The Aura Ascendant: A Knight's Unbroken Path

His Ocularis Lens then calculated possible paths, optimal speeds, spell ranges, and serpent movement patterns.

It wasn't easy as there was a lot to take but Van was calm.

'Ahh… Right… If I can get those flowers now…'

Van's eyes lit up after reaching this thought.

Once he was able to grab those flowers, he could retreat with them while the others were distracted—buy time, regroup, and survive.

Disputes over the flowers could wait.

Only the living had the right to argue anyway…

'This might actually…' He mused.

With one hand on his sheathed blade and the other reaching for his satchel, Van slowly moved backward…

He was maintaining his position just at the edge of the chaos as spell after spell flew past him.

Boom!

Suddenly, the serpent tried to attack one of the slaves but because of various Zero-Circle Spells, it smashed a tree in its path instead...

Still, the force from that attack was simply too strong… Several mages and slaves screamed and scattered as debris was thrown everywhere.

"Hold formation!" Julia's voice rang out. It was firm and clear as she used her staff to cast more Spells...

She then launched another volley of Mana Burst, aiming for the Serpent's eyes. Although she knew that it wouldn't be effective, she was still hoping that it would distract the Serpent… If she was lucky, the Serpent's eyes might even receive some damage and they could, perhaps, overwhelm it during the time it was regenerating its wound.

Boom! Boom!

Unfortunately, the Serpent was able to close its eyes and avoid any damage from that.

Then, the brown-haired female leader did the same and attacked the Serpent…

Suddenly, chains made of Mana appeared from her staff and lashed onto the serpent's throat.

They were all trying to find the weakness of the Two-Horned Magic Beast!

It was not going to be easy, but they had to do something!

Still, Van was focused on his goal. He didn't stop moving as he silently approached his objective.

Soon, he reached the edge of the clearing, right where the Spiritual Kiss Flowers stood.

They were glowing now. One had just begun to bloom.

Perfect timing.

Van thought as he hid his presence and approached the mound where the flowers were located…

Thanks to the shadows and the battle that was going on, no one was able to notice his presence.

With quick hands, he pulled out his satchel and his dagger…

If he was going to take them all, he had to do it without damaging a single one—these flowers were fragile and he must handle them carefully.

Thankfully, because of the Fern and the Mushroom that they needed to collect, Van was already equipped with gloves that protected him from the Mana Pulse of the Flower.

"I can do this…" Van muttered to himself as he recalled all the information about the harvesting method of the Flower from the books he read.

This was all happening while the fight raged behind him…

Soon, some Apprentice Mages yelled. Explosions of mana clashed with the Serpent's tail swipes.

Bang! Bang!

Two mages were already down, injured, and being dragged away by their slaves to hopefully treat their injuries.

Still, Van's expression didn't change.

He calmly knelt, reached for the first flower—

—and harvested it.

One down.

Seven more to go.

***

Van moved swiftly and remained hidden from the smoke of battle.

Every second counted.

He crouched low as another spell exploded in the distance—Mana Bomb…

Boom!

Van could only guess from the thick mana signature rippling through the air.

The blast scorched the ground twenty paces away, causing the Two-Horned Serpent to be pushed back and hiss.

It wasn't really getting wounded or injured.

Its tough scales could actually endure several Mana Bombs without any issues. However, it was quite annoying being pushed back and so many people trying to slash its scales and shoot its eyes…

Boom!

Once again, trees shook as debris rained everywhere from another blast of Mana Bomb…

It was a powerful spell for Zero-Circle Magicians, but unfortunately, it uses a lot of Mana and could not be used by many Apprentice Mages. It was simply too taxing to use it…

Yet Van remained calm throughout this whole battle.

His focus narrowed to the delicate glow of the Spiritual Kiss Flowers blooming before him.

There were only eight.

And he already had one safely stored in the preservation satchel on his belt.

'Please bloom faster… I need them now.' He thought to himself.

It was a pity that the flowers weren't blooming at the same time.

Still, it might be better like this since the pulse of Mana would completely change and affect the surroundings if that happened. Taking them stealthily would be incredibly difficult if that happened.

He swept his eyes over them, calculating the roots' length, the direction of the flower's tilt, and the precise spot where his dagger needed to slide in to sever the stem without releasing the mana pulse.

'Whooo~'

'Steady hands… Gentle breath… Focus, Van.'

He muttered to himself…

Although he was guided by his Ocularis Lens through his eyes, he still needed to follow it with his body. If he was not careful, the flowers would just be wasted.

He reached for the second flower, slicing beneath the stem in a swift, practiced motion.

Two down.

"Push it back! Aim for its tail!" A voice screamed in the chaos.

The Serpent seemed to be thrashing now. Someone had angered it!

Its body coiled and whipped across the field, knocking aside a squad of apprentice mages like twigs.

Bam!

One girl flew backward, hitting a boulder with a sickening crunch. This girl was definitely in a bad situation and must be healed quickly.

Thankfully, Van noticed that there were a few slaves carrying potions to help the injured. At this point, the slaves were only distractions. Only four Slaves with incredible Aura Movement Techniques were on the front lines.

They had a special ability that allowed them to move faster, which was impressive as the Serpent couldn't hit them.

Still, if the Two-Horned Serpent got lucky, they would be in extreme danger.

Bam!

Just like that, another mage struck the boulder, and from the sound of it, it was definitely a painful experience.

Van grimaced seeing that, but it didn't take long before he continued to take the flowers as soon as they bloomed…

Three.

Four.

He had to be fast, but not careless.

Each flower needed to be preserved in its own compartment.

A slight bruise on the petals could ruin its alchemical properties. The worst-case scenario was triggering the Spiritual Rebound Pulse, a defensive mechanism that could not only kill him but destroy the rest of the flowers.

All of this was from the information that his Lens had gathered so he didn't doubt it at all…

Soon, he reached for the fifth.

This time, the Serpent howled.

It was a deafening, bone-chilling sound that made the earth tremble beneath his boots.

"It's heading this way!" Someone shouted.

Van's head snapped up—just for a moment.

Through the thick haze of smoke, dust, and mana, he could feel it…

The serpent's attention had shifted. No longer lashing at the scattered mages, no longer distracted by the glowing explosions—

It was slithering toward him.

No...

Six flowers secured.

He moved to grab the seventh, faster now. His breathing grew shallow. He pulled the flower free with a soft crunch of soil and immediately stored it away.

One left.

Just one.

He glanced up.

The serpent was on the move.

Its massive body crashed through the battlefield like a bulldozer…

Its head swayed from side to side and its fangs were ready to eat him…

Indeed, Van already felt it. The Serpent's eyes were aimed at him!

It had sensed him.

So it can feel the mana drop from the flowers...

Van's stomach clenched. He dropped low, pulling his cloak tighter, trying to make himself invisible in the shadows of the mound.

He reached out to the last flower then—

BOOM!

The ground erupted.

Dirt, stone, and shattered roots exploded around him as the Two-Horned Azure Serpent dived forward, its massive jaws then descended on the flower mound in a single huge bite.

The impact threw Van backward…

His ears were ringing, lungs struggling for air as dust filled his mouth and nose.

He hit the ground hard and rolled down a slope, slamming into a tree trunk with a grunt of pain.

"Ugh…"

His hands instinctively clutched the satchel, protecting it like a lifeline.

He stayed down, unmoving, while his cloak blended him into the roots, stones, leaves, and shadows.

Then, above him, he heard gasps and shouts.

"NO! The flowers!"

"It—it just ate the whole mound!"

"They're gone! Damn it!"

Even Julia's voice was there... "All of the flowers were taken… we were too late…"

As it turns out…

No one knew.

Not one of them realized that Van had already harvested all eight.