A mont later, Thomas frowned when he realized no one was moving, all of them still staring at the pillar of light in silence.
"…didn't you hear ? We'll all die!"
"So you want us to run?"
Azeron's fierce gaze locked onto him, freezing him where he stood.
"The Evoli doesn't run."
"But… but—"
"Tch."
Thora clicked her tongue, shooting him a look of obvious disdain.
"Tch. If you're scared, then leave. You've always been a coward anyway. No one's going to be surprised."
Thomas clenched his fists and turned toward Whisker, a trace of hope still lingering. However, Whisker didn't even spare him a glance. His gaze remained fixed on the pillar.
It was clear he had no intention of leaving.
"Haa."
Thomas exhaled, his hands tightening as he looked down at the girl in his grasp.
'A… coward?'
Yes, he was trying to run. But it was to protect this young girl. There was nothing they could do to help Atticus, nothing at all. Staying here would only an death. Was he a coward for acknowledging that truth?
His grip around the girl tightened as his resolve settled.
'There's no choice.'
If they chose to remain here and die, that was their decision. As for him, protecting and raising this girl at all costs was his responsibility.
Without another word, Thomas turned and left the scene.
'Think. Think.'
Countless thoughts raced through Whisker's mind, but none offered a way out of this situation. The coward was right, if Atticus fell, they were all dead.
Even so, survival had long since ceased to be Whisker's goal. Without Atticus, destroying the Nature Faction would be nearly impossible. More than that, he simply couldn't allow him to fall here.
A mont later, Whisker's gaze sharpened.
'It's… glowing?'
Atticus' life weapon, lying several ters away, had begun to emit a faint, steady glow.
'Hmm…'
He had already exhausted every possible thought in search of a solution, yet nothing had worked. But now, that strange weapon, one whose capabilities were unlike anything he had ever encountered, was reacting.
'It's worth a shot.'
Whisker glanced toward Thora and Azeron.
"Don't ask… we need to get his weapon to him."
Both of them narrowed their eyes at the katana, then looked back at him. Countless thoughts flickered through their eyes. They gave a firm nod the next mont.
"…Alright." "Let's go."
Their wills erupted in full energy as they shot toward the pillar. The mont they crossed the threshold, their wills began to tremble and flicker violently.
"It's ssing with our will!" Thora said in panic. Azeron's gaze flared. "Don't slow down. Keep moving!"
They continued pushing forward. But as they drew closer to the pillar, their wills suddenly collapsed entirely.
An overwhelming weight crashed down on them, sending them plumting from the sky and slamming into the ground.
Whisker gritted his teeth as a strange sensation surged through his body. His gaze narrowed as he noticed faint particles drifting away from his skin.
He was… unraveling.
"Aura of Supremacy!"
A dark veil of energy spread over him instantly. Turning, he saw Azeron standing behind him, teeth clenched, veins bulging across his body.
"W-we… need to hurry…"
Whisker gave a sharp nod, and they pushed forward again, forcing their way toward the pillar.
However, the closer they got, the heavier the strain beca on Azeron. Blood began to stream from the Evoli elder's eyes, ears, and nose, staining the ground beneath him.
'Almost there.'
Whisker's fists tightened. There were barely ten ters left.
"Argh!"
Azeron abruptly collapsed. Whisker felt the energy vanish at once, and that strange sensation returned in full force.
He turned to look at Azeron. The man had already lost consciousness, clearly unable to withstand the strain any longer. Thora wasn't faring any better. 'Shit.'
Whisker forced his gaze back to the pillar and pushed forward. It felt like moving against a crushing current. Pieces of his body continued to drift away, leaving torn, bloodied patches across his skin. But he ignored the overwhelming pain.
'A-almost t-there…'
Still, the closer he got, the harder it beca to move. Several seconds passed, and Whisker found himself rooted in place, unable to push forward even an inch.
Solvath's aura had grown so intense that it pinned him completely.
Whisker's eyes narrowed to slits as he fixed his gaze on Atticus. A third eye had ford at the center of his forehead, and his eyes had gone completely unfocused. They were running out of ti.
"I'll help!"
Whisker's head snapped up as Thomas ca surging toward them, a blue cloak wrapped tightly around him. Blood stread from his eyes and nose as he gritted his bloodied teeth.
He traced sothing into the air, and it burst apart into motes of light.
"F-finish it!"
Thomas collapsed the very next mont, his body going still.
At the sa ti, the crushing weight around Whisker vanished as a cloak of blue flared up around him. He spared Thomas a brief glance before turning back and forcing himself toward Atticus.
He finally reached him. By then, the blue cloak had already begun to fade, and the oppressive weight returned, bearing down on him once more.
Ignoring the tearing pain as his body continued to unravel, Whisker gritted his teeth and grabbed Atticus' glowing katana. With a final burst of strength, he hurled it toward him.
'…You're not done yet, Atticus. Fight it.' Whisker dropped to his knees, watching as the katana struck Atticus, then… nothing.
'Haa…'
His eyes widened, and a wry smile appeared on his lips. His last attempt had failed. It was over.
Solvath's power surged toward him, swallowing him whole as he began to fall.
Then… he stopped.
'What?'
It wasn't just him. It was as though the world had… paused. Whisker's eyes widened as a flash of light pulled his gaze toward the katana, which had suddenly begun to shine with an intense brilliance.
He scarcely had ti to react before it ignited in a blinding radiance that swallowed everything.
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