Melina’s voice echoed in his ear:
“Be careful. That’s the Frenzied Flame. You must not touch it. It’s a chaos that devours all life, all will. It's best if you aren't hit by it at all.”
Bai Shi could hear the gravity in Melina’s tone.
He knew the dangers of the Frenzied Flame all too well. He had no desire to go inexplicably mad, so he would have to be extremely cautious in the coming fight.
The group before him, all afflicted by the Frenzied Flame, had likely come down from the village of the sick on the mountain, accompanied by giant rats.
Suddenly, the sound of flapping wings came from above. Bai Shi looked up to see several Misbegotten with massive wings.
His heart sank a little further. With so many enemies, his opponent had truly gone all out.
This time, the enemies were possessed by the power of the Frenzied Flame, posing a great threat to Bai Shi.
He doubted it would be like the game, where one only went mad after a meter was full.
He feared that a single touch from the Frenzied Flame would affect his sanity.Logically, to deal with such foes, Bai Shi should mount Torrent and use his mobility to whittle them down one by one.
But fighting on horseback with Irena was too dangerous. He wouldn't be able to look after her, and she could easily get hurt.
Bai Shi remembered that the winged Misbegotten could shoot arrows, and there were also nimble creatures like the rats.
This ruled out the strategy of leaving Irena here while he fought on Torrent. The enemy would only need to pin him down for a moment to bypass him and go straight for her.
This meant Bai Shi had to do the same thing as before: let Torrent carry Irena to safety while he dealt with all the enemies himself.
Bai Shi smiled. The enemy had come prepared, predicting that he would give his spectral steed to Irena.
They had weakened his mobility, forcing him to face a horde of enemies possessed by the Frenzied Flame.
But what did it matter?
Bai Shi blew the whistle, and Torrent came at the call.
The sound woke Irena. She awoke in a panic, but as she realized she was leaning against a firm, warm chest, the fear in her heart gradually subsided.
“Did I wake you? Sorry, this will all be over soon.”
“It’s alright, Sir Bai Shi. Please don’t mind me. Just be careful yourself.”
“I will. Just stay on the horse, same as before.”
Irena nodded obediently, letting Bai Shi lift her onto the saddle. But when his hands pulled away, she suddenly longed for the warmth from before.
In truth, leaning against cold armor wasn't comfortable or warm. What truly put her at ease was the person—the one who had saved her, just like a hero from a story.
It had been a long time since Irena had felt so safe.
Then, she couldn't help but start to worry. She was a burden. Bai Shi had to look after her at every turn, and because of her shameless request, he was now entangled in matters that had nothing to do with him. He might even get hurt because of it…
Irena didn’t dare to think any further.
—
Bai Shi pulled the Lordsworn Greatsword from the Site of Grace. The weapon was a bit heavy in one hand, but it was perfectly balanced when held with two.
He had chosen this weapon because it was the only greatsword he had. He needed its power; he needed to shred his enemies’ bodies with as few strikes as possible.
Bai Shi didn’t take out a shield. The effects of the Frenzied Flame would pass through a shield regardless.
That being the case, it was better to forget about defense entirely, to abandon any thought of using a shield to mitigate the damage.
When facing the maddening Frenzied Flame, it was either emerge unscathed or die!
Bai Shi leaned his body slightly, dodging several arrows fired by the winged Misbegotten.
The Misbegotten's aim was poor; many arrows went wide of their mark. This was good news for Bai Shi.
The enemies in the forest across from him began their advance.
One by one, he hurled the throwing knives at the Misbegotten. His aim was true. Two were struck in the torso, their flight becoming unstable. One managed to dodge.
The unluckiest one was hit directly in the wing and fell before Bai Shi.
Watching it scramble and crawl, trying to flee in terror, Bai Shi pinned it to the ground with his sword, making escape impossible.
He stomped on one of its claws, then yanked the greatsword upwards. In a clean motion, he split it in two from its abdomen to its shoulder.
The Misbegotten’s vitality was tenacious. Even such a disemboweling wound couldn't kill it instantly. It lay on the ground, letting out a pitiful howl.
Bai Shi paid the Misbegotten no more mind, because the great rats, carriers of the Frenzied Flame, were about to reach him.
Bai Shi swung his greatsword. A graze would wound, a direct hit would kill. He was like a meat grinder, reaping the lives of the rats.
Occasionally, one would slip through the net, only to be met by a heavy boot.
With a splat, its head burst like a small watermelon.
But there were too many rats. He had already killed eight or nine, yet more still swarmed him.
The man-sized rat seemed to possess some intelligence. It screeched constantly, directing the others to surround Bai Shi.
“Aargh! Aaargh!”
With a pained cry, the Frenzied Flame erupted from an infected villager’s eyes, spewing towards Bai Shi in an irregular fan shape.
Instead of retreating, Bai Shi advanced, ducking and charging toward the one releasing the Frenzied Flame.
The flames grazed the top of his head, but Bai Shi felt not a sliver of fear.
With a two-handed horizontal sweep, he severed the corpse-like, withered legs. The torrent of Frenzied Flame was cut off, and the infected villager’s body fell powerlessly to the side.
But before it hit the ground, Bai Shi’s greatsword had already swung down, decapitating it in mid-air.
As the enemies continued to close in, Bai Shi tried to find a trace of fear within his heart.
He knew he was facing an enemy he couldn't let hit him even once, yet his heart felt nothing but excitement and satisfaction.
A dangerous grin spread across Bai Shi’s face.
“It seems that after coming to these mad lands, I’ve gone mad myself.”
The beast slumbering within him had awakened.