Chapter 117: Blood Red Forest: Battle Begins
"Where is Darling?" Ivy and Lyraea, who had just woken up, looked around but couldn't find Draco.
"Don't tell me…" Their expressions darkened. They guessed that Draco had knocked them out to prevent them from following him. Even though they felt happy that Draco didn't want to put them in danger, their fear for his safety overshadowed everything, making them want to follow him and face any danger with him.
But Draco had found a way to ensure they couldn't follow.
"Don't worry. For now, he's still alive," Elsa said. As for Anna, her eyes flickered with a strange light. She wished for Draco's demise, yet a part of her didn't. The small child's heart was conflicted.
Hearing Elsa's reassurance, Lyraea and Ivy calmed slightly. They turned to the White Tiger, their gazes pleading for permission to follow Draco wherever he had gone.
The White Tiger understood their silent request. "You can't go. You would only be a weakness, dragging him down."
The two girls exchanged a glance before leaving the White Tiger's domain. They were determined to grow stronger.
"I'll follow them for their safety," Elsa told the Overlord. Carrying Anna, she flew after the girls, ensuring they didn't notice her as they hunted.
IN THE BLOOD-RED FOREST
SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
A silver-red-haired young man laughed maniacally, swinging his flaming sword as he killed the blood-red trees. Beside him, three flaming dragons tore through the tree demons with ferocity.
Draco moved with speed, the wind aiding his flaming sword and dragons in their rampage.
With every swing, more corpses fell.
Minutes passed, and the battlefield grew silent—all the tree demons had been eliminated.
KILL! KILL! KILL!
Draco's mind was consumed with this single thought. Though he had destroyed over a hundred tree demons, he wasn't satisfied. He craved more bloodshed.
His silvery-red hair was now 80% red, with only streaks of silver remaining. Half of his eyes glowed blood-red, while the other half retained their normal red hue.
Taking a deep breath, Draco fought to suppress the overwhelming urge to kill. Sitting cross-legged, he focused on regaining control. Gradually, his hair turned back to pure silver, and his eyes returned to normal.
Draco frowned as he assessed the situation. The massacre intent would break free in just ten hours. Elsa's flame could no longer contain it. Killing the tree demons had drastically reduced the time from three days to ten hours.
He noticed the massacre intent thrived in this forest, like a fish in water. This realization left him confused. Was this place truly helping him, as the White Tiger had claimed, or was it only pushing him closer to destruction?
[Your massacre intent has leveled up. It is now at Level 5.]
The system notification filled Draco with unease. He felt his control slipping and feared what might come next.
He forced himself to stay calm, determined to deal with the problem when the time came. For now, he silently prayed that his loved ones were far away. The thought of losing control and harming them in a fit of rage filled him with dread.
---
**STATUS:**
**Host Name:** Draco Xandros
**Race:** Human [25%], Dragon [25%], Phoenix [25%], Demon [25%]
**Level:** 35
**EXP:** 212, 205, 520/ 250,000,000
**Class:** Plunderer, Dragonborn, Demon Lord, Phoenixborn
**Talent:** Plunder, ????? Dragon Power, ????? Phoenix Power
**Skills:** Plunder, Dragon Power, Phoenix Power, Appraisal, Five Element Dragon Spell,...
**Physique:** None
**Affinity (Energy/Element):** Fire, Earth, Water, Wood, Wind, Sword, Archer, Spear, Lightning, Draconic, Demonic, Phoenix, Shadow, Charm, Blood, Dark...
**Intent:** Fist Intent (Lvl 3), Wind Intent (Lvl 5), Thunder Intent (Lvl 4), Massacre Intent (Lvl 5), Five-Element Intent( Lvl 5), Shadow Intent (Lvl 2), Blood Intent (Lvl 3), Charm Intent (Lvl 3), Sword Intent (Lvl 4), Leg Intent (Lvl 3)
**HP:** 20,000 / 20,000 ( 10,000/10,000)
**MP:** 20,000 / 20,000 (10,000/10,000)
**STR:** 1,300 (650)
**AGI:** 1,280 (640)
**INT:** 1,240 (620)
**DEX:** 1,260 (630)
**STA:** 1,300 (650)
**DEF:** 1,400 (700)
**Luck:** 51
**Stats Points:** 0
**SP:** 0
**PP:** 31, 431,238
**Inventory:** Bronze Sword, Weapon of Plunder, Hand Gear...
---
As mentioned, even though Draco hadn't fully grasped the path of massacre, the treasures provided by the Overlords helped him further comprehend his intent.
This was one of the reasons he could defeat the group of trees. Draco was no longer the same as before. His highest level of intent now reached Level Five, including three advanced ones—among them, his newly developed massacre intent.
Draco let out a sigh. If not for the problem posed by the massacre intent, his progress would have been untainted. However, he realized that without this issue, the Overlords wouldn't have been compelled to release their treasures, which had greatly contributed to his rapid comprehension of these levels of intent.
Pushing these thoughts aside, Draco moved forward. Though some tree demons remained in the area, they fled from him as if he were a plague.
Having killed over a hundred of their kin, Draco had instilled deep fear into them, especially since they were currently weakened.
As he walked, he noticed the blood in the environment thickening, and the blood-red trees were larger and more imposing than before. He advanced cautiously,
RUSTLE!
A blood-red rabbit appeared. Instantly, his entire body was set aflame with massacre intent. He felt a sudden surge of greed directed at this rabbit.
The rabbit stared at Draco with its blood-red eyes. It looked so cute that anyone might want to hug and pet it. However, the small rabbit scrutinized Draco, and Draco, in turn, watched it vigilantly. Something about the rabbit felt off. Moreover, the greed his massacre intent held for it was unnerving.
Draco suppressed the bubbling massacre intent, keeping his focus on the rabbit. Suddenly, the blood-red rabbit dashed forward with astonishing speed, its once-cute face twisting into a malevolent expression.
It wasn't alone. Three other blood-red trees in the vicinity also began attacking Draco. Their strength was notably higher than the enemies he had faced before.
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"This must be another region with higher-level blood beasts," Draco thought as he dodged an attack.
A swipe from the rabbit's claws grazed his chest, nearly piercing through him. Had he not evaded in time, he would have been severely injured.
Draco felt something foreign enter his body, paralyzing him briefly, but his massacre intent surged, devouring the invasive energy.
He was taken aback. Enemies surrounded him, yet his massacre intent was also acting as an internal adversary.
Draco glanced ahead and saw that more rabbits and trees had gathered. Their sheer numbers ensured he would sustain injuries, especially with the mysterious energy from the rabbit's claws feeding his massacre intent. While this might have been advantageous under normal circumstances, the massacre intent itself was an enemy he struggled to control.
Summoning the Weapon of Plunder in its sword form, Draco called forth the three flaming dragons once more.
HAAAH!
ROAR! ROAR!
CHI!!
The battle began, and corpses soon littered the ground. Draco sustained injuries, but the massacre intent devoured the energy from these wounds, sustaining its dominance.
Minutes passed, and Draco assessed his opponents.
He had managed to kill a quarter of them, but the blood trees exhibited far greater resilience than those he had fought earlier. The rabbits, with their incredible speed and overwhelming numbers, posed an even greater challenge.
Additionally, the blood Volkoids—the rabbits and trees—seemed to coordinate, helping each other in battle, making it increasingly difficult for Draco to gain the upper hand. He felt a twinge of helplessness.
The flaming dragons were beginning to falter. They couldn't hold out much longer against the relentless assault from the blood Volkoids.
"There's only one option left," Draco muttered, gripping the Weapon of Plunder. He had no choice but to activate his Ranger Form.
Just as he prepared to do so, something unexpected occurred.