Ferdinand’s eyes bulged, looking as if they would pop from their sockets.

He stared deathly at the Demon Hunter. Demon Hunter L looked up, the curve of his lips as cold as Ferdinand’s heart at that moment.

He suddenly understood. He understood what Demon Hunter L’s move—taking a step back to reveal an opening—had truly been about.

It was the same attack the Barbarian Bear Knight, Gray, had used on the first day of the Hunting Competition—the offensive known as Lost Claw!!!

And now, the Demon Hunter had mastered it and unleashed it here!

The world is full of countless coincidences, but these coincidences are often born from choices that were already fated.

If Ferdinand had chosen to watch the Hunting Competition himself, instead of entrusting it to Tate Rodney—the same Tate Rodney whom Baron entrapped while he was soliciting a prostitute—then the Iron Thorn Gang’s collusion with the Immortal Church would never have been exposed.

He also would have learned from Baron’s fight with Brother Sorrowful Gothic Tristan that the Demon Hunter had already mastered the Lost Claw offensive, and he wouldn’t have fallen into this trap.

Going back even further, since his son hadn’t died, he should have treated Baron better from the start. He should have been more pleasant, not sent Faraday to play tricks, and simply proposed an exchange of Gold Coins for Gold Coins.

Then Baron, with his persecution complex, would never have become so ruthlessly determined to see him dead.

But that’s coincidence for you. Coincidence is just Destiny forged from countless fated choices.

If the Goddess of Destiny that Ferdinand spoke of truly existed, then Baron figured this whole situation must be her idea of a practical joke.

"ROAR..."

The Canaan Tree Spike was lodged in the wound on Ferdinand’s neck, and the agony of his soul being forcibly ripped away made him let out a shrill cry. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Ferdinand roared, trying to draw his Bone Blade, but it was pinned firmly by Baron’s shoulder.

’How could his strength, the strength of a Demon Hunter who had once approached the Silver Tier, be less than that of a mere Black Iron?’

He gave up on drawing his blade. Forcing down the agony that spread from his neck throughout his body—a pain like ten thousand arrows piercing his heart and tearing out his liver—he lifted a leg. Vast Spiritual Power materialized into a giant python coiling around his limb as he kicked viciously at Baron.

BANG!

The kick, carrying power approaching the Silver Tier, struck Baron like a thunderbolt. He shot backward like a black blur, crashing through five or six towering trees some twenty meters away before he finally came to a stop.

His body and blood carved a deep, crimson trench into the ground.

Meanwhile, Ferdinand fell to his knees, overwhelmed by the pain of his soul being forcibly extracted.

It had to be said, a Top Bronze Powerhouse was a Top Bronze Powerhouse. If it had been any ordinary Undead, their soul would have departed for the afterlife the instant the Tree Spike hit.

But with his increased Spiritual Power, and the Immortal Blessing that had accelerated his digestion of the Magic Potion and allowed him to briefly touch the Silver Tier, he had actually managed to withstand Baron’s dishonorable and utterly fatal sneak attack.

His hand gripped the Canaan Tree Spike. At the slightest touch, his body began to shudder and tremble, like a wolf shaking off water.

With a surge of strength, the Tree Spike embedded in his throat was slowly being pulled out.

But just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Demon Hunter—half-dead and leaning against a broken tree stump—lower the head he had kept tilted up.

"Hey, ever heard this one before?"

Baron could finally speak. Though his insides were scorching and blood streamed from his nose and mouth, he forced himself to rally. His voice lacked its usual force, yet it rang out clearly, "This is actually my escape route."

As if sensing something, Ferdinand instinctively glanced down at his feet.

There, a stone as black as ink and covered in mysterious patterns lay on the ground.

It turned out that at almost the exact moment the Canaan Tree Spike had pierced Ferdinand, Baron, his hands immobilized, had used his Spiritual Power to toss the Annihilation Stone directly at Ferdinand’s feet.

Then, he had deliberately allowed himself to be kicked away by Ferdinand to escape the blast radius.

Ferdinand wanted to run, but he was powerless to do so.

Because the Demon Hunter in the distance gave him a mocking smile and vividly spoke a single word: "Boom."

"BOOM!!!!!"

A massive explosion engulfed everything with Ferdinand at its center. A devastating shockwave erupted from it like a volcano, instantly annihilating trees and thickets into dust. A violent cloud of dust shot into the sky, visible even to the Rose Hunting Group and the Palmer Witch Riders led by Wizard Fei, who were many miles away.

Wizard Fei frowned as he watched the dust cloud rise. That seemed to be the direction where the Red Dragon Aura was coming from.

Then, with a wave of his hand, he led the Palmer Witch Riders, galloping toward the billowing dust.

At the same time, he took out a Magic Card and softly chanted a Spell. Immediately, thick white mist billowed from the nostrils of his and the other Witch Riders’ black horses, which let out a sharp neigh.

Their speed increased several times over in an instant.

At this pace, it wouldn’t be long before they reached their destination.

Meanwhile, in another part of the dense forest, Yali Lan, who had been heading toward the sound of Andre’s Copper Bell, also saw the rising dust. She immediately realized that Baron must have activated the Annihilation Stone.

Just then, Andre emerged from the bushes. Their eyes met. Andre was about to say something, but Yali Lan spoke first in an urgent tone:

"The reinforcements might have already reached the Immortal Altar. Go and direct them here to provide support. I’ll go find L."

The reinforcements were several small mercenary groups stationed in the area, all affiliated with the Rose Commerce Association.

Andre nodded without further explanation.

Time was of the essence. Every second spent explaining was a second less L had to live.

However, that was Andre’s perspective. From Baron’s point of view, Ferdinand could have talked for as many seconds as he liked; how long the man lived was entirely dependent on how long he talked.