If Yaw-Yan had thought that last night was the moment he felt the most useless he had ever been—how quickly he was taken down by the Blood Collector despite his best efforts to draw its attention to protect his friends—he would've been wrong. His attempt to shield them had failed; they fell into the mist, rendered unconscious and defenseless. And instead of protecting them, he became the one who needed saving. A single hit from that beast was enough to immobilize him.
In the end, he realized his efforts had been unnecessary. Minona was there—watching over them. She was strong enough to kill that thing in one blow.
But that moment? That wasn't the lowest he'd ever felt.
Because now—right now—while running for his life again, Yaw-Yan truly felt the most useless he had ever been in both of his lives.
Not because he couldn't fight back against his pursuers. No—he had long grown used to that feeling.
This was different.
This wasn't just uselessness.
It felt like his soul was being twisted and torn apart. His chest felt hollow, like something had ripped it open. His entire body was weak and heavy.
This feeling was new. Because this time, his powerlessness had led to something far worse—he had run away.
He had cowardly left Minona to defend herself against those dubious people.
And he fucking hated himself for it.
He hated being powerless.
He hated being unable to help her.
Yaw-Yan dodged to his left, rolling to the ground the moment the hair on his nape stood up while he was making his way out of Silao Forest.
Lifting his head, he saw the trees in front of him sliced diagonally in half.
"You're good at dodging, huh? Too bad you avoided that—it's probably the most painful way you could've died tonight."
Yaw-Yan stood up and immediately drew his dagger, planting his foot firmly on the ground. His eyes were locked on the person in front of him.
Seeing Yaw-Yan's desperate struggle, his pursuer sneered mockingly while casually bouncing a ball of water in his gloved hand.
"Oi! Don't look at me like that. You're the one who disturbed us in the middle of our work. We were just minding our business, and then you two showed up out of nowhere."
He shuffled the water orb in his hand until it morphed into a whip-like shape. With a flick, he lashed it toward Yaw-Yan. It cut cleanly through everything in its path—trees, rocks, nothing was spared.
Yaw-Yan dropped flat to the ground, narrowly avoiding the water whip as it sliced through the forest like a blade.
He grabbed a nearby stone and hurled it at the man in front of him, but the guy effortlessly caught the projectile with his free hand and crushed it without effort.
"C'mon, don't waste my time. I'm pretty sure your beautiful friend is already bouncing on Regus' lap. I don't wanna miss the show."
Yaw-Yan growled at the disgusting words. He kicked off the ground and charged, dagger in hand.
The man easily dodged the telegraphed attack and slammed a knee into Yaw-Yan's stomach with brutal force, knocking the air out of his lungs.
Before Yaw-Yan could fall, the man grabbed him by the neck and lifted him into the air with a single hand. Yaw-Yan struggled, trying to pry off the iron grip, but it was useless—the man's strength was overwhelming.
Seeing that Yaw-Yan's struggle was slowly weakening, the man decided to finish him off. He tightened his grip around Yaw-Yan's neck, ready to snap it—
But then he felt it.
A presence watching him from a distance. Its glare sent a shiver down his entire body.
Sensing the danger lurking nearby, he immediately released Yaw-Yan and summoned a massive amount of water with his core weapon, floating it in front of him like a shield.
"SHOW YOURSELF!"
GRUEEEEECHEE!!
His yell was answered by a ground-shaking screech. The man frantically scanned his surroundings, searching for the source of the horrifying sound.
Yaw-Yan, coughing up blood and gasping for breath, immediately recognized the familiar screech.
It didn't take long to put a name to it.
"Blood Collector," he muttered.
He hadn't realized there were more of them lurking around Silao Forest. But it made sense. With how many bloodsuckers this forest harbored, one Blood Collector wouldn't be enough to gather all the bloodsacks they'd stored.
And then it hit him—his face went pale.
The bloodsacks.
He was carrying some of them in his bag.
They had caught the scent. That's why they were here.
Panic surged through him, until one thought brought a sliver of hope:
Last night, Minona had saved his life from one of these beasts.
But now… Minona—
Yaw-Yan looked back in the direction he had run from—and remembered.
Minona was still there. Alone. Fighting those guys by herself.
He grit his teeth. He couldn't afford to be useless right now. He needed to go back. He had to help Minona.
Yaw-Yan pushed himself up from the ground, wiping the blood off his face with his arm. Shakily, he stood, eyes locked on the back of the guy who was still frantically scanning the forest, unaware that Yaw-Yan was already back on his feet.
Reaching into his bag, Yaw-Yan grabbed one of the bloodsacks, took a deep breath, and hurled it with all his strength at the guy's back. It hit with a splatter, coating the man in sticky, red fluid.
Startled, the man reflexively lashed out with a back kick, sending a powerful torrent of water that flung Yaw-Yan several feet away.
"What the fuck was—"
He couldn't finish his sentence.
A massive beast landed behind him with a deafening thud, its monstrous eyes locked onto his blood-soaked back.
Yaw-Yan's blood ran cold.
This Blood Collector looked nothing like the one from last night—it was bigger, older, and far more terrifying.
Forcing himself up through the pain, Yaw-Yan bolted back the way he came, ignoring the agony coursing through his body from that last hit.
The man, sensing the monstrous presence behind him—and watching Yaw-Yan disappear into the canopy—was suddenly consumed by overwhelming dread. His throat went dry, his lips cracked, and sweat poured down his face.
He cursed Regus for sending him after that brat.
He cursed himself for volunteering for this mission.
And he cursed the day he ever joined the Heretics.
He was going to die tonight.
The guy grit his teeth and roared, swinging his arm behind him and unleashing a huge torrent of water toward the beast, trying to overwhelm it with sheer force.
But his attack stopped midway.
The Blood Collector caught his arm.
The man's face paled as panic set in. He thrashed wildly, trying to break free, but the beast slowly lifted him off the ground, letting him hang in the air like a ragdoll. As he struggled in its grasp, the Blood Collector leaned in close—its monstrous face inches away—and let out an ear-splitting roar directly into his face.
Back in the forest, Yaw-Yan picked up his pace the moment he heard the enraged roar echo behind him. On his back was the bag filled with the bloodsacks he had collected yesterday. If that Blood Collector was tracking them by scent, it was only a matter of time before he'd be running for his life again.
But he had a plan.
And he hoped to hell it worked—at least enough to give Minona a chance to escape.
Suddenly, a wave of dread wrapped around his entire body. Every hair on his skin stood on end, and the stench of death hit him like a wall, thick and heavy in the air.
Without thinking, Yaw-Yan dove to the side just as the ground where he'd been standing exploded—sending rubble and dust flying everywhere.
He looked at the destruction, eyes wide, and the color drained from his face.
Standing in the center of the newly formed crater was the Blood Collector, sniffing the air.
Not waiting for it to notice him, Yaw-Yan sprang to his feet and ran, ignoring the roar thundering behind him.
Then—rustling.
To his left, the trees and plants shook violently. He glanced over.
The Blood Collector was keeping pace, running alongside him.
With a curse, Yaw-Yan grabbed one of the bloodsacks from his bag and muttered a desperate prayer.
Please let this distraction work. Please fall for it.
He threw the bloodsack away from him and immediately thanked all the deities in heaven when the Blood Collector made a beeline to catch it. It ignored everything in its path, uprooting trees as it barreled forward, desperate to reach the bloodsack.
After storing the ball of flesh onto its back, it resumed its chase. Yaw-Yan threw more bloodsacks here and there to buy himself a bit of distance.
When he saw the Blood Collector tumble off a cliff while lunging for another bloodsack, Yaw-Yan took the opportunity to widen the gap between himself and the beast.
But then—something blurred in his peripheral vision.
He rolled instinctively, barely dodging an unseen attacker that pounced at him.
Yaw-Yan shivered when he saw the Blood Collector slowly rising to its feet. In one of its hands dangled the mangled corpse of the man who had been chasing him earlier, the body limp and lifeless in its grip.
He was about to bolt when a heavy thud landed nearby.
His stomach dropped.
Standing not far away was another Blood Collector.
There were two of them now—the one that had been chasing him, and the one carrying the corpse.
Yaw-Yan quickly threw a bloodsack between the two beasts and turned his back to them, sprinting at full speed toward the direction he had come from—toward where he had left Minona—ignoring the growls and clash of the beasts behind him.
Seeing a familiar rock, Yaw-Yan pulled out a bloodsack and jumped through the bushes, bursting into an open clearing and startling the group of people gathered there.
He growled, eyes bloodshot, when he saw Minona lying motionless on the ground. Her skirt was slightly hiked up, revealing smooth, porcelain-like thighs.
Then he saw Ruges, who gave him a devilish smirk and brandished a knife in front of him.
Without a word, Yaw-Yan threw a bloodsack in Ruges's direction. The man caught it instinctively—only for it to burst in his hand, blood splattering across his face.
Yaw-Yan didn't stop there. He hurled the entire bag at him.
"Here! You can have this!"
Ruges, reacting on instinct, sliced the flying bag open—drenching himself in even more blood.
And made sure to crack his nuts for what he put Minona through
Yaw-Yan dove and rolled to Minona, quickly scooping the paralyzed girl into his arms. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the far end of the open field and disappeared beneath the canopy of trees and the cover of darkness.
"Yaw-Yan…"
Despite his struggle to escape the beasts and the people behind them, Yaw-Yan glanced at the source of the voice and saw Minona's teary face.
He wanted to smash his head into the ground.
He had left her alone with those bastards to fend for herself… and now, because of his cowardice, Minona was in this awful state. The once proud girl he first saw was now crying in his arms.
Yaw-Yan swallowed the guilt—there'd be time to drown in it later. First, he had to bring Minona back to her academy, somewhere safe. But right now, they needed to run and hide.
The darkness had already swallowed the forest, and with Blood Collectors lurking in every shadow, they had to find shelter—a place to recover, even just for a moment. At the very least, he needed to. His legs were on the verge of giving out, and the pain from his injuries was becoming unbearable. He still didn't even know what had happened to Minona's body or why she couldn't move a muscle.
Yaw-Yan looked down at Minona and gave her a gentle smile despite the searing pain running through him.
He needed to reassure her—she had to know she'd be safe.
"Don't worry, Minona. I won't let anyone hurt you. I promise."
Hearing those words, Minona slowly closed her eyes and allowed herself to melt into the warmth of Yaw-Yan's embrace.
End of Chapter 14