The very mont Zeke tossed the bottles, the Elentals sprung into action. However, their target wasnt the bottles but the boy who had thrown them. It seed retrieval was a lower priority than threat removal.
Quite sensible, Zeke thought as he disappeared from his spot when the first Elental was about to reach him. His [Short Range Teleportation] could take him anywhere inside his sphere of awareness, and Zeke had tasked Akasha with picking out the best location.
He knew that he wouldnt be able to leave the encirclent in a single move. Therefore, it was paramount to pick the best spot possible.
Zeke reappeared at the very edge of his sphere. As expected, she had managed to pick a spot that was relatively sparsely populated. However, that didnt an that it was safe. In fact, the Elentals shifted their trajectories right away. It seed they had locked onto him for good.
The closest one was already swinging a scythe-like appendage toward his neck. Zeke cursed as he shifted position. He was already creating the Spellform in his Core, but he wouldnt be in ti.
Instead of his neck, the bladed shadow cleaved through his shoulder. Zeke had expected this to an extent, but it still shocked him to see how little resistance his flesh offered. Shadow Mages made for terrifying assassins.
In the next instant, he disappeared. This ti, his teleport took him outside the encirclent. And there it was, the passage. He was just in ti to see Gravitas catch the three bottles he had tossed. Despite his repeated [Teleportation], they had been faster. This was primarily due to the fact that Gravitas had used her gravity Magic to speed up the bottles flight.
Their gazes interlocked for an instant, but then the mont passed, and she turned and ran.
Zeke, for his part, couldnt afford to waste any ti either. He had started running the mont his teleport ended. Thanks to his sphere of awareness, he could literally feel the shadows closing in. After taking just a few steps, his Spellform was completed again, and Zeke vanished a third ti.
This ti, he appeared inside the narrow entrance to the cave. His feet ground to a halt, and he whirled around. His eyes reflected what seed to be a tidal wave of shadows hellbent on devouring him.
Zeke gulped. No matter how good his plan was, it hadnt prepared him for such a terrifying sight. Nonetheless, he didnt stop, already working on his next spell. And just before the tidal wave reached him, he was ready.
[Spatial Barrier]!
The tide of shadows collided with the invisible wall. It was a strange sight. Instead of an impact, it was akin to a feather landing on the oceans surface, a clear reminder of how little mass those dark specters had.
However, Zeke harbored no delusions about the effectiveness of this thod. This would not hold them for long, and it didnt have to. All he planned to do was buy a few seconds for Gravitas.
As expected, the shadows soon found their way through the small cracks in the cliff surrounding the entrance, easily bypassing his barrier. Zeke abandoned his position when the first of the Elentals erged on the other side.
Akasha had been preparing another [Teleport], giving Zeke a slight headstart. From then on, he focused on running while she would teleport him just before he would get hit. Of course, their system wasnt perfect, and Zeke suffered a deluge of minor injuries.
He ran so fast that it felt like the air was trying to grab onto him as he raced down the old mining tunnels. He ran faster than he had ever run in his life, the specter of death on his very heels.
Every other mont, a new cut would open sowhere on his body, but it didnt matter. He had no attention to spare for such trivialities. His entire focus was on the tunnel in front of him and the place where his next step would land.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Zeke glimpsed a particular bend in the road. He saw how the air distorted, seemingly without cause. However, he was well aware of the reason for this irregularity.
Just a bit more.
Zekes body scread. Its voice was the pain he felt from every inch of skin, every fiber of muscles. He ignored its silent plea and instead commanded his feet to run even faster. The chilling sensation at his back served as a constant reminder of the danger he was in.
Even so, a smile spread across his face. He had made it.
Zeke didnt even dream of slowing down as he dove headfirst toward the wall. Mid-air, he turned his head toward the right. His eyes t Vulcanos, who had been waiting for this very mont.
The Chiroi was halfway subrged in a pool of molten stone. The heat was so intense that the air distorted in a wide area around him. When their eyes locked, Vulcanos roared and fired a torrent of lava. It was a sight that could make even the bravest of n despair as the very air seed to burn as the bright glow of the molten rock passed it by.
However, Zekes eyes were calm as he took in this scene. After all, the attack wasnt ant for him. In the next mont, he vanished without a trace. It looked like the wall had parted for him.
Of course, that wasnt the case. The very sa mont he disappeared from the bend, he appeared in another corridor a few steps away. Vulcanos position had been carefully chosen precisely for this reason.
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Zeke fell to the ground, violently gasping. His body demanded a mont of rest it demanded oxygen. He obliged. However, his attention was on sothing else. With his sphere of awareness, he could still observe what was happening in the other tunnel.
Oh. What a spectacle it was.
The tidal wave of shadow Elentals ran headfirst into a surging wave of molten death. The first dozen couldnt even scream as they were incinerated on the spot. The next group released a keening wail as their bodies were caught in the wave. They didnt die instantly, but their fate ended up being so much worse for it as they slowly burned to death.
Dozens died in an instant, and the second surge of Lava was already on its way.
Zeke had seen enough. He clambered to his feet and began to jog. His role in this plan wasnt over yet. He arrived at his next position and waited, still catching his breath. From the noises he could hear coming down the tunnel, it wouldnt be long.
A few monts later, Vulcanos ca into view, sprinting toward him. Despite his size, the Chiroi was as nimble as a cat and as fast as a racehorse. Zeke allowed himself a mont of awe, marveling at the physical prowess of their species. But when the massive man ran past, he was ready to act.
[Spatial Barrier]!
Zeke repeated his earlier trick, blocking the tight passage using his Magic. In fact, this was pretty much the extent of his plan. Gravitas, whose abilities were next to useless against the Elentals, would grab the bottles and run. anwhile, he and Vulcanos would take turns stalling them while reducing their numbers as much as they could.
This simple strategy would be a lousy choice against any other opponent, but it was perfect for Elentals. Their primitive level of intelligence all but guaranteed they would fall for the sa trap over and over again.
Zeke didnt harbor any delusions of winning like this. There was no way he could win, as new Elentals would be born to replace the dead ones. But winning a fight had never been his goal anyway. All he needed, all he wanted, was to reach the surface.
This second ti, his barrier held them off far better. He and Vulcanos had done their best to seal any cracks beforehand. But it wasnt perfect. Before too long, one of the Elentals slipped through, forcing Zeke to run again.
This ga of cat and mouse dragged on for an unbearably long ti. Objectively speaking, only a few minutes had passed, but to Zeke it felt like an eternity. Pushing himself beyond his limit took a toll, especially doing it repeatedly. He had not been this tired in ages.
Zeke knew that he wouldnt last much longer. Fortunately, he wouldnt have to.
After teleporting through one final wall, Zeke stumbled to his feet. His vision was swimming as he gasped for air. His Core was burning, more than it ever had. He could barely keep his eyes open as the darkness at the edges of his vision kept creeping in. Nevertheless, his feet didnt stop moving.
Then he saw it sunlight.
And silhouetted in the entrance ahead, Gravitas. The Chiroi was calling out to him, urging him on. He couldnt hear the words, but her lips were definitely moving. But why was her face so panicked?
Then, Zeke sensed it. A figure appeared in his sphere of awareness. Like a war chariot, Vulcanos ca bounding down the hallway. Zeke smiled. He had made it, too. A mont later, his smile died.
On Vulcanos heels followed a group of shadows.
Only about a dozen were left at this point. It didnt matter. It was more than they could handle without preparation. Especially now, with his Core the way it was. Despite his exhaustion, Zekes mind raced.
What should he do? What could he do?
However, before he could co up with anything, Vulcanos reached him. Zeke expected the Chiroi to run past, but that wasnt what he did. Without breaking his stride, Vulcanos grabbed Zeke by the nape of his neck. Like a kitten being picked up by its mother, Vulcanos carried him in one hand. The additional weight didnt seem to slow the giant down in the slightest.
Zeke didnt rejoice. It wouldnt be enough.
Vulcanos seed to know it, too; Zeke could see the realization dawning on him. His eyes had been anxious just a mont ago, but now they were calm. Instead of the fleeting hope of monts ago, they showed a grim resolve.
Zeke instantly knew what he was going to do. NO!
However, it was too late. He had already left the mans grasp and sailed through the air with trendous speed. Instead of slowing down, he only accelerated further once he entered Gravitas's reach.
Zeke's eyes never left Vulcanos figure, which was getting smaller and smaller in the distance, not even when a slender pair of arms wrapped around him. He could vaguely feel the warm rays of sunlight on his skin, but it didnt matter.
His eyes remained fixed on that distant shape. Vulcanos was still moving, but it was aningless. The throw had slowed him down even further. There was no chance for him to make it anymore.
Zeke tried to struggle, but the two arms were gripping him like a vice. He tried to [Teleport], but Akasha destroyed the Spellform before it took shape. It was for the best, and Zeke knew it.
What could he even do?
He had said he was ready to risk their lives, and now the Grim Reaper had co to collect on that promise. All he could do was watch silently as another man died in his place, died to give him the chance to advance a tiny bit faster.
Zeke didnt know what to do so he did nothing. His eyes moistened as he saw the shadows slowly catching up with the running figure. He wanted to look away, but he forced himself not to.
At the very last mont, just before the blades reached Vulcanos's back, Zeke noticed sothing enter his sphere of awareness. As fast as an arrow, the projectile passed him by. No, this was no projectile. It was a tiny reptile, its wings tucked in, as it flew at a speed so fast that his eyes couldnt follow.
The Dragon had arrived.
However, Zeke didnt think it would make it in ti. It was then that the Dragon opened its maw and roared.
The sound that erged from its throat completely belied its tiny fra. It was a deep, rumbling growl. It was a sound so primal that every single hair on his body stood on end. He had never t a Dragon, but his body instinctively knew to be afraid. This was an apex predator, the pinnacle of hierarchy, the sky above the sky.
This feeling wasnt limited to Zeke. In fact, he seed to be least affected. Gravitas froze completely; her iron grip slackened, and he felt her shivering against his back.
Vulcano's eyes widened comically, but luckily, his fear only seed to make him run faster.
Most noticeable, however, was the effect on the shadow Elentals. They had co to a complete halt. Granted, their stupor only lasted for an instant, but it was enough. The Dragon dove into their midst, tearing, biting, and clawing in all directions.
Of course, it was utterly outmatched by the tide of shadow Elentals. A few monts later, the bloody corpse of the tiny reptile hit the floor, and Zeke felt its Soul return to him. However, its sacrifice had been enough.
Vulcanos was finally in range of Gravitas's spell. A mont later, his giant fra ca sailing through the air. They tried to catch him, but it was no use. His massive fra knocked them to the ground, but Zeke didnt mind. In fact, he had never been this happy to be sent tumbling.
Zeke patted the big guy's back from his position on the floor while keeping his eyes on the shadow Elentals. As expected, they ca to a halt just before touching the beams of sunlight.
He let out a deep sigh. They had made it.
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