Chapter 122: Thinking of You

Within the Death Graveyard, a place littered with bones, the magnificent architecture directly ahead captivated Duke instantly. For a moment, Duke was so preoccupied with looking around in pleasant surprise that he ceased his assault on Han Shuo.

However, once Emily entered the Death Graveyard, her first priority was not to survey the surroundings, but to fly directly to Han Shuo’s side and ask anxiously, "Are you alright?"

If an ordinary person had fallen from such a height, they might have been injured, but Han Shuo was completely unscathed. Shaking his head at Emily, Han Shuo stood up with a grim expression, his eyes fixed firmly on Duke, the wind mage in the distance.

Duke, who had been excitedly taking in his surroundings, spoke joyfully to the high-level swordsman Eric, who had just arrived at his side: "This is the Death Graveyard, there is no mistake. I never imagined we would actually be able to get in."

"Mr. Duke, we had been investigating for ages without finding anything, but it seems the barrier to the Death Graveyard opened the moment that green light emanated from that man. It’s truly strange!" Eric stared at Han Shuo from afar and said to Duke in a low voice.

Duke nodded and said, "Indeed. It seems this person is somewhat peculiar, and the green light from just now gave me a sense of familiarity, as if it originated from the Eye of Darkness!"

Upon hearing this, Eric was shocked and exclaimed, "How is that possible?"

With the Demon Slayer Blade in hand, Han Shuo chanted a magic incantation, and the seven-winged little skeleton appeared, wielding a bone knife. Following that, three zombie warriors emerged, each holding a wooden club, and stood in a line alongside the little skeleton, blocking the path between Han Shuo, Emily, and the others.

"Was the barrier to the Death Graveyard opened by you?" Seeing that Han Shuo was fine, Emily sighed in relief, then recalled the previous situation and asked Han Shuo, deeply puzzled.

Nodding, Han Shuo said with a somber face, "Yes, the Death Graveyard was opened by something I possess. Duke and Eric must die today. You help me deal with Duke, and once they are killed, I will explain everything to you!"

Hearing this, Emily didn't ask any further questions. Submissively, she gripped her magic staff, her face filled with murderous intent as she locked eyes on the approaching wind mage, Duke.

"He turns out to be a necromancer; it seems he won't be easy to deal with!" Eric had crossed blades with Han Shuo before and knew his strength was not inferior to his own. Seeing that Han Shuo had even summoned zombie warriors, he frowned.

"Kill them first, then we can unearth the secrets of the Death Graveyard!" Duke snorted coldly, his body hovering as he charged toward them. Eric didn't say anything more; after a brief hesitation, he followed closely behind Duke.

A melodious chant flowed from Emily's lips. The magic staff in her hand suddenly shot out several serpent-like black strands of energy, which coiled toward the incoming Duke. Seeing the black energy approaching, Duke’s expression turned grave. A tornado abruptly formed in front of him, sweeping up the scattered bones on the ground and swirling them toward the black energy, pulling all the strands into the vortex.

With a cold snort, Emily told Han Shuo to "be careful" and soared into the air, waving her staff to engage Duke in a fierce aerial battle.

"Let's not just stand around, either." Han Shuo let out a long, mocking laugh. The little skeleton led the three zombie warriors to surround Eric, while Han Shuo used his demonic vision to peer behind Eric and Duke, observing their every move.

"Do you think three zombies and a skeleton can stop me?" Eric scoffed in disdain. His long sword erupted with deep cyan battle qi, and his body charged forward like a bulldozer, kicking up clouds of dust as he bore down on Han Shuo.

Sneering inwardly, Han Shuo used his mental power to control the zombie warriors and the little skeleton, positioning them in front of him. The little skeleton, which should have been as fast as lightning, had its speed deliberately constrained by Han Shuo to match the sluggish pace of the zombies. Eric, approaching at high speed, enveloped a zombie warrior within a sphere of deep cyan battle qi.

A sound of shattering bones erupted from the first zombie warrior. Under the force of the battle qi, its frame broke apart, falling into pieces like a rigid log. With a dismissive sidestep, Eric nimbly evaded the clubs of the other two zombies. With a thrust of his sword, he pierced the neck of another zombie, leaving it tottering.

The little skeleton approached with its bone knife, huddling with the remaining zombie. It raised its bone knife with jerky movements and thrust it toward Eric. Having easily handled the zombies, Eric didn't pay any mind to the skeleton’s clumsy attack, swatting it away with his sword in impatience.

Yet at that very moment, the bone knife, which had been exceptionally slow, suddenly increased its speed dozens of times. The little skeleton, previously so stiff and sluggish, moved with a nimbleness that left Eric dumbfounded. Before Eric could even react or raise his sword further, the bone knife had already struck his chest.

Eric recoiled in terror, but he was a beat too slow. With a wet "thwack," a large chunk of flesh flew from his chest. Eric cried out in pain, shouting in disbelief, "How is this possible? What kind of skeleton warrior is this!"

Unfortunately, the little skeleton did not react to Eric’s shock. Having landed the hit, it pressed forward relentlessly. Before Eric could steady his footing, the little skeleton was already upon him. Just as Eric began to gather his battle qi into his sword again, the seven bone spurs on the little skeleton’s back fired simultaneously. They arced through the air and struck Eric with perfect precision.

The seven bone spurs pierced Eric’s neck, forehead, and heart. Before he could release his gathered battle qi, he collapsed stiffly to the ground. Even in death, the look of horror remained frozen on his face.

Duke and Emily, currently locked in battle, noticed the commotion. Seeing Eric dead with seven bone spurs embedded in his body, they were both shocked—though their reactions differed: Duke was filled with dread, while Emily was delighted.

Previously, Emily had already witnessed the miraculous nature of the little skeleton. Even she, a dark-attribute mage, had been helpless against its pursuit. The agility and speed of the little skeleton had left a deep impression on her, and seeing it now, with its back-mounted bone spurs capable of killing, deepened her understanding of Han Shuo’s mysterious nature.

Duke was already struggling to handle Emily’s attacks. He had counted on Eric to dispose of Han Shuo and come to his aid, but he never expected that the battle-hardened Eric would be finished off so quickly. Meanwhile, Han Shuo stood there, motionless, which caused Duke to panic.

"What, thinking of running? Do you think you can get away today?" After Eric was dealt with, Han Shuo, sensing Duke’s shifty gaze through his demonic vision, approached him with a mocking smile.

Duke’s expression turned icy. His usually amiable face grew slightly狰狞 (ferocious) as he glared at Han Shuo and said, "You are courting death!"

As Duke waved his staff, many sharp bone fragments on the ground shot toward Han Shuo. The sound of them piercing the air was ear-splitting, and the display of power was quite formidable. Seeing Han Shuo under attack, Emily, even more nervous than Han Shuo himself, chanted a dark magic spell.

Before the sharp bone fragments could reach Han Shuo, a pitch-black cavity appeared out of thin air. All the fragments were drawn into the dark hole by its suction.

Duke, having just released his attack, did not continue his assault; instead, he leaped away, attempting to flee. It seemed he had calculated that Emily would be worried about Han Shuo, forcing her to intervene, which would provide him an opening to escape.

Unfortunately, it was easy to enter the Death Graveyard but difficult to leave. The Eye of Darkness flickered once before falling back into Han Shuo’s spatial ring. Without the help of the Eye of Darkness, even a wind mage like him could not undo the barrier.

He collided with the barrier with a loud "bang." A burst of green light erupted from the seal, and Duke stumbled as the barrier’s power disrupted his levitation spell. He plummeted from the air, landing exactly where several sharp bone fragments pierced his calf and waist, causing immediate injury.

"Rest in peace!" Han Shuo sneered as he approached Duke. Together with Emily and the little skeleton, they surrounded him. Han Shuo tore off his face mask and said, "Long time no see, kind Mr. Duke!"

The pained Duke looked up, and upon seeing Han Shuo’s true face, he shrieked in terror, "How could it be you? I remember seeing you at the Babylon Academy of Magic and Warriors. Aren't you that student from the Necromancy department?"

Han Shuo nodded, smiling coldly, "Indeed, it is I." As he spoke, he took out the Eye of Darkness, held it up to show him, and continued, "I was also the little servant who discovered your trail at the cemetery behind the Babylon Academy. Heh, the Eye of Darkness belonging to Dylan was buried underground, and in the end, it fell into my hands. You didn't expect I’d still be alive, did you? The tables have turned!"

"So the Eye of Darkness was obtained by you! No wonder the barrier of the Death Graveyard opened as soon as your body lit up!" Duke realized with a start.

Three more zombie warriors appeared. A total of four zombies and the little skeleton slowly closed in on Duke. Han Shuo aimed his crossbow at Duke, while Emily chanted a dark magic spell. With the seven bone spurs of the little skeleton flying through the air, Duke’s fate was sealed.

After the bone spurs were fired, Duke attempted to defend himself with wind blades, but the combined pressure of the four zombies and the little skeleton proved too much.

When Han Shuo fired his crossbow, the bolt pierced through Duke’s thigh, pinning him to the ground. Before Han Shuo could even bring out the Demon Slayer Blade, Emily’s dark magic engulfed Duke. In an instant, thick smoke rose from his body, and he became yet another pile of bleached white bones within the Death Graveyard.

The little skeleton approached Duke, removed the spatial ring from his bony finger, and handed it, along with the pouches from the high-level swordsman Eric, to Han Shuo.

Emily stared intently at the little skeleton, watching its movements in a daze for a long time. Finally, unable to hold back her extreme curiosity, she asked Han Shuo, "Can you tell me, what exactly is the deal with this miraculous little skeleton warrior?"

"Haha, it’s nothing much, really. It’s just been refined through some secret techniques, which is why it performs so miraculously!" Han Shuo stroked the little skeleton’s smooth skull, smiling as he tucked away the loot it had handed him.

Emily glared at Han Shuo, huffing, "How many things are you keeping from me? Why do you have the Eye of Darkness? Why can you refine such an amazing skeleton warrior? You’re just a low-level necromancer, yet you possess impressive martial arts skills—what is going on here?"

At this point, some things had to be explained. Han Shuo recounted everything that had happened in the Necromancy department, including the discovery of the Death Graveyard, to Emily. However, he kept silent about the specific methods of refining the skeleton and the nature of his demonic arts.

This story left Emily deeply shocked. As she pondered, Han Shuo began searching the belongings of Duke and Eric.

After a while, Han Shuo discovered that Eric was a pauper with nothing of value in his pockets. As a mage, Duke should have had some treasures, but he had placed a magical seal on his spatial ring that Han Shuo could not break.

After a long silence, Emily looked at Han Shuo with a grave expression: "Regarding your acquisition of the Eye of Darkness and your ability to enter and leave the Death Graveyard at will, who else knows besides you and me?"

"No one else knows." Han Shuo looked at Emily, hesitated, and asked, "What do you intend to do?"

"In that case, keep this secret. Since Duke and Eric are dead, and the thieves sent by that organization to track them are gone too, no one else will ever know. From now on, the Death Graveyard will remain your private secret, the foundation for you to train yourself and slowly gain control over the Dark Forest." Emily looked deeply at Han Shuo and said in a low voice.

Stunned for a moment, Han Shuo smiled and pulled Emily into his arms, chuckling, "As expected of my woman. I thought you would make me contribute the secret of the Death Graveyard to the organization!"

Emily rolled her eyes at him, "Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? If you wanted to tell the organization, you would have done it long ago. I understand what this Death Graveyard means to you; it is crucial for your future development. Since we are already like this, I naturally have to look out for you."

Hearing Emily say this, Han Shuo was genuinely moved. He thought to himself that women were truly unpredictable creatures; once their hearts and bodies were captured, their previous principles would crumble. Her words meant that between the Dark Curtain organization and Han Shuo, Emily had chosen Han Shuo. If there were ever a conflict between the two, it seemed Emily would stand with him.

"By the way, you said your mission this time was to investigate the whereabouts of those weapons. I used the Forest Giants to raid those supplies—will that affect your mission?" Remembering what Emily had said earlier, Han Shuo asked.

Emily giggled, her face beaming. Looking at Han Shuo with affection, she said, "Bad boy, you finally know how to think of me. That’s great!"

Han Shuo was speechless, realizing he hadn't considered Emily’s perspective at all. Seeing her reaction, he felt a bit embarrassed and laughed sheepishly.

"Don't worry about that. I know where those supplies were headed, but I needed to catch them red-handed to leave them with no excuses. Even though this batch was intercepted, many people from the Medivh Trading House escaped. They will surely try to find a way to ransom those siege weapons back from the Forest Giants. If someone comes to buy those goods, just have the Giants process the deal as usual; that would be a huge help to me. Once they get the goods, they will still send them to my target. When that happens, I will arrest them, and it won't affect the big picture." Emily smiled at Han Shuo.

Han Shuo nodded, "No problem. Once I return to the Empire to get some grain, I’ll return to the Dark Forest. I’ll tell the Forest Giants, and it definitely won't affect your plan."

"By the way, since you can't open Duke’s spatial ring, why not give it to me? I’ll find a way to break the seal and see what’s inside."

"Sure, take it." Han Shuo handed Duke’s ring to Emily without hesitation. Then, an idea struck him, and he remembered the beautiful ring he had taken from Yuna. Yuna was only a high-level mage, and since Emily was a level higher, she should be able to break that seal.

He took out Yuna’s ring and handed it to Emily, "This one also has a seal, but the owner was only a high-level mage. I think you should be able to open it."

Emily didn't ask how he obtained it. She held the ring, took a deep breath, and focused her mental power. The emerald-green ring began to glow. A strong magical fluctuation emanated from it until it finally dimmed. Emily exhaled and pulled out several items: some women’s undergarments, a crystal card, a water-magic spellbook, and some medical supplies.

Giving Han Shuo a strange look, Emily said, "I didn't think you were such a ruthless person. How did this woman die by your hand?"

After rummaging through the items and finding nothing of value, Han Shuo put the ring away and laughed, "A lustful woman betrayed me, so I killed her in a fit of rage. It’s quite normal."

"Pah! I don't believe you!" Emily said.

"Alright, I have to report to the organization in two days. I must leave the Death Graveyard quickly. You already know about my identity and background. Let’s leave this place for now. You go do your business, and whether through the Dark Curtain or the Babylon Academy, I don't think it will be hard for you to find me." Han Shuo said, thinking of all he had to do.

"Fine. You little rascal aren't honest, but finding you shouldn't be hard. One last question: should I call you Brian or Han Shuo?" Emily asked.

"Han Shuo. That’s the name given to me by the one who taught me martial arts. I’d like you to call me that from now on!" Han Shuo replied after a moment of thought.

Emily nodded without further questioning. Han Shuo took her on a tour of the Death Graveyard, and amidst her surprise and admiration, the two of them left the place via the central magic teleportation array.