[Ding!]
[Ding!]
[Ding!]
[Ding!]
[Ding!]
Countless notifications popped in Arthur retina upon impact. Many creatures died in a single moment and the result was naturally ridiculous. Arthur couldn’t even see one single notification before another took its place right after that. This was the biggest number of monsters he had killed in one fell sweep ever.
The boy was still completely numb so even this sight didn’t make him react at all. He simply brushed it off as he landed on his feet gently. His body was still burning violently and the steam rising from his skin wrapped him in a layer of fog.
“Hah… Hah…” Breathing heavily, he looked at his hands. His bloody claws looked like the arms of the devil, mixed with the bloody state he was in and the numerous injuries riddling his body, Arthur felt like he was staring at a monster rather than at himself. He couldn’t recognize his own body and how different it looked at that moment.
Arthur’s blank expression shifted a little. He stayed completely silent as he examined the state he was in. Nobody knew what was going through his head at that moment. However, he was quickly snapped out of that with a yell.
“Arthur!” Isla rushed toward him as fast as she could. Because of the sudden explosion, many monsters cowered back, trying to avoid the bloody flame. That gave her a crucial second to reach Arthur.
“Are you fi-” Before she could even finish the sentence, she saw a glimpse of Arthur’s silhouette and she stopped. For a second, she didn’t recognize him at all. His appearance was different and so was his entire aura.
It was so different in fact that Isla took a moment to recognize Arthur. This wasn’t the same person she had been traveling with for the past few days, at least not on the surface. That was when she opened her mouth and asked.
“What happened to you?” She asked, almost in disbelief.
Hearing her voice, Arthur turned around slowly and stared at her. That simple look sent a shiver down Isla’s spine. For some reason, she felt something she rarely feels… Fear.
“I’m burning alive as you can see and my veins feel like they’re filled with fresh lava. But, other than that, it’s all good.” He replied in an eerily casual tone. He didn’t seem that worried at all.
“What?” Isla squinted her eyes. “We need to get you out of here. You aren’t in a state to fight.”
Arthur, however, shook his head. “No, I can’t leave now. We still need to hold them back until Finlay and Serko prepare the aircraft for takeoff.”
As they were talking, the monsters were starting to recover from the fear and were starting to move forward again. Arthur knew that his attack had bought them precious time, but there was still a lot to do.
Isla didn’t know what to say at that point. Nothing about this situation was normal so her mind found a hard time to even reach a logical decision. After all, how can one deal with a person who is burning alive yet is looking fine at the same time?
‘What am I even thinking about? I need to get him out of here.’ She shook her head as she was about to get close to Arthur.
“No, don’t approach me. You will burn yourself.” Cracking his neck, Arthur faced the monsters. Flexing his arms, he got ready to engage in battle again. But, he didn’t account for what was about to happen.
Out of nowhere, all the energy he was feeling inside his body at that moment suddenly vanished.
‘Huh?’ The boy didn’t even have time to register the sudden shift before he found his body descending to the ground. His muscles were frozen completely and his ability to control himself vanished like mist.
His burning body started cooling down rapidly and his red veins slowly lost their color as he returned to his normal color.
Seeing that, Isla instinctively dashed forward, reaching him before he could hit the ground. Arthur found himself falling on her shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him.
“What…” Arthur muttered with a difficult tone.
“You can’t even move anymore.”
“No… I can…”
“Don’t move,” Isla ordered coldly. “Or I will knock you out myself.”
‘His temperature is going down again. He’s completely spent.’ Isla frowned deeply as she looked over her shoulder. The monsters were approaching them quicker and quicker.
‘I need to get him out of here.’ She thought to herself. The time in the corner of her eyes was showing that there were a few seconds left before the five minutes.
At that moment, Finlay and Serko suddenly rushed out of the house. Taking in the horrifying sight of the battle, they were stunned for a moment. After all, the destruction that occurred in a mere five minutes far exceeded what they expected to see.
Piles of corpses filled the entire place and the rest was covered in blood and guts. The smell was so foul, that they almost threw up right there and then. But, they quickly recovered.
“The aircraft is ready for takeoff!!”
Everyone turned to look at them as they felt a relief wash over their hearts.
“Retreat!!” Herculia yelled as he pushed the monsters off him and started running back. Danny and Emmy followed suit. That was when they realized that their leader and Arthur were still behind.
Isla clenched her teeth before she looked at Arthur. “This is going to be rough, bear with it.”
Then, she lifted Arthur over her shoulder. With how much strength she had, it was a very easy task to do that. Then, she looked over her shoulder. The monsters returned to their frenzied rampage and rushed toward her in complete madness.
Isla didn’t waste a moment and started running back as fast as she could toward the house. The monsters followed after the group, invading the rest of the area like flees.
“Hurry, Isla!”
The group stopped at the door as they stared back. The monsters closed on them rapidly and the distance only grew shorter with each passing second.
“Go! I’m behind you! Start the takeoff!” She yelled.
“Wha-”
“She’s right, we need to start the takeoff now. This house won’t last!” Emmy said as she ran inside.
“Goddamit!” Herculia grumbled and followed her. The only one to hesitate was Danny. But, After hearing the command, he couldn’t refuse anymore.
Isla ran as fast as she could without trying to look behind her. Reaching the door, she quickly slammed it behind her. She knew that it was mostly pointless, but if that could save her even a split second, it was worth it.
A moment later, the waves of monsters smashed into the house like a tornado. The sheer shockwave of the impact almost threw Isla off her feet. The roof above her head shook violently as cracks started appearing on the wood.
But, she didn’t stop running. Even as the sound of cracking spread everywhere, the walls started breaking into pieces. All it took was a few seconds before the monsters broke through the walls and the door, invading the house.
Tens of these monsters spread across the place, turning into a chaotic mess in record time, and continued rushing after Isla without a care in the world.
The girl reached the back area where the aircraft were. There, She saw a massive opening on the other side where the aircraft stood. The blades of the vehicle had already started turning as Finlay and Serko hopped into it.
“Hurry, please!”
Herculia, Danny, and Emmy reached the aircraft and rushed inside quickly. At the same time, the aircraft started moving slowly while Isla ran toward it.
“Hurry, Isla!” Danny clenched his teeth as he stood near the gate waiting for them with a pale expression. The monsters were very close and the time was extremely tight. “Grab into my hand!”
Extending his hand forward, Danny tried to grab Isla. Meanwhile, the girl got closer and closer to the aircraft as they exited the house and started slowly getting into the air. Its height quickly reached Isla’s waist and rapidly went up.
‘I can make it… I can make it.’
Gouging, the distance, Isla had one single decision to make… A leap of faith.
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3
