Primordial Heir: Nine Stars
Chapter 105: Ambushed

Chapter 105: Ambushed

By the time Khione returned to camp, Nero was already folding his tent, methodically packing his belongings with practiced ease. The early sunlight shimmered faintly on the dewy grass, casting long shadows beneath the towering mountain range.

"Morning, Khione!" he greeted, offering her a warm smile that contrasted the grim tension in the air.

"Morning, Nero. Something doesn’t feel right." She didn’t hesitate, her voice calm but firm as she shared the unease that had been gnawing at her.

Nero didn’t look surprised in the slightest. His expression remained composed, a quiet affirmation that he too had sensed the strange stillness.

"I felt it too." He looked toward the forest, his gaze sharp. "Everything’s too quiet. No beasts, no birds, not even insects. We’ll move cautiously today—and let’s stay close. It’s safer if we move together."

The unspoken understanding between them was clear—their personal competition would have to wait.

Khione nodded without objection, her icy expression unchanged. "What are we eating for breakfast this morning?" she asked with a touch of deadpan curiosity.

Nero smirked faintly, already turning toward their supplies. "It’s a surprise."

With that, he took it upon himself to prepare their final breakfast at this campsite. While he worked, Khione walked toward the river, disappearing behind a veil of mist and trees. She quietly undressed and entered the cool water, the rising steam swirling around her figure before the forest swallowed the rest—leaving everything to the imagination.

Back at camp, Nero used what little they had left. A few eggs, thin slices of dried meat, some rice, and a handful of wild herbs he had gathered earlier. With meticulous care, he combined everything in a small pan over controlled flame, crafting a meal both hearty and fragrant. The scent of seared meat and aromatic herbs filled the crisp morning air.

By the time Khione returned, drying her silver hair with a small towel, breakfast was ready. They sat on opposite sides of the small fire, sharing the meal in silence. The food was simple, yet satisfying—the kind of meal that soothed the stomach before a long journey.

Khione set down her bowl and looked at him, her face unreadable. "It was good."

Nero gave a short nod, hiding his satisfaction behind his usual stoic front. "I know."

No more words were needed. The day had yet to begin, but both were ready—for whatever awaited them.

Once they finished eating, Khione packed her tent without a word. With everything secured, the two set off together, moving in quiet tandem. They chose to remain on foot rather than take to the skies—an unspoken decision born of caution. Each of them extended their senses outward, vigilant for any hint of danger lurking in the woods.

The forest was vast and ancient, its towering trees casting long shadows that danced with the shifting morning light. They pressed on, delving deeper into the core zone, their steps measured, silent, and purposeful.

More than two hours passed. Still, they encountered nothing—no monsters, no wildlife, not even the faintest rustle of movement.

At a bend in the path, they paused. Their eyes met in silence.

There was no need for words. Wariness was etched into their expressions.

Something was definitely wrong.

"Let’s keep moving," Nero said, his tone steady, though his eyes were razor sharp.

Khione nodded and fell into step behind him, silent as a shadow. The forest around them remained oppressively quiet, as if holding its breath. They walked for another half hour, alert and tense, before their detection spells suddenly flared like alarm bells in their minds.

In a split second, shapes darted out from behind trees and out of shallow depressions in the terrain—twenty red goblins surged out of hiding, their distorted screeches slicing through the air. Their eyes were bloodshot, their veins bulging black like ink beneath their skin. A dark aura clung to them like a second skin.

At the rear of the formation, two massive orcs emerged, each wielding jagged cleavers, their muscles swollen unnaturally and their eyes glowing red with madness.

Nero’s expression sharpened, blade already in hand. "These monsters are different," he muttered, stepping into a guarded stance.

"Their minds are clouded. This isn’t natural. Someone’s controlling them."

Khione didn’t respond, her gaze locked on the enemies ahead. Her hand raised, small staff glowing with a frigid aura as she summoned her power.

"I’ll take the two orcs," Nero added. "You handle the goblins. I’ll back you up once I’m done."

Khione gave a silent nod.

In one fluid motion, she raised her staff. The air around her plummeted in temperature, a sharp mist forming at her feet as mana surged. Over twenty ice arrows appeared in the air above her like a floating arsenal—each one razor sharp, gleaming with frosty runes etched into their surface.

"Scatter."

At her command, the ice arrows shot forth like meteors, whistling through the trees.

Several red goblins were impaled instantly, their shrieks cut short. Others dodged, rushing in blindly with bloodlust in their eyes.

But Khione’s expression didn’t waver—she stepped back lightly, her form composed and precise.

With elegant movements, she summoned ice spears from the earth, skewering goblins that got too close. She pivoted and spun, conjuring a barrier of frost to absorb incoming projectiles from thrown goblin knives. One arrow shattered against her barrier, sending shards into the face of the goblin who threw it.

Meanwhile, Nero dashed forward like a streak of fire.

Flames burst from his body in a dark crimson flare, coating his blade in blazing energy. He closed the distance with the two berserk orcs in the blink of an eye, after the refininement of his lower legs, his speed have increased.

’’Guuaaah!"

One of the orcs roared, bringing its cleaver down in a vicious arc, but Nero sidestepped, parried, and countered with a heavy slash that forced the orc back, fire exploding on impact.

The second orc came from his flank, attempting to cleave him in half. Nero pivoted, his left hand thrusting outward—a wall of fire erupted between them, blocking the blow.

Bam!

He kicked off the ground, flipping backward, and landed between both orcs, crouched low like a predator.

The orcs roared in unison and charged.

Nero leapt into the air, his sword blazing brighter. "Infernal Cleave!"

He came down like a meteor, slicing through both orcs’ weapons in a single fiery strike.

Clangs!

Sparks and flame erupted as metal shattered. One orc reeled back, howling in pain. The other tried to tackle him, but Nero spun, planting his foot firmly into its chest, sending it crashing into a tree.

Not giving them time to recover, Nero followed up with a series of swift slashes, each one fueled with precise control over the Law of Fire. One slash burned into an orc’s leg, another pierced its shoulder. The flames didn’t just cut—they corroded, eating through their flesh with searing heat.

Back on the other side of the battlefield, Khione was moving like a dancer.

A goblin lunged at her with a spear. She slid to the side, the motion graceful, and summoned an ice blade in her free hand.

With a flick, she slit the goblin’s throat and spun into another. Her attacks were cold, efficient, and without wasted motion. Her staff rotated in her grip as she created freezing pulses that locked multiple goblins in place before shattering them with follow-up strikes.

Two goblins got past her defenses and lunged from behind.

Without turning, Khione summoned a spike of jagged ice from the ground—it erupted behind her, impaling them midair.

Her breathing was calm despite the chaos.

In the distance, Nero had finally cut down one of the orcs, severing its head in a single brutal swing that scorched the tree behind it. The second was on its knees, one arm gone, body burned.

"Burn." Nero muttered.

A sphere of compressed fire formed above his palm, then launched toward the crippled orc—it exploded on contact, consuming the monster in a swirling blaze that left nothing but ash.

Without pause, he turned to Khione’s side.

She was still surrounded by six goblins, the most agile ones who had survived the initial assault. They rushed her in perfect sync, a tactic clearly not their own—another clue they were being controlled.

But she was ready.

Khione spun her staff above her head, creating a freezing wind that knocked the goblins off balance. She raised her hand, condensing her mana into one spell: "Frost Bloom."

A ring of ice flowers erupted from beneath her, each "petal" a sharpened spike. The goblins didn’t even have time to scream. Within seconds, it was over.

The battlefield fell into silence, steam rising from melting ice and scorched earth. Blood soaked the grass, red and black smears where monsters once stood.

Nero stepped beside her, his sword still glowing faintly.

"Nice work," he said, his tone casual but his eyes watchful.

Khione gave a small nod, lowering her staff.

"They were being controlled. I could feel it in their movements," she said, voice as emotionless as ever.

Nero wiped the blood off his blade. "Which means whoever’s doing this... is watching."

Their eyes met again—wary, alert.

It was a trap waiting to spring.