Imperial Throne

Chapter 16: Trap

Violet-red blood sprayed forth.

Under Burton's strike, the neck of the Armored Demon Rabbit was nearly severed, about two-thirds through, just a bit more and it would have been completely decapitated.

Not far away, Akar watched, his eyes burning with excitement.

Combat Technique!

This was yet another term he had never heard before.

He couldn't discern any difference between Burton's slash and a regular one, but he knew clearly that if he or his father had struck in the same manner, the result would have been like Burton's initial strike on the rabbit's head, merely producing some sparks, without any chance of nearly decapitating the creature in one blow, even if the neck was the only weak point on its body.

Thus, there was only one explanation.

It had to be the special ability of a Combat Technique!

"Ha!"

Burton exhaled sharply, exerting force to complete the slash and fully sever the rabbit's head.

However, no matter how much strength he applied, he couldn't finish the cut.

Instead, the continuous pressure only intensified the rabbit's pain, driving it into a more frenzied state. With a sudden jerk and a powerful kick from its hind legs, Burton lost his grip, unable to restrain the beast's rampage.

The first to bear the brunt were the soldiers in the midst of nocking arrows.

They had thrown luminous bottles before firing the first volley, so their arrows weren't ready yet.

Nearby soldiers who had already reloaded hastily raised their bows to shoot.

But the now completely berserk Armored Demon Rabbit didn't halt due to these attacks.

On the contrary, the pain from the penetrating wounds inflicted by the armor-piercing arrows only enraged it further.

Several soldiers who couldn't escape in time were directly struck, their chest bones shattered, dying instantly.

The rabbit's charge didn't stop; it continued rushing toward the soldiers ahead.

The soldiers on the right, outside the rabbit's attack range, quickly reloaded their crossbows. But those on the left, within its path, weren't so fortunate.

In an instant, the scene descended into chaos.

"Damn it!" Seeing the favorable situation suddenly unravel, with half of his thirteen soldiers dead in such a short time, even the usually humble Burton couldn't suppress his anger. "Get out of its way! Don't stand directly in front of it!"

Looking at the bloodstains covering the ground, Burton knew the rabbit was doomed; the only question was how much longer it would take to die.

He understood that if his uncles were here, they would undoubtedly sacrifice these soldiers to stop the rabbit, securing a chance to decapitate it.

But Burton didn't want to do that.

He didn't wish to leave Akar with the impression of being ruthless. So, as long as the rabbit didn't escape to the surface, he didn't mind spending more time wearing it down, especially since he already knew the outcome of this trial.

"Seal the cave entrance. Don't let it escape. With Hughes outside masking the scent, the other magical beasts won't come in."

Burton began ordering the surviving soldiers to spread the scent most repugnant to the Armored Demon Rabbit at the cave entrance.

At this moment, he was thankful he had heeded advice and made extra preparations, anticipating the possibility of fighting within the cave. Otherwise, he might have had to sacrifice lives to secure victory in this trial.

Only now did Burton have the chance to examine the cave's environment.

Previously, he hadn't looked closely, but now, as he truly observed, a sudden realization struck him.

The size of the Armored Demon Rabbit's burrow was unusually large!

The Kasein family, due to their bloodline's connection with the Armored Demon Rabbit, had extensively studied the creature. As the family's rising star and first-in-line heir, Burton was well-versed in this information.

With one glance, he recognized that the burrow's scale far exceeded documented records.

"Could it be..."

Burton's breathing quickened, a wave of panic surging within him.

"Dual Nest!"

"Whoo—"

A piercing roar echoed from the unexplored depths of the burrow.

Immediately, the ground trembled violently.

A ferocious aura surged, appearing beside Burton in an instant.

At that moment, layers of fine silver-white scales suddenly surfaced on Burton’s body, resembling those of a snake.

“Bang—”

A loud crashing sound rang out immediately.

Burton’s entire body was flung through the air and smashed against a stone wall to the side before sliding down along it.

He hadn’t even had time to speak, when he opened his mouth, a mouthful of blood spewed out.

His left arm hung limp, clearly fractured. The only thing worth being thankful for was that the rest of his body didn’t show signs of further fractures or deformation, he wasn’t on the brink of death yet.

Faced with this sudden assault, the remaining soldiers nearby stood frozen.

None of them had expected that there would be a second Armored Demon Rabbit in this burrow!

“Fire!”

Just as everyone’s minds blanked out, a furious roar snapped them out of it.

The soldiers instinctively launched into action: they raised their already reloaded crossbows with armor-piercing bolts and fired in unison at this second rabbit.

But at the moment of pulling their triggers, they suddenly realized, they shouldn’t have attacked this enraged beast. Yet it was already too late.

The rabbit had already turned its attention toward them and began its assault.

With a powerful push from its legs, its calf-like body charged forward.

The soldiers couldn’t even follow its movements, only to see a sudden explosion of blood mist within their ranks. One soldier, unable to withstand the force of the collision, was instantly pulverized.

Now lacking any effective means of attacking the rabbit, the overwhelming fear of death and hopelessness shattered the once-steadfast will of the soldiers.

At the sound of someone, no one knew who, screaming “Run!”, chaos erupted.

The soldiers scattered like headless flies in panic.

Some fled deeper into the dark parts of the burrow, while others turned and scrambled up the slope back toward the cave entrance.

Burton watched this chaos unfold right before his eyes with a complex expression.

He had clearly heard both the shout of “Fire” and “Run”—they had come from Akar.

Yet he couldn’t bring himself to issue commands. Because had he not ordered the soldiers to shoot the second rabbit, he himself would have been its first target and likely died within seconds.

And that second command to flee, he had to admit, it was brilliant.

If the soldiers hadn’t already been overwhelmed by fear and scattered, distracting the rabbit, then once it killed them all, he, unable to move, would have been the next to die.

“Are you alright?”

Akar’s voice, quiet and low, sounded nearby.

Burton struggled to look toward him. His body felt like it was falling apart, he couldn’t even get up. He could only manage a bitter smile. “Didn’t expect… there’d be a second Armored Demon Rabbit.”

“There always was a second one. My father and I just didn’t tell you.”

Burton, about to speak again, froze upon hearing Akar’s words.

His face twisted in fury. “You… you said… What! Do you know—”

“Don’t make that face.” Akar walked up to Burton, pried open his right hand, and placed the broadsword hilt, retrieved from the first rabbit, back into his palm. “Hughes wanted to kill us. We were only trying to protect ourselves… Just like how I made your soldiers go die, to buy you more time to live. Didn’t you accept that, quite naturally?”

Burton was dumbfounded at Akar’s words.

“I! I already stopped him!”

“I know,” Akar nodded. “You only let him give us a warning. But I couldn’t let that risk remain. You’re a Second-Tier Bloodline User. My father and I might not be able to defeat you. But this is the Death Forest, and you were desperate to hunt the Armored Demon Rabbit.”

“So, this was all a trap from the beginning?!” Burton’s voice rose in anger and urgency, his face flushed red. “Do you even know who I am?!”

“I only know you’re someone we can’t afford to offend,” Akar said quietly. “Don’t bother saying something like, ‘Take me with you and I’ll spare you.’ You and I both know, that’s impossible, isn’t it?”

Burton glared coldly at Akar as he slowly backed away. He watched as Akar poured a foul, viscous liquid, hated by the Armored Demon Rabbit, over himself, carefully rubbing it on his face, neck, and every bit of exposed skin, then soaked his clothes with it.

Disguising himself as nothing more than a pile of dung in the rabbit’s eyes, Burton finally sneered coldly.

“I’ll be waiting for you in the underworld. Believe me, it won’t be long…”

“Bang—”

Before Burton could finish speaking, a shadow shot forward and slammed into him.

Blood and flesh splattered everywhere.