Building An Empire Starting From The Labor Camp In Exile-Chapter 39: Healed?

Atrox screamed and knew he was going to die. The difference between them was simply too much; they had actual techniques, unlike him, who was only using shaped essence. Pain was fire replacing his veins, and his shoulder burned with it.

Suddenly, he saw a shadow darken the corner where he stood, and he didn’t question why they hadn’t finished him off with arrows. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

He poured his frustration into his will, imagining the largest attack he could come up with and pouring his essence into it without care. But he didn’t release it yet. He held it back with all his might, waiting for the best opportunity.

The female assassin held two green blades while vines covered her like a cloak, twisting around her like serpents. "Interesting, you’re still not dead. I understand why they sent us now. Do you have any last wishes?"

Bright green eyes stared at her, filled with distaste as Atrox labored to take one breath after another, blood pouring down his limp right hand. "You... should have killed me."

The assassin felt a moment of surprise before intense power bellowed from Atrox. Essence poured and condensed into a rope the size of a human, moving like a serpent. It covered the distance between them and slammed into the assassin, tearing through the layers of vines protecting her and gouging into her chest.

Through her chest and sent her body flying back.

The ground and rocks around Atrox were broken and jagged, left smoking in the wake of the power he’d just unleashed. Atrox’s vision swayed where he sat, his core screaming at him for the overuse of his essence.

The other assassin outside heard the sound of the attack and saw the flash. He also noticed his partner’s body blasted outward. He froze at first, scanning the area with his senses in case someone more powerful had shown up.

’Shit! They didn’t tell us the boy was this type of freak! How does he have this much power? Or is it an enchanted tool—maybe even an artifact?’

The assassin hovered uncertainly, looking down at the smoking body below. Her upper body, from the chest up, had been blasted away. The only thing that remained was a bit of spine poking out of the torso.

’Something that can kill without giving a Knight-rank time to retaliate... I must get out of here! And the enchanted tool controlling the time freeze is on her body’

He tensed, sending a mental command to his enchanted tool, then shot forward, blurring toward the body. He grabbed her and flew upward, disappearing with a ripple.

Atrox saw the shadowy figure carrying the assassin’s body away, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled bitterly. "I wouldn’t have been able to fight him off if he hadn’t run."

"But maybe I’ll die from blood loss."

His shoulder throbbed in time with his heart and head. His green eyes were hot and dull as he gasped shallow breaths. His vision clouded over, and he fought against the unconsciousness creeping over him.

Suddenly, the air in front of him rippled. Something cleared away from his senses, as if a weight he hadn’t noticed before was suddenly lifted.

’The time freeze is finally broken! Yes, they should be able to find me! But it looks like I’ll be unconscious by then!’

He held on fiercely, using the pain to fuel his mind. But, as if he were underwater, his eyes glazed over, and his thoughts slowed. The darkness that followed was a balm to his pain.

---

When Atrox opened his eyes, he was lying on a bed, and the yellow light shining from the glass globe above made his eyes water.

"Huh." He groaned as he tried to move, pain stabbing into his head as if it were being worked over with an axe. He moved his jaw, swallowing against his dry throat.

For a second, he lay there, trying to recollect how he’d gotten there. Then the memories flooded in, and he groaned again. "Assassins."

He flopped back on the bed and looked around. It was a small room with a bed, a chair, and a table. It smelled like old herbs. Atrox tried moving his right hand next, and to his surprise, it responded. He raised it again.

"I was healed?" He clenched his fist, his hand moving almost as usual, though it felt slower but he felt no pain or abnormalities.

The door to the room opened, and Slya froze when she saw his green eyes looking at her. Her face lit up as she saw him awake and she retreated, closing the door—only to open it again moments later with Kren, Arvas, Tiber, and Slya entering together.

Kren rushed to his side, worry etched across his face, his eyes warm behind the glasses. "Are you alright?"

Atrox nodded slightly, not wanting to aggravate his headache. "I am. Did you catch the assassin?" He knew there was little chance of that, but he asked anyway.

Arvas snorted, his piercing eyes focused on him. "No, we didn’t. They were already gone by the time we found you. We did a sweep of the surrounding area but found nothing."

Atrox sighed softly. He’d been expecting that. The assassins the Clan sent were experienced and must have been expensive, with all the enchanted tools they used. And the one that created the isolated space... it must have been rare.

Tiber stood to the side, his steady gaze fixed on Atrox. "That was a fierce battle. The marks we saw on the ground... They must have been extremely powerful Squires or were using very strong enchanted tools."

Atrox chuckled but immediately regretted it as his head protested violently. He managed to squeeze out, "They were Knight-rank—two of them. And one of them is dead."

The room froze. Everyone turned to look at him, their eyes wide—except for Arvas, whose face was mostly hidden by his hair.

Seconds later, Atrox winced as they shouted, "WHAT?!"