"No, you didn't." A deep voice sounded and an Abyssal emerged from behind.
Sarah was spent and couldn't even move. She laid on the ground, powerless as the enemy inched closer.
'Why?'
Click.
Click.
He was approaching from behind. She couldn't see him. This only made the footsteps more dreary.
Sarah was a Level 6 Controller. She had extraordinary senses, but in her current condition, she could barely register the sound, much less fathom the target's condition based on the sound.
So she didn't notice the Abyssal approaching her was in a terrible condition.
One of his arms was completely missing.
With each step, the gaping holes in his body spewed out more green blood and bits of insides.
His internal organs were now pieces, and he'd die in minutes.
But… he marched for the final bout.
"Hu..man..Sarah…" He approached her with pride.
He couldn't even exert 1% of his strength and would die away from his homeland.
But his contribution would never be forgotten. For he would have killed a Level 6 Dual Awakener. One of the brightest geniuses of humanity.
'If given a chance...perhaps she would even break the limitations and become a Sovereign.'
His lips curled up, but most of his teeth were missing. His face was losing a good chunk of flesh and his current look could scare even the bravest of adults.
As he saw the prey waiting to be slaughtered, the Abyssal saw himself on the edge of completing his life's purpose. All his life would be anchored upon this one act.
This was it.
He felt something welling up in his eyes.
Unknowingly, tears trickled down his cheeks. Or the lack thereof.
'I will die... but my people will live on. My life will be a fuel for our race to survive.' He recalled his home for a moment and his eyes showed nostalgia and love.
His wife. His young son.
He closed his eyes and prayed for them to witness the survival of his race in his stead.
Then his eyes shot open.
Looking at Sarah, there was no kindness in his eyes. Only ruthlessness.
He'd kill a thousand such humans to save one Abyssal.
He reached behind her and raised his only arm. The skin and muscle in his fist were missing. Only the bones were left.
The pain screamed at his brain, but he wilfully ignored it for his final duty.
His fist clenched, and he prepared himself to finish her off.
Sarah wasn't scared of her impending death.
As the hideous skeleton fist raised above her head, she was strangely serene.
She looked into the sky as she laid on the ground.
Her cheeks were already wet as she remembered that person.
She came searching. Perhaps that person was here. This was a good place for a secret mission, right?
She even convinced her father that she was coming to find Cross Tunnel Formations: the technology that allowed Abyssal to teleport their kind from Abyss to Dungeons.
This was 'her' mission. Her team's mission was to just find traces of Abyssals and their hideouts.
She thought even if she failed, she might just go home and try again.
But now, there was no going back. All that gratitude she would never be able to payback.
Everything would end.
'I'm sorry...mom, bro, I'll be joining you. Dad lost himself in revenge after you died. He never removed that scar. He says it is his reason. I don't see his reason in that scar, I only see his guilt.'
Sarah's cheeks were flooded with tears once again.
The fist descended, announcing her end.
But in her final moments, her brain was unusually active. It was as if everything in the world slowed down.
Her trail of thoughts continued.
'Dad didn't want me to come here, but I insisted. Now if he loses even me to the Abyssals due to his decision to let me here, then...' She felt a lump in her throat.
'Dad, I'm sorry. If I die here, you'll blame yourself the most. I'm sorry...' She sobbed.
Her hair shook as the bone fist punched down with momentum.
"Die!"
The Abyssal kept his eyes wide open to witness the greatest moment of his life.
Sarah kept her eyes open to witness her final moment.
Then...
Szzz!
A bright light flashed, and a sword pierced through eye of Abyssal. At the same time, a hand pulled Sarah away.
Boom!
The fist punched on the ground and created a crater a few feet deep. The sheer force of the punch shook the surrounding ground as the gravel rose with the shock waves.
However...
The bone fist loosened, and the body collapsed.
The sword that pierced the eye passed through the brain, ending the Abyssal's life.
The final Abyssal collapsed. He was the only Abyssal who died with his body intact.
Sarah was still in a trance.
The pull at the final moment saved her. If not, her skull would be crushed.
Even though the shock waves still injured her, she was alive... somehow.
But ...how?
She couldn't move her neck, but the footsteps approached her.
Then she saw the face she didn't want to believe.
The junior she accepted for the mission.
The one she was supposed to 'protect'.
"You…"
"I'll help others." Varian grinned and walked towards his teammates.
His hand was still numb from the sword strike earlier.
The moment he heard the footsteps, he guessed their identities.
From the beginning, he felt it was weird for the Space Awakener to be caught by Sarah and not escape.
Then the humans killed themselves, blasting their body to pieces. Next, Abyssals tried to escape and Sarah didn't notice the missing body mess in her hurry.
'When the Abyssals exploded, this Space awakener saved an Abyssal, and they teleported out.
They escaped before the explosion completely engulfed them but they were still injured.'
Then their injuries made sense.
Varian reached his teammates. They were seriously injured in the fight. Thankfully, they were on the periphery of the explosion.
Now, they were all unconscious.
Varian spotted a cave in the distance and carried them one by one.
He made sure not to teleport while carrying them, even though he was tempted to do that.
Finally, he placed Sarah by their side.
The cave was on a tall, barren mountain. So the chance of magic beasts running into them would be minimal.
He picked out five vials from his space ring and sighed in distress.
There was a green liquid inside. A healing medicine. He brought them yesterday for his first mission. It cost him all his fortune to buy it.
They costed 2 mp each.
'I even thought I made a bargain by buying them at my 8mp...but who knew this would happen.' He sighed and gave the medicine to the group of five, including Sarah.
It only needed to be poured on their skin, and it will enter their body and heal them.
{Merit points: 0}
Cursing his poverty, Varian reached the battle site, took the Abyssal body and human body into his space ring, and then returned to the cave.
Everyone was unconscious. Except Sarah.
Sarah couldn't speak yet. But her eyes were wide open as she observed this newbie, who acted beyond his level.
Varian took out the two corpses and inspected them.
He was searching for one answer. The one thing that didn't make sense.
'If I was the Space Awakener, and if my goal is to kill Sarah, then I'd go as far from explosion as possible. I'll be without injuries, then I can kill Sarah easily.'
Varian glanced at Sarah. She was looking at him with curiosity and… gratitude?
"Rest for some time. Everyone will wake up in a few hours." Varian smiled.
Sarah blinked her eyes in response and slowly fell asleep. There was a smile on her face...it was full of relief.
If the Space Awakener kept himself safe, he could've easily killed the injured Sarah.
Varian went back to his reasoning.
'But why would that guy go out of his way to save one Abyssal?'
Then Varian glanced at the corpses and snapped his fingers.
'Only two possibilities.'