The Grand Duke's Son Is A Heretic-Chapter 288

Kael eyed her for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright," he said. "Let’s hunt."

And with that, the two figures veered quietly from the path, swallowed by the thickening woods, as the shadows trailed just a little too close.

Kael gently pulled on the reins of his horse and slowed to a quieter pace, letting the sound of hooves fade against the rustling wind and birdsong. The road ahead was narrow—trees rising thick on either side with brush and thicket providing the perfect cover for ambush.

Behind him, Ariana’s eyes gleamed with silent purpose. She had already loosened the clasp on her sword’s sheath.

"You ready?" Kael asked quietly.

"I always am," she replied, her voice like tempered steel.

Kael chuckled under his breath, though his gaze stayed sharp. The two nudged their horses toward a fork off the trail—a narrow path lined with mossy stones and the deep shade of oak. As they slipped into the forest line, the shadows swallowed them whole. From the road, Seraphina’s brow creased as she watched them disappear.

’What the hell are these two planning?’

........

The forest grew eerily quiet.

Kael and Ariana raced ahead, cutting through the dense green with urgency. Once they’d broken far from the main convoy, they stopped. The horses were tied off, and both slipped down into the underbrush, footsteps light, weapons ready.

The air here was heavy—no birds, no breeze. Just pressure.

Kael crouched behind a twisted root, eyes scanning the ridges above.

"Three on the left—A-ranks," he whispered. "The others are scattered in a loose ring."

Ariana closed her eyes briefly. "They’re not here to kill. Not yet. Scouts. Watching."

"For who?"

No answer came. A flicker of motion—one of the watchers darted from tree to tree.

Kael’s lips curled. "Let’s pull the thread."

They circled the perimeter, silent as phantoms. Two men crouched in the brush ahead—one with a crossbow, the other scanning the woods.

Kael reached into his coat, pulled a pebble, and imbued it with a pulse of aura. A flick of his wrist—

Crack.

The first man dropped like a sack of stones.

Before the second could react, Ariana surged forward, elbow slamming into his temple. The scout slumped, unconscious.

They didn’t pause. Another figure above the ridge moved to signal. Too late.

Kael blurred forward, driving his knee into the man’s chest. He dropped with a broken wheeze.

Ariana’s head snapped up. "Six more—closing fast."

Kael’s knuckles cracked as he hummed softly. "Good." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

They didn’t wait.

The woods shifted. Leaves parted. Six figures in dark-copper armor stepped from the gloom, masks half-concealing their faces. Their blades gleamed faintly with enchantments, eyes glowing behind iron.

One stepped forward. His voice was calm, distorted. "You shouldn’t have wandered off, Lord Veydrin."

Kael arched a brow. "So you do know me. Good. I hate killing strangers."

Ariana’s fingers flexed near her sword hilt. Her body was still, her gaze locked.

Then the world snapped.

Kael vanished.

A thunderous blow shattered the silence—one of the attackers was launched backward, ribs cracked, mask split.

"ONE!" Kael shouted, fury flashing in his eyes.

The others lunged.

Three rushed Kael, two closed on Ariana.

But she didn’t flinch. She didn’t even draw.

She stepped into the first strike, caught the attacker’s wrist mid-air, twisted.

Snap.

A scream cut off mid-cry as her elbow slammed into his throat.

The second raised a curved blade behind her. She dropped low, sweeping his legs in a single turn. As he fell, her foot rose and cracked into his chestplate. He sailed backward, unconscious before he landed.

"Idiots," she muttered.

Meanwhile, Kael danced.

His aura slowed time around him. Their swings dragged, each movement stifled like they were trapped in thick sludge.

He grinned coldly.

The first blade swung wide. Kael stepped in, drove his palm into the man’s face, and hurled him into a tree.

The second came from behind. Kael twisted, grabbing his leg and yanking him off balance, then kicked him across the ground with a crack of ribs.

The third turned to run.

"No you don’t," Kael growled.

A spear of dark aura formed at his fingertips and shot forward like lightning—thunk. It pierced the scout’s thigh and nailed him to a tree.

Silence.

Only the labored gasps of the defeated remained.

Kael approached the pinned scout. The man’s mask had cracked, revealing wide, panicked eyes.

Kael knelt, his voice low. "Who sent you?"

No reply.

Kael raised two fingers. Shadows curled over the man’s skin

He screamed.

"I’ll ask again."

"D-Darkflag!" the man stammered. "Mercenary band... just watching! Paid to track movement—observe! Not kill unless... unless you left the convoy!"

Kael’s eyes narrowed. "So I was the bait."

Ariana stepped forward, her voice cold. "No names?"

"No we dont know....."

Kael stood, brushing dust from his gloves.

"Darkflag," Ariana muttered. "Mercs. Untraceable. But someone very rich wants eyes on you."

Kael glanced back at the unconscious bodies.

"This was a message."

Ariana nodded. "So what do we do?"

Kael looked toward the deeper forest, where the trail faded into shadows.

As Kael asked this, he suddenly felt a prickling sensation crawl along the back of his neck.

"Dodge."

Ariana’s voice was like a whipcrack, and they moved in perfect sync—both diving sideways just as a dart embedded itself with a thunk into the tree trunk behind them. The sharp whistle of air had nearly been missed—but not by them.

Kael’s eyes narrowed. Shadows flickered in the dense forest canopy.

"They’re here."

Ariana drew her sword in a blur, her stance sinking low.

The forest erupted.

Figures cloaked in deep charcoal black burst from the branches like wraiths, silent and fast.

They moved with ghostly agility, their faces covered, blades curved and short for close-quarter kills. Unlike the mercenaries before, these ones used the forest like a second skin—twisting between roots, dropping from branches, disappearing behind moss-laden trees.

The first attacker lunged at Kael from above,a whisper of a shadow, blade aimed at his shoulder.

Kael raised his arm just in time, bracing with a forearm guard as steel met enchanted leather. Sparks flew. He twisted, grabbed the man’s cloak mid-spin, and slammed him into the ground with a grunt, disarming him in a fluid motion.

But the man didn’t groan. He rolled, used the impact to spring away like a fox in a snare, vanishing into brush.

"They’re not mercs," Kael muttered, circling.