The carriage carrying Hegemon, Lily, and the children sped along the path leading back to the kingdom, kicking up clouds of dust. Behind them, the village was now under the control of the royal army. However, fate had never allowed Hegemon to leave so peacefully.
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion shook the ground from deep within the forest. A gigantic black shadow burst forth, tearing through ancient trees. It was a hideous, hybrid monster, its body covered in unstable, glowing red Mana crystals. The cult leader, though previously defeated by Xuka Astri, had somehow used his last remaining strength to activate a suicide ritual, transforming the monster into a mobile Mana bomb to drag everyone down to hell.
With the seasoned combat experience of a High-Ranking Knight, Xuka remained unfazed. She instantly gathered wind magic beneath her feet, darting forward like an arrow to intercept the beast. However, a strange phenomenon occurred. The monster completely ignored Xuka's wind-swept slashes. Its bloodshot, crazed eyes disregarded all the soldiers, all obstacles, locking onto the back of only one person.
It charged madly towards Hegemon.
"Why me?!" Hegemon tightened his grip on the reins, his heart pounding. He was charging towards the carriage—where not only he and Lily were, but also many civilians and children who had just been evacuated. If that suicide bomb exploded there, the entire carriage and these innocent lives would be reduced to dust.
Hegemon knew this all too well. If he continued to sit in the carriage, he would drag countless others down with him.
"Lily! Grab the reins! Keep running towards the kingdom, don't stop!" Hegemon shouted, quickly handing the reins to Lily.
"Hegemon! What are you going to do?!" Lily cried out in alarm.
Without explanation, Hegemon took a running start and decisively jumped off the speeding cart, rolling several times on the sandy ground. He immediately stood up and sprinted in a completely different direction, separating himself from the evacuation group to lure the monster away from everyone. As expected, the suicidal beast immediately turned and chased after Hegemon at a terrifying speed.