the newcomer, they were forced to stop.

Who was he? As Birch secretly speculated about the identity of the man, he noticed Little Flea starting to tremble beside him, a visible expression of fear on his face.

On the other side, Baro, too, frowned deeply, the veins on his hand carrying the woman bulging prominently.

”I suspected the five squad leaders, even my right-hand man, but I never thought my traitor would be you, my ship’s doctor.” The man’s droning voice emerged from the bandaged visage, his gaze fixed on Little Flea.

Little Flea shook like a sieve, stammering, ”I... I...” without managing a complete sentence.

Seeing Little Flea’s reaction, coupled with the bandaged man’s words, Birch understood who this person was.

—The Big Man!

”Why are you here?” Baro’s eyes were filled with fear.

The Big Man grinned, revealing sharp, white teeth: ”Why else? I’m here to bring back my people, conscious or traitor alike. I’ll take them all back. Besides, I have another task.”

”To kill!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Big Man let out a laugh, his figure like a ghost, instantly flickering in front of Baro. The bone club turned into a blur of shadows as it swung continuously. Still burdened by the person on his back, Baro tried his best to dodge but couldn’t avoid getting struck to the ground.

Even as he hit the ground, Baro still protected the woman on his back.

The Big Man raised an eyebrow: ”You’re into her? Too bad, she’s mine in the end!”

Amidst a burst of maniacal laughter, the Big Man lifted his bone club high.