"T-the baby," she gasped.

Blade stood up, shaking. Gripping his spear tightly, he advanced towards Van.

Blade's wife gasped out, "Blade, no…the baby is fine…!"

She was unable to stand up.

Blackheart growled threateningly, aggression in every movement. Van placed a placating hand on his side. He had sent the other wolves back to the den earlier because he had not wanted to intimidate the villagers or cause them to fear he had been possessed by a demon. But it seemed like the villagers would never be on his side anyway – he had wasted his time thinking about those who did not care.

Van stood his ground.

Even as a full-grown man over twice his age, and with three times the body ma.s.s in pure muscle advanced towards him.

An inner confidence radiated outwards from the dark-haired boy. He stood quietly, back straight, brows sternly drawn together, giving off the atmosphere of a treasured blade sharpened for battle. He did not even draw a weapon.

The villagers hushed. They gazed upon his figure as if gazing upon a stranger. Where did his confidence come from? Did he have some strategy to stop Blade?

They looked at the Chief Hunter, that hulking ma.s.s of strength, and looked back at the thin figure of the boy.

Although they had been slightly affected by Van's indomitable spirit, they now returned to reality. That was the strongest hunter around, the pride of Mountain Village! There was no way a small boy could defeat that. Just compare the size of the biceps – one was thinner than a reed and the other was the thickness of a tree trunk! Facts were facts, after all. Someone t.i.ttered, should they stop the fight? It was a bit unsightly for a senior to be fighting with a junior. Someone else interrupted with a huff, stop the fight how? Are you going to stop Blade with your puny strength?

Indeed, there was nothing much the other villagers could do apart from watch, even if they felt that Blade was going a bit overboard. Afterall, although Blade's wife's situation didn't look good it was still obvious the harm was done by the silver masked man. How could Van have anything to do with an immortal like him?

Some looked away, feeling that the outcome was inevitable.

Off to the side, Maya felt her heart pounding. Somehow, Van's figure was incredibly heroic! She blushed red. She prayed for him in her heart. She prayed that he wouldn't be beaten up too badly.

With a shout, Blade explosively lunged forward, the tip of his spear tracing a gleaming line through the air.

Van met him halfway, taking advantage of Blade's wild, angry lunge to sidestep him.

Blade's fury intensified. This boy thought he could fight back?

In that split second, his twisted his stance until the spear was slicing sideways on Van's exposed side. This was the advantage of tens of years of experience and muscle memory, as well as an instinct for battle he was born with.

Van's expression changed.

The villagers' gasped. Half the mothers were covering their children's eyes. The other hunters cheered – but then their voices stuck in their throats.

Impossible!

That beastly spear had stopped in its tracks.

A hand gripped the spear just below the head! The gleaming spear tip was millimetres from piercing into Van's body.

The entire town square was quiet. No one could have imagined this skinny young man capable of stopping a spear in its tracks with his bare hands. They looked at each other in shocked silence, confusion in their eyes.

Blade relentlessly pushed forward, muscles flexing and bunching beneath the skin, giving off the aura of tigers and dragons.

The spearhead barely s.h.i.+fted.

Van looked mockingly at Blade. A light danced in his dark eyes.

"Were you the one who tried to ruin my mission?"

Blade ignored him. He gathered all his strength. The spear head didn't move.

"Did you think I would die on the mountain, starved to death or be eaten by a wild beast?" Van continued at leisure, "were you surprised when I came back, alive?"

Blade gritted his teeth, "How did you survive going so deep into the mountain?"

Van laughed then.

"So, you admit!"

Suddenly, Van twisted his hand and the spear went flying to the side.

Without even channelling fleshly power – just directly using his strengthened body – he launched himself at Blade and clocked him across the jaw. How could a man, however strong, be harder to defeat than a giant Wolf King with a strengthened body and three times his size? If Van circulated Thousand Saints Sacrifice, he could kill Blade with a single blow. But now that he knew Blade was the one seeking Van's death, he would not spare his pride!

He was going to pummel Blade into submission with nothing but his bare fists!

The hunter s.h.i.+fted too late. Van's knuckle caught him under the jaw and sent him stumbling to the side.

Blade's face finally turned. He realised the depth of Van's unknown strength.

Van was unrelenting. Fist after fist, he sent Blade's way. Slowly, he was pus.h.i.+ng the older man which ever way he liked. At first, Blade was able to block a few blows and return a fist occasionally. But Van's. .h.i.ts were heavy, and each blow numbed Blade's blocking arm.

The villagers opened their eyes, trying to burn the sight into their eyes. It was just upset after upset! First, the boy was able to stop Blade's spear in its tracks and now it seemed like he was winning in the exchange of blows, continuously suppressing the older man.

"He hasn't even used his left arm yet!" Someone pointed out in awe, "And he's been using the same movement since the beginning!" The villagers sucked a deep breath in. Was Van just playing around, they wondered, is this fight not even worth a serious effort?

Of course, Van couldn't use his left arm even if he wanted to. Although he had rested and treated his fractured left arm after his fight with the Wolf King, it was still sensitive, and he did not want to risk leaving a deformity in the bone. Additionally, his broken ribs meant that he could not move any way he wanted to. He had been limited to the same move using his right fist since the beginning.

His left arm was loosely held to his side as he fought, unintentionally giving him the appearance of a heroic young master playing around with an inadequate ruffian on the streets!

Blade was struggling. Sweat drenched his back and his every breath burned.

BAM!

The hunter felt his numbed arm finally give way.

BAM!

Van pressed on.

The next blow sent Blade stumbling to the ground. He knelt there, catching his breath.

Van drew back his fist, a dark look in his eyes.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in his way.

It was Leif, a determined look in his eye. Van considered whether he should stop his fist, considering that the Village Chief had been against him so many times in the past.

Van thought of his little sister, eyes wide open on Blackheart's back, watching him, and he decisively pulled back. For her, he would be the best he could be.

"Please, Van. I ask you to end this meaningless fight."

Leif was clearly asking for mercy in behalf of his old friend. The Village Chief was more than a little miffed at Blade, what was going on in his head? Why was he acting to aggressively towards Van? Surely, he couldn't blame the masked man's appearance on this young man?

He put down his pride as a leader and continued.

"He is angry and panicking because of his wife's accident, please show mercy."

Van looked impatiently at Blade.

"You should ask Blade what he thinks, or is he going to hide behind someone else's coattails and not admit his wrongs?"

The hunter snorted. But Blade knew he was thoroughly defeated. What was the most terrifying was the Van did not seem to tire!

He gritted his teeth.

"I admit...I was wrong to attack you."

But he was not wrong.

Blade knew something that only his hunters also knew – that they had removed all the Iron Gra.s.ses and Mooncap Mushrooms from the lower regions of the mountain, forcing Van to enter the higher regions, filled with dangerous beasts that could kill with a look. He had survived, come back stronger and tamed a wolf! He knew not how the two were linked, but his gut knew that the masked man's appearance did have something to do with Van!

Leif was satisfied. He turned back to Van.

"He has apologised. I hope that you can forgive him, to return the peace to this village. I do not wish to see our best hunter and a promising young man like you fight each other until your grievances are irreconcilable."

Van smiled, baring his teeth.

"Of course, as long as Blade vows that he will also no longer act out against me."

Leif leveled a stern look at his old friend.

"I vow so," Blade said, expression unreadable. Inside, he was furious, but also starting to regret.

In a fit of anger, hearing of his son's reckless stomping about the village and public humiliation for being caught bullying Van with a bunch of cronies, Blade had devised a method to humiliate Van or get him to be banished from the village to remove his son's shame.

Admittedly, that plan could have also killed the boy.

Over-confident that he would get the result he wanted, Blade was shocked and unwilling to hear that Van had returned, victorious. It felt like a vicious slap to his face! With wounded pride, he happened to encounter the masked immortal, and tattled on Van in the spur of the moment. Somehow, all this led to the immortal's magic artefact wounding his wife's belly and his unborn child.

Filled with anguish, confused and guilty, he channelled his anger and pushed it all onto the shoulders of the young man before him.

Now he was utterly humiliated. Worse, he had lost some respect as Chief Hunter of Mountain Village. He turned to see his wife in tears, and his son looking at him woodenly.

Blade gazed complicatedly at Van. Even if he were somehow responsible for drawing the masked man to the village, so what? The person to harm his unborn child was that immortal, not Van.

Finally, he lowered his neck.

"My previous actions were unwarranted."

"I apologise."

Leif smiled.

Van was surprised. He was sceptical, but at the same time the older man's tone did not seem like he was lying.

Van nodded and accepted the apology. He stepped forwards and helped Blade up as a show of agreement.

The village finally relaxed.

Uncontrollably curious, people old and young sidled up to the ma.s.sive wolf. With Finn's weight on his back, and Van's stern instructions, Blackheart stood like a wooden statue, allowing the villagers to coo and pet.

Blade returned to his wife's side.

Her face was wet with tears. With gentleness he had not felt in a long time, he took in his wife's drawn face and his son's sullen look. Sighing, he gathered them to him.

"I am sorry," he said finally, "for not being a better man."

Blade's wife's characteristically cold face seemed to thaw. Ryan sneered in contempt, but rested his forehead against his father's chest, tired of everything.

"Good woof," Finn giggled, hugging Blackheart partway around his neck.

Blackheart pretended that he heard nothing.

____________________________________

That night, outside of his small tent, a slight s.h.i.+ft in the wind caused Blackheart to perk up his ears from where he was laying the ground. His intelligent eyes stared into the night.

Van was lying next to the wolf, arms behind his head and gazing at the stars in the night sky above. The breeze was cool and comfortable.

Van had tried multiple times tonight to speak to Jet, but the ring was unresponsive, and its aura dim and weak.

A tall figure blocked the moonlight.

Blackheart growled threateningly.

"A rather impressive display today, young man."