Deka’s eyes were bleeding profusely, almost as if she was crying blood. The small blood vessels in her eyes seemed to expand as if they were being pumped with more blood than they could handle and that sight almost gave Sergi a heart attack.
“You’re going to kill yourself if you hold the crystal anymore! Throw it!” He yelled as he helped her run with them. Discover hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire
“No… I can… Hold on… More…” The woman replied through her immense pain. She was already aware of the repercussions of using this crystal for such a long time. It was supposed to only be used for less than 10 seconds or the damage it deals to the user would be deadly.
However, seeing their situation, Deka couldn’t let herself stop the crystal or they would all die. The choice was there and she made it.
Sergi felt the deep determination in her voice and could only clench his teeth in frustration. He couldn’t do anything at all to save them and he felt very powerless.
*CRACK*
At that moment, everyone’s attention was broken through with a cracking sound. Looking up, their hearts sank as they saw the noticeable crack running through the barrier, and droplets of water started leaking through it.
“We’re doomed…” One of the mercenaries muttered with a dazed look on his face. “There is no way we will make it.”
It was as clear as day that the situation was far from optimal. There is no indication Deka can really hold on any longer as the pain is simply unimaginable.
‘Tsk…’ Arthur frowned deeply as he quickly turned to look at Deka. “Hey, Deka!”
The woman looked up slowly when she heard him calling her name. She was barely able to even run.
“Can I take that crystal and bear the side effects?” He asked.
“…” Deka blinked. “I…”
“Is it possible, yes or no?”
“… It is…” Deka pursed her lips for a moment before she nodded. She hesitates to tell him as she can see what Arthur wants to do.
“Then give it to me!”
‘Is he trying to kill himself? That crystal is so unstable… Anything would make it erupt and destroy his body from the inside out.’ Sergi clenched his teeth.
“Just give it to me, Deka!”
The woman hesitated for a second. Her eyes rippled with uncertainty as she knew the crystal was going to be impossible to handle.
“Give it to him, Deka… We need every second we can get.” Sergi said. ‘If he’s going to kill himself getting us out of here so be it… That would be the most useful thing this bastard can do.”
*CRACK*
The cracks were spreading quickly so Deka found herself in front of a rather tough choice. If she doesn’t give him the crystal then she is bound to die or kill everyone else since she cannot handle the effects anymore but at the same time, if she gives the crystal to Arthur then she doesn’t even know if he could survive it.
Arthur was her benefactor and someone she owed her life for. However, when the time comes for a serious decision… Deka had to be cold.
Shaking her head, she looked at Arthur and said. “Here… Hold it with both hands.”
Arthur nodded his head and stretched his arms for her. That was when Deka slowly opened her bloodied hands, revealing a very small yet extremely bright red orb. The orb looked like a ball of condensed blood pulsating with immense mana.
The boy’s eyes were immediately attracted toward the orb like a moth to the flame. The feeling it gave him was odd, to say the least.
“…” Arthur blinked and then grabbed the crystal with one hand.
“Hey! I said two ha- Huh?” Deka tried to stop him, only to freeze in place from shock. Arthur held the orb at the tip of his fingers as if it was nothing. He didn’t have any look of pain on his face.
“Should I channel mana into it?” He asked.
“…”
Hearing no response, Arthur still did that and the result was instantaneous. The moment his mana touched the orb, it was immediately absorbed and then the cracks above their heads immediately closed again.
“Oh, nice.” He muttered. “Though, it doesn’t hurt at all.”
“…”
The entire group stared at Arthur as if he was some kind of alien. They could not believe their eyes.
‘Why is the orb not killing him?! What the hell is happening?!’
Everyone expected Arthur’s arm to explode immediately from the sheer pressure. But, none of that happened. Then, they realized something even more shocking.
“The barrier… It’s healing!!”
“What?”
“It was about to explode at any given second!”
“Arthur…” Deka blinked through her bloodied eyes. ‘The orb… It’s not rejecting him at all…’
She could see it clear as day, the red orb was not trying to kill Arthur or harm him. In fact, the way it was shining brightly, it was almost as if it was welcoming Arthur’s touch gladly. The boy was completely unaware of that and he didn’t care much as he focused on running.
‘How could that be the case… Why is it him?’ A thousand questions popped in the mercenary’s head but she was unable to figure them out. So, she decided to shake them off and focus on their escape.
Whatever the reason was, the barrier had been fixed again by some miracle! That fact alone made all the crushed hopes of the group return stronger than ever.
“I can hold it no problem!” Arthur exclaimed. “Run as fast as you can!”
The flood was reaching its peak at that point and the sound was making their ears ring loudly. The sheer pressure of water would turn a human being into a meat paste.
At the same time, a glimpse of hope appeared in the far distance. Through the darkness of the water, the group saw a small glimpse of light.
“Our way out… I can see it!!” One mercenary yelled excitedly as he pointed ahead of him. “We can make it!!”
That news alone was more than enough to put everyone on cloud nine. But, at the same time, it made them realize that they had to hurry.
‘Hmm, it’s really absorbing a lot of mana this thing…’ Arthur thought to himself. Even though it wasn’t hurting him, Arthur felt his mana being endlessly swallowed by the small orb as if it were a hungry monster.
With that, the squad paved their path through the flood, getting closer and closer to the source of light they yearned for. In a matter of seconds, they were just mere steps away from it.
However, at that moment…
“AAGHHHHH!!”
Everyone’s attention was caught by the sudden shriek that took over the cocoon. Looking to the side, they saw one of the mercenaries slipping down the slope. His body had been swayed to the left and the thick snow made him unable to balance himself quickly enough. His body fell through the small hole in the barrier.
“No!!!”
At the last split second, a hand stretched forward, grabbing the mercenary by the arm. “I got you,” Arthur said as he leaned forward. Everyone stopped moving.
A//N: Thank you all for the gifts, golden tickets, and PS. Let’s keep it up!