Novel's Extra: I Awakened The Strongest Physique From The Start-Chapter 208 - 209 - Escape 2.

Barbara collapsed into her chair, her fingers pressed against her temple as she tried to steady her racing thoughts.

Keryu was gone. He had escaped. That meant he could—or would—return, and when he did, he wouldn’t come alone.

’The imperials wouldn’t let this go,’ she thought, gritting her teeth, as they never did.

Her family was hunted down just because of the birth of a child with a power that could resist the demon lord’s command.

All of their loyalty to the empire and contributions were for naught, and they were used as mere point-farm for one of the princes.

However, in the demon empire, there was a rule that one must eradicate their enemies to the root. So, if they got the news of her—a member of the family they had destroyed—being alive, then they would come for her. They wouldn’t let her live.

Her mind raced through possibilities. Reinforcements? She didn’t have something like that.

Fortifying their defenses? In front of the imperial family’s power, no defense was enough to protect them.

She only had one option, and that was to run away again. She needed to move, to act before the noose tightened around her throat.

But then, just as she started forming a plan, a voice cut through her spiraling thoughts like a blade.

"How should I deal with the liar now?"

It was Alex, and although his words were spoken lightly, almost playfully, the weight behind them sent a chill down Barbara’s spine.

Her breath caught in her throat as she turned her gaze toward Alex, who was watching her with that same infuriating smirk.

Her pulse quickened. She knew exactly who he was referring to.

Alex had said it twice before—he hated liars. And now, the way he was staring at her, like a cat toying with a cornered mouse, she knew she had been caught.

If she had known before who Keryu was, then she would never have accepted his plan.

Just when Alex had arrived at the gate of her castle, Keryu had laid a plan, saying that he should hide and remain as a would card against Alex, but now, that card had turned them against Alex.

Barbara tried to keep her face neutral, her body relaxed, but beneath the table, her fingers twitched—a silent signal to her subordinates.

’Be ready,’ she conveyed with a subtle motion.

Her people, who had been just as shocked by Keryu’s escape, snapped back to focus. Their eyes darted between Alex and Barbara, tension thickening in the air.

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’Are we finally going to teach him a lesson?’

’She’s signaling us to prepare.’

’We have to fight him.’

’Against Alex? That’s…’

’I wish his face wouldn’t get destroyed in the fight. It would be such a waste...’

Some were wary, some were eager, and some were hesitant.

They could all remember how Alex had killed Archer, who was a star connection realm expert, with one attack.

They knew how strong Alex was, and although some of them wanted to see him suffer, none of them wanted to be the first to cross him.

But Barbara’s silent command left no room for hesitation. If she deemed Alex a threat, they had no choice but to act.

Barbara, on the other hand, maintained her calm facade. "Liar?" she asked, feigning ignorance. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

She needed to buy time. She wasn’t ready for a confrontation with Alex—not yet.

If she did, then her side would suffer considerable casualties. She wanted to wait for Alex to fight the monster in the undiscovered area, and when he was tired, she would attack him.

That way, she could deal with him without suffering losses.

Alex, however, simply shook his head, pushing himself up from the table with an almost lazy grace.

"No games," he said, his tone colder now, his smirk fading. "You know exactly what I’m talking about. And now, you’re going to get punished."

Alex had already achieved what he wanted to with his confrontation with Keryu.

Alex’s objective was to make Keryu suffer, and he did. That guy had to burn his life force in order to get the strength boost and use the teleportation scroll, a life-saving treasure, to escape.

That was more than enough loss.

However, it would be a lie to say that he wasn’t surprised when he saw the guy burning his life force for a girl.

’It seems like he likes her more than I thought,’ he mused inwardly. On the outside, however, he maintained a cold expression.

Barbara, on the other hand, had her gums bleed by the force she cleaved her jaws. Punished? He spoke as if he had already won—as if she were beneath him.

The room grew heavy with her rising fury.

Keryu’s escape was already weighing down her mind, and now even Alex looked at her as if she were some pushover.

’I need to show him the difference between a star formation expert and a star connection expert,’ she growled inwardly, shooting up to her feet.

Her hands clenched into fists, and the mana in the air stirred violently around her, crackling with raw energy.

"Just because I’m trying to avoid a fight doesn’t mean I’m scared of you," she warned, her voice dark and unwavering.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop, a foreboding pressure pressing down on everyone present as her subordinates moved immediately.

The mages raised their staffs, their palms glowing with the beginnings of incantations, while the knights unsheathed their weapons, steel glinting under the dim torchlight.

Barbara didn’t want to do this. She didn’t want to risk losses, not when Keryu’s escape already meant incoming danger.

But her self-respect and pride as a star connection realm expert wouldn’t let this matter go.

Even her subordinates would start thinking of her as someone with no backbone, so she needed to set an example using Alex that she wasn’t weak.

..........................

Meanwhile, Keryu, who had escaped from Alex and Barbara’s grasp, was still tumbling through the vortex of the teleportation scroll’s power along with Natasha.

His body ached, his mana reserves depleted, and the searing pain of his hastily burned life force gnawed at his insides.

But none of that mattered. Explore new worlds at novelbuddy

All that mattered was that Natasha was in his arms, and they were still alive.

Woosh-thud!

With a final lurch, they crashed onto cold, damp ground. Keryu barely managed to twist his body to absorb the impact, shielding Natasha from the worst of it.

"Urgh!" He groaned as pain shot through his back, but he ignored it. His first instinct was to check on her.

"Natasha?" His voice was hoarse, breathless.

Natasha stirred, coughing as she struggled to sit up. Her chest heaved, still recovering from the brutal punch that had knocked the wind out of her. "I... I’m fine."

Keryu let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

They had made it. He glanced around, taking in their surroundings. They were still in the desolate—dark, damp, and unfamiliar.

The rotting stench from the surroundings told him that he wasn’t far from some decaying dead body, and although it wasn’t an ideal location to rest, it was better than staying where he was.

So, for now, it would have to do.

"We need to rest," he muttered, shifting Natasha so she could sit more comfortably against the rock wall.

His hands trembled as he reached into his coat, pulling out a small vial filled with a faintly glowing blue liquid.

Without hesitation, he uncorked it and pressed it to Natasha’s lips. "Drink this."

She frowned but obeyed, swallowing the healing potion without protest.

As the liquid touched her tongue, a warm sensation spread through her body, easing the pain in her ribs and restoring some of her strength.

Keryu watched her closely. He had failed to protect her back there. He had underestimated Alex. He had underestimated Barbara. And because of his arrogance, Natasha had suffered.

"I’m sorry," he said quietly.

Natasha blinked. "For what?"

"For dragging you into this. For not seeing the trap before it closed around us." His fists clenched. "For being too weak to stop it."

She exhaled slowly, shaking her head. "You idiot."

Keryu turned to her, surprised by the sudden sharpness in her tone.

"You think I blame you for this? That I regret being here with you?" She reached up, her fingers brushing his cheek. "I chose to stay by your side, Keryu. Whatever happens, we face it together."

He momentarily froze as he saw the resolve in her eyes, unwavering despite everything they had just been through.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, then nodded. "Together."

’This isn’t bad,’ he muttered inwardly.

For the first time in his both lives, he had tried to risk his life for someone else, and it didn’t feel bad at all.

For some reason, he felt free. He felt like he deserved Natasha now.

But soon, when they decided to move...

Cough-Cough!

Blood sprayed out of his lips as he fell to the ground.

’Ah, the backlash...’ He realized, but other than helplessly letting his body fall to the ground while hearing Natasha’s muffled yet panicked scream, he could do nothing else.

This was something he had to face for using his life force.

He didn’t know for how long he would be knocked out, but he hoped that Natasha would be able to protect him until he regained consciousness.

He could think of what to do after that.

’Fucking Alex...’ Cursing Alex—the root of his problems—one last time, he let his world get enveloped in darkness.