Chapter 213 - Tackling Problems

"And, right now, there's nothing more important than bringing you two to a safe place."

Rynold's declaration was well-put. It's a bit of a shame, though, as the explosions in the background slightly ruined it. Regardless, the message came across well, and Neana was more than satisfied with that answer.

"Then, let's get going," Neana nodded and moved back to the car. As soon as she placed her hand on the handle, though, something strange happened.

"Do you feel that?"

Rynold asked as he steadied his stance. It was subtle, but Rynold could feel the ground trembling. The light shake could be some precedent to something more ominous. And, Rynold was the first to take notice of it.

"Feel what?" Neana didn't seem to notice the same thing Rynold did. She then proceeded to open the door to the vehicle, taking her time boarding it.

"The ground's shaking," Rynold answered as he felt each vibration as constant and gradual. It was getting stronger by the second, and Rynold couldn't tell what exactly was happening here.

"Yeah, I feel it too," the kid added as he grabbed hold of the metal railing on the side of the road. It wasn't necessary, but both his and Rynold's instincts were preparing them for the worst. No matter what, this doesn't seem like anything ordinary.

"Nea, get out of the car," Rynold warned as he took this time to survey the area. He was looking for answers to questions that popped into his head at this very moment.

A source, perhaps, or any indication as to what was doing would be great. Rynold needed to have some answers to this ongoing phenomenon. And, eventually, he would get what he had wished for, albeit in a grueling, unexpected manner.

"That's not good."

The trembling on the ground gradually became more prominent as time passed. The trembles soon became shocks. And, eventually, it had become so intense that Rynold found it hard to stand. Which, at that point, an explanation would soon reveal itself to them.

From the viewpoint where Rynold had stopped, something came out from the opposite of where they were. That 'thing' moved without any obstruction and was large enough to step past trees like they were nothing. The last time Rynold ever experienced a force such as this was when he fought against the Behemoth Ghoul.

But, this creature was nothing like that.

The creature coming their way was something of a ghoul, only that its size was something colossal. So much so that its size was nothing Rynold saw before. And, each step it took shook more than just the ground as Rynold could feel the atmosphere around him tense up.

Without much thought, Rynold's instincts were telling him that he could fight against this thing. In terms of size, Rynold was nothing compared to it. But, in terms of fighting prowess, on the other hand, Rynold felt confident he could take the thing down — after a grueling fight, of course.

Despite knowing that, though, Rynold had better sense than to spring to a fight. Who was he? Leo? Rynold was nothing like that battle maniac as he knew what he had to do in this situation.

"Get in the car," Rynold said as he rushed towards the driver's seat. "We need to get out of here."

"Good call," Neana agreed as she looked over to the kid who was scrambling towards the vehicle as well. All three of them had the same idea and soon drove off on the same path as before. This time around, though, there was a sense of urgency in Rynold's driving.

"Do you have any idea what that was?" Neana asked as she leaned forward, both hands on the dashboard.

"No clue," Rynold answered as he turned a corner and kept driving forward, "Whatever that thing was, I don't want to stick around and find out. Just when I thought that we'd have a relaxing day. Of course, something like this was going to happen."

"Crap!"

"What is it?"

"Those soldiers!" Neana answered worryingly, "They aren't going to make it if they're staying there. Especially since they're the first ones who would encounter that gigantic thing."

"Yeah," Rynold acknowledged almost a little too fast. It was as if he knew something like this would've happened. "They're bearing the consequences of their actions. It's their problem, so they have to deal with it."

"What?" Rynold asked as soon as he caught a glimpse of Neana's guilt-tripping gaze directed at him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"We have to go back."

"No, we don't."

"Yeah, we do."

As the three of them got away from the creature, the shaking dwindled. The trembles were barely noticeable now, especially considering they were inside a car. And, at this point, they've covered a significant distance between the creature and their destination. Going back now would only give Rynold more problems. And, bruises and scars too.

"We're not going back," Rynold's voice turned cold as his expression became serious. "There's too much risk involved, and I'm not putting you in harm's way again. Besides, I already did what I could, and Elle chose to ignore it. What's the point of helping someone that doesn't want help?"

"Since when were you so shallow and petty?" Neana honestly confronted Rynold with a disgusted expression on her face. Rynold saw this and stopped the car dead in its tracks.

"What?"

"You heard what I said. I didn't expect you to be so hung up on your ex that you're blatantly disregarding the lives of the other soldiers. I always thought you'd be a person who wouldn't shy away from doing the right thing. Guess I was wrong."

Rynold faced windshield as his expression visibly darkened after hearing Neana's accusations. Even though Rynold wasn't someone who was easily offended, hearing something like that from someone he cared about stung.

However, even so, Rynold wouldn't disregard his priorities. But, he admitted that Neana had a point.

"You want me to save those people?" Rynold's cold voice trumped the silence in the car. He then turned to Neana, his gaze extremely serious. Any answer Neana would give to him, Rynold would take it as literally as possible.

"Y-yes," Neana nervously gave her answer while being serious all the same. The dead stare Rynold gave to her shook her beliefs, but it wasn't anything that would've changed her mind.

"Okay," Rynold's expression slightly dropped as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

Even though he didn't want to go through all this trouble, Rynold fully acknowledged that it was the right thing to do. It was his conscious decision that made him do otherwise. But, seeing as how Neana was more than adamant about Rynold doing the right thing..., Rynold had no other choice.

"But," Rynold gave a condition as he opened the door. "You need to head to our original destination, alright? I'm sure you know how to drive. Get yourself and the kid out of here and into the main city. Wait for me there, okay?"

There was nothing Rynold cared more for than Neana's safety. And, it was by no means something Rynold would take lightly. He was willing to risk his life. Anything more than that would've been hell.

"I'm coming with you."

Neana put up a fight.

"No, you're not."

But, Rynold shot it down without hesitation. His eyes were deadly serious at this point. There was no room for negotiation. Nor was there anything Neana could say that would change his mind.

"You can't take that thing down by yourself! There's no way!"

"I don't have to do anything like that," Rynold answered, "I need to stall it and buy enough time for the soldiers to escape. Anything more than that would be risky."

Rynold understood the risks now more than ever. So much so that this situation wasn't far off from the time he faced off against the Behemoth Ghoul. He knew the risks. He knew how important time was in saving people's lives. The priorities in his head couldn't have been more clearer.

Even so, it'll take a lot more to convince Neana otherwise.

"I'm still coming with you. There's no way you can save everyone on your own."

"No," Rynold voice turned even colder and more serious, so much that it was close to agitation and anger. "You're going to the city and stay somewhere safe. I don't want to lose anyone that I care about — not again. If that happened again, I wouldn't know how to forgive myself. So..., promise me. Promise me that you'll stay somewhere safe and out of harm's way. If you want me to go through with this, you have to promise me."

"I..."

It was the first time ever that Neana had seen Rynold be this serious. His tone was consistent, but there was a subtle tremble as he spoke. It was fear, perhaps, or something much deeper that had traumatized Rynold. And, not only that, but the words he used showed signs of regret.

Again? What did Rynold mean by that?

Neana took a full second to recall something Oliver had said in passing before. It was something that neither he nor Rynold elaborated on, and Neana had almost forgotten all about it. However, it was clear to her now that it was something that had embedded deep into Rynold's mind.

"Okay," Neana responded while expressing her genuine sincerity. "I promise."

"Good," Rynold let out a deep exhale in relief. Then, he turned to the kid and looked him dead in the eye. "Take care of her for me, alright?"

"Of course," the kid nodded.

"Alright," Rynold then stepped out of the car and faced the two of them one last time. "I'll see you guys real soon."

With that, Rynold ran off on his solo mission and didn't bother to wait for a goodbye. It was just like him to spring into action, and Neana wouldn't hold it against Rynold for doing something like that. Although, she did want to wish Rynold good luck — not that he needed it.

Soon after Rynold left, he managed to cover a considerable distance in such a short time. After all, he ran at full speed, but he was still amazed at how fast he was now. The increase in his Attributes sure had its merits. Plus, with his grapple, the speed at which Rynold traveled was considerably fast.

'Man, that's not good.'

Perched on top of a cliff, Rynold looked out over the dense forest. From there, he could see a lot of things happening. Notably, attack helicopters trying to strike the colossal ghoul down. But, as far as Rynold could tell, those missiles and bullets weren't even leaving a scratch.

'Idiots.'

Rynold cursed these soldiers for biting off more than they could chew. The difference between that one ghoul versus a bunch of soldiers that relied on modern weaponry was drastic.

At this point, Rynold could only alleviate the stress these soldiers received.

Jumping off the perch, Rynold rushed to the situation with weapons at the ready. His True Caliber was brimming with his Mana. The only thing Rynold needed to do was to fire. But, he wouldn't do so until he got a clear shot.

As he moved through the dense forest, Rynold soon reached the first group of soldiers. They were notably less-equipped than Rynold had expected and isolated from any other group. But, those things didn't catch Rynold's attention as much as one big thing.

They were dead.

'What the hell happened here?'

This group was in the forest, yes, but they were far from anything the colossal ghoul's attack range. In fact, the signs of their deaths indicated that they were mauled. Scratches tore through these soldiers' clothes like they were nothing.

And, this just goes to show that the colossal ghoul wasn't the cause.

So, what the hell was it? What possible creature could do such a thing to these soldiers?