Reckoning (7)

Charging alongside his squad members and fellow humans as they rushed up to meet the monster horde head-on, Evan felt as if the flow of time became agonisingly slow.

Looking at the bloodthirsty grins the monsters had on their faces, he felt a shiver crawl down his spine.

Adrenaline began to course through his veins rapidly as his body's fight-or-flight response was activated.

Feeling his heart thump with power as it sent the blood throughout his body, Evan's gaze became determined.

'No matter what happens in this fight, I will not fall. I cannot and will not die at the hands of these wretched monsters!'

Sprinting with his sword gripped tightly in his hand, his eyes darted through the opposition, identifying which species of monsters were present.

'There are striped tigers, venomous snakes, golden apes, and many packs of boars.'

A sombre expression appeared on Evan's face as he discovered the strength of the approaching horde of monsters.

'Shit! There are a few rank 3 specimens and a plethora of rank 2 monsters.'

Coming to the same realisation as him, Astrid, Kang and Finn displayed bleak looks at each other. Gazing deeply in each of their fellow squad member's eyes, they nodded after understanding their new roles in this perilous battle.

Kang, who was the strongest right behind Otto, looked ahead, sighing as the grip on his daggers became tighter.

"Try not to die out there, and may the fire of humanity burn brightly in your soul forever."

After hearing Kang's voice for the very first time, Evan's eyes widened in shock as the feeling of unease in his stomach strengthened.

The reticent man who never spoke and just stayed silent actually spoke, a sign of just how precarious the situation they were in.

Finished with his piece, a purple hue sprung from Kang's body as tendrils of violet lightning snaked down his body as he shot off to engage with one of the rank 3 monsters.

"Yeah, do what he said."

Responding in the most characteristic way he could, Finn split off from the group and headed toward an area packed with a lot of monsters as a dark light gleamed in his eyes.

Looking toward his right where Astrid was running alongside him, a fire of resolve burned brightly in Evan's eyes as he nodded toward her before dashing off to the side.

Nodding back, Astrid watched as the person most similar to her in terms of experiences scurried off to begin a bout of strenuous combat.

'Don't die Evan!'

***

At the same time, back in the chamber where Vincent and the huge golem were in the midst of battle, the environment continued to rumble with alarming intensity. The rumbling was further accentuated after the beam of fire and the golem's fist met.

An explosion which produced pressurized gales of wind rang out as the force generated by the collision of both strikes was harrowing.

CRACK-! CRACK-! CRACK-!

Cracks began to form on the golem's rocky skin. After losing its regenerative abilities from the formation, the golem's combat prowess weakened significantly.

Thus, Vincent only needed to cast an offensive spell that contained a large degree of firepower, enough to obliterate the golem in one single attack.

… And that is exactly what the beam of fire accomplished.

Expressionlessly gazing at the crumbling golem, Vincent turned his attention back toward the wyvern's egg. The esoteric purple lines weaved onto the shell remained the same since the last time he witnessed their sparkling radiance.

As the golem crumbled into dust, he walked up toward the egg and placed his hand on the rough obsidian shell. Feeling a thrum of energy laying dormant inside the egg, Vincent became incomparably excited.

Taking out a knife from his storage ring, he slashed his palm as a few droplets of blood dripped their way down onto the egg below.

Greedily sucking up the blood, the egg suddenly shone a glaring purple light as it forced Vincent to close his eyes due to the brightness.

WHOOSH-!

An eerie wind began picking up as the brightness receded, allowing Vincent to open his eyes again.

Gazing at the egg once more, he was surprised to discover that in addition to the violet lines which snaked across the shell, there was a set of blood-red esoteric symbols found at the very centre.

As soon as he discovered the symbol, he perceived a subtle change deep inside his being. Contemplating on the weird sensation, Vincent felt as if an ethereal string connected him and the egg together.

THUMP-! THUMP-!

Feeling a thumping sound, which wasn't his own, Vincent's eyes widened in wonder.

'So this is what it feels like to have a monster companion, huh?'

Picking up the tenebrous monster egg in his arms, he headed back into the winding tunnel, escaping the chamber before it fully collapsed on his head.

***

ROARRRRR-!

Issuing a heaven-shaking roar, the wyvern's eyes turned bloodshot after sensing its connection with its offspring severed. Flapping its wings, the wyvern soared into the air, rushing back to the mountain where its child lay.

Getting handed an unexpected reprieve from the monster's furious onslaught, the trio of Commander Vanderson, the bodyguard, and the hooded figure, heaved a sigh of relief.

Downing potions to aid in the recuperation of the various injuries they suffered, the group of three questioned why the Wyvern left so suddenly.

'Why did it suddenly leave after it chased us so long attempting to kill us?'

This thought was in the trio's minds as each of them simultaneously frowned, sensing something extremely off with the situation.

'The only reason for the Wyvern to suddenly retreat is due to its egg. The egg! Oh crap! Young master Vincent must have severed the connection between the offspring and its parent.'

Realising the severity of the situation with great alarm, the bodyguard had a panicked expression as he hurriedly made his way back to the mountain, roaring at the top of his lungs for Vanderson and the hooded figure to follow.

"Fools! Hurry up, young master Vincent is in trouble!"

A Jetstream of flames appeared beneath his feet as he sped toward the mountain with great haste.

Cursing his luck, Commander Vanderson channelled the mana in his body as he ran, trying to keep up with the repulsive noble kid's bodyguard.

A single thought remained in his mind, which fueled him to surpass his limits and run faster and faster.

'Oh no! My Renumeration!'