Escape (5)

"Two birds with one stone~!"

Althea chirped happily when she was at the sight of them covered in blood.

She grins with her hand pulled down as she drew back her sword from Azrael and Dorothy's pierced stomach.

From the release of the weapon, Dorothy loses her balance as she almost fell on her knee from the pain she felt after being stabbed by Althea in the stomach.

Azrael, who still has energy left, quickly kneeled in instinct with his arm stretching out to catch Dorothy before she could even fall to the bloody grass below them.

With Dorothy in his arm, Azrael also didn't have time to process everything that just happened since he also had the same wound.

While gazing at the pitiful sight, Althea raised her hand with it partially covering her mouth.

She couldn't help but be amused by the sight.

"... Hmm, I'm so great~ stabbing both of you at the same time~"

Althea cheered and complimented the things she had done for herself.

She took a step closer with her sword held tight as she directed the sword towards them.

"Let me get straight to the point. Who is the one that is responsible for all of this incident in which that has caused erupt panic among the citizens?"

She asked with a different tone than she used.

Her cheerful expression slowly fades with it replaced by a frown demeanor.

She gazes coldly at both of them in which were still quiet since the wounds were pretty deep for them to have the energy to even utter a word.

"Just so you know that whatever the two of you are planning, I won't hesitate to back down and I will stop you. I will even kill you if it is deemed necessary."

-

Cristo looked around at the seventh floor.

The floor was spacious and it was open to the sky as there wasn't much furniture around them.

He gazed at the entrance of the floor with a worried expression as he was waiting for someone to arrive.

"Where is Master?"

Selene asked curiously while looking at Cristo, who was contemplating another problem.

"... I don't know. She should be here with Azrael.."

Cristo's eyes widened in realization to the point he didn't bother finishing his sentence and turned his head towards Selene with both of his hands grasping her shoulder.

"Could it be that he's trying to get in Master's way!?"

Cristo exclaimed worriedly.

Selene just smiles gently at the statement and looked down at her hand in which she was holding Cristo's necklace in her palm.

With a second gaze, she looked back at Cristo reassuringly.

"... Don't worry~ Master is a strong person. You can't also forget that Master ordered us that no matter what happens, we have to stay here."

She reassured him while telling him that they couldn't oppose Dorothy's will either.

Cristo could only hesitantly agree with the statement since they are supposed to stay where they currently are.

With the floor remaining silent, Selena hummed to herself with her finger touching her lips and gazes at Cristo again with a confused expression.

"... So Cristo, how could we go to the outside world again?"

She asked in which Cristo immediately answer,

"Every day in this Central Directive, the seventh floor, an invisible tunnel appears connecting to the outside world. For us to cross that unseen tunnel, we need to carry any item from the outside world with us. The rules must be followed or else traveling through there is impossible."

Cristo explained how they would go to the outside world in detail.

Selene's eyes slightly widened as she was quite taken aback by the heavy explanation.

"Where did you get that information from?"

Cristo only gazed at her before he replies,

"It was from a letter. I was actually born from the outside world. I was brought here into this kingdom when I was still a newborn. The one who brought me here also entrusts a special item for us to cross the tunnel."

Selene listened to the conversation as she only nodded in understatement and gazed at the necklace. She quickly realized it as she showed him his necklace.

"You mean this necklace, right?"

Cristo nodded, which raised Selena's curiosity.

"How can it work? If I think about it more, there must be something more to open the tunnel than just an object."

Selena asked with Cristo gazed at her for a moment.

He was silent before he opened his mouth to explain.

"... We need someone from the royal family to hold that necklace."

Selena's eyes widened when she realized the core for the tunnel to open.

".. You mean-"

"Yes. Only Master can bring us to the outside world since she has the blood of Lucretia Royalty."

"If that is so then how did someone from the outside world send you here?"

Selena was quite confused by the statement in which Cristo just answer with,

"... I don't know much about it."

After hearing that answer, Selene slightly forms a smile with her hand covering her mouth as she could only lightly chuckle at the realization.

"So, what you said before was just according to the letter?"

Cristo nodded to Selene's question.

When she saw the nod, her smile widened intending to reassure.

"We just need to wait for Master here. No matter what happens, don't move from our spots. We shouldn't imagine the worst situation if it had not yet to happen."

Selene exclaimed reassuringly with also reminding him once more to have faith in their master.

Cristo hesitantly nodded with his gaze turning downwards to the floor.

Selene smiles at the gesture as she lifts her head towards the bright, blue sky.

"Cristo, thank you for saving me."

Cristo was silent as he didn't expect such a reply from her.

Not long after, he muttered quietly.

"... Your welcome."

-

Below the floor, there is another swords clash can be heard as Azrael and Althea are fighting one another.

Dorothy, who didn't have any energy left, is trying to hold the remaining warm blood from coming out of her stomach.

The warm blood still gushes out of the exposed wounds.

She pressed snugly against her wounded stomach to stop the free-flowing surge of warm blood. 

Her head was throbbing because she was hit by the ruins.

Her elbow and knees were hurt because she has jumped off the horse, with the other small damage she got as a result of fighting with Azrael.

But despite all the bad experiences, the worst case she encounters so far was her being stabbed deeply.

It wasn't that long when her skin took on the pallor of a corpse.

She whimpered in pain when her stomach felt sick and painful.

When time passes, one by one she lost control of her limbs.

She could still hear and see, but her head was filled with headache and the pain did not waver.

Azrael was also worn out because he was wounded badly while trying to keep fighting at the same time.

"Come on, come on!"

Althea exclaimed impatiently as she kept attacking him with her blade multiple times.

Azrael had a hard time dodging it as he was not yet healed from the wound.

Althea held the blade even, a perfect way of her style and a flawless pose.

"Come on Azrael~ You used to beat me when we battle like this! Have you grown soft!?"

Althea aimed for Azrael's chest but she failed because Azrael uses his left hand to cover himself from being stabbed.

As the flesh splits, mild crimson liquid pops and seeps away from the wound from his hand.

But he took the time and take the advantage of his other hand that held the sword.

The blade briefly flashed as he brought it from below and slash Althea's chest that even the blade reaches her rabbit mask.

'Don't be haughty just because you have some advantages.'

After successfully slashing her completely, Azrael's eyes that turned dark once again turned into a sharp crimson one.

He sends down his demon energy on his boots and kicked Althea on her stomach as hard as he could, making her thrown to the other side harshly and hit the walls that surround them.

With his demon energy activated, the wound on his stomach started to heal itself.

'I'm still stronger than you, human.'

When Althea was finally defeated, he didn't waste any more time.

Azrael quickly searched and hurriedly walks towards Dorothy who is slowly losing her color as she became paler and paler by the second.

He holds his hand and hops her onto his back, giving her a piggyback ride as he forms a small smile.

"Don't die, Dorothy. If you die here, I'm going to kill everyone here. If you don't wish for that then live."

He threatens her playfully as he hurriedly jumped from the field to the ruined first floor using his power.

Azrael was a bit disappointed that he has to go a long way of stairs to reach the seventh floor but he doesn't have any other choice.

"... Guess I should use my powers again."

He runs towards the stairs through stairs to reach the seventh floor while carrying Dorothy.

'... She's light...'

-

-- Althea opened her eyes after the unconscious state as she was greeted by the hall of Central Directive above her.

Remembering the defeat she just received from both Azrael and Dorothy, she grits her teeth in anger and annoyance.

Not long after, a flash of blue lightning emerged from inside her body.

The blue lighting has created electrified energy flowing through her body.

"... How dare they....!"

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