Chapter 28

Above the abyss, between the cave previously untouched by any man and the platform where the Maestro died, a collision happened.

Max and Manuel bolted out of the cave to meet the two Awakened.

They sent an aura enhanced barrage from their powerful wings which didn't do much, but it enabled the players to get closer. The momentum of the Awakened was slowed down when the aura enhanced metallic feathers of the apex sky predator bombarded them.

Max bolted into the green winged Awakened and they clashed swords.

The enemy was pushed back since Max had the momentum.

Max continued.

He slammed into the Awakened in a downwards trajectory and afterwards sent out a technique he learned.

Mighty Push. He sent a powerful burst of aura from his entire body towards the enemy.

Which further sent the Awakened in the direction Max wanted him to go.

Into the abyss. Away from the squad. Which was taking care of the other Awakened.

The player was brutally onto the enemy and didn't allow him to switch directions.

He barraged the knight with the two swords and the powerful wings of an Awakened mini-boss as they both fell into somewhere no man touched.

The Awakened was mostly undamaged from the continous blows he received and parried, but Max was counting on something else.

That there was rock bottom below.

Then, as they were both falling, the green aura wings on the enemy's back merged together, forming a small tornado on his back.

It was straight for a few moments and so Max couldn't see it.

In those few moments, it got more powerful as the Awakened channeled more of his aura into it and then it went around and hit Max in the side, sending him away into a wall.

"Kugh!"

Max immediately recovered and sent an aura slash downwards in desperation with Hero King's sword.

It interrupted the recovery of the enemy and the wings weren't formed back in time.

Max was upon the man again as he pushed his legs off the rock wall with his aura.

It was dark now. Pitch dark.

The Awakened couldn't see anything, meanwhile Max could see everything with his Echolocation.

Max heard something.

Water. Running water.

The waterfalls were definitely making noise at the bottom.

That's what Max was counting on.

Though he didn't know how deep the water was.

Keeping the momentum and barraging the enemy with brutal hits which didn't hurt him much, Max got closer and closer to the running water below.

The armor of the enemy was beginning to break but it wasn't enough. Not quick enough.

Another aura tornado came from above this time, but Max was prepared and blocked the attacks with his wings.

One sword of the Awakened enemy could not manage to counter two of Max's swords along with the player's attacking wings and his momentum.

"AAAAAGH!" The Awakened screamed in desperation.

Max used Mighty Push that pushed the Awakened down more, while also slowing down his fall enough to recover and not hit the bottom.

The water could be a few inches deep for all he knew.

"THUD!" A loud sound was heard below the now levitating player.

[You have slain an Awakened human!]

[You have received 5000 EXP!]

Max took heavy breaths and slowly descended down.

He took the armor from the Awakened and put it into his inventory while taking a breather and recovering himself.

He grabbed the sword too so he could sell it.

Then the player flew back up with a cold, murderous look on his face.

Manuel was reinforced with Eliyah's aura as much was possible and was assisted by Thomas but was still getting dominated.

He was on the defense, barely landing any hits.

The orange winged Awakened pressured the spear knight relentlessly.

The enemy used large gauntlets that could protect and deal powerful blows.

Manuel's spear was useless. Only his wings sometimes dealt damage. So he abandoned it.

The Awakened sent a hook towards Manuel's head, which he blocked with his shield, while simultaneously sending a lunging attack with his wing towards the Awakened's body to relieve the pressure he's putting up.

The Awakened blocked the wing with his gauntlet but it send him away a few meters.

It wasn't enough. The player was taking concussive blows and his health was at 50% already. Despite blocking and defending most blows. All he could do is buy time.

He bashed the Awakened in the helmet with his shield after ducking a hook which only got him a rapid blow to the stomach that sent him away.

"Kuagh!"

He was slammed into the rock wall and the Awakened started pummeling him.

Manuel cowered behind his shield and took on heavy blows.

Quickly, the shield broke from the sheer force and power of the superior enemy.

Thomas sent a barrage from his wings, all of the attack landing on the tall, wide and dominating Awakened, which didn't do much besides stunning him for a second.

The armor and and the Awakened himself were simply too strong.

"BEHIND YOU SIR! A mundane knight yelled on the platform.

But it was too late.

Max grabbed the Awakened from behind.

"Restrain him Manuel!"

Barely stable, Manuel answered to Max's call.

Restraining the desperate, wildly swinging knight to the best of his ability. Manuel grabbed both of his flailing arms and locked his legs with the enemy's.

Max wrapped his hands around the knight's helmet.

He charged aura into his hands and arms, his upper body muscles...and with one powerful twist, broke the neck of the powerful knight.

[You have slain...]

[You have leveled up!]

He carried the dead Awakened towards the cave.

"Eliyah. This armor's for you."

Max gave the armor that he stole from the green winged swordsman to the mage.

"Thanks man."

Manuel was lying down, conscious but not doing good. His health was low.

Max took off his armor and helmet and inspected the damage.

He was bruised all over.

Max gave him a strong health potion.

Eliyah tended to the spear knight with his skills as a mage to help the repairing process, but it wasn't looking great. Manuel would need time to heal.

"Can you walk, Manuel?"

"I think so. Legs should be fine."

"You're gonna stay behind us and not do a single thing, understand?"

"Yeah."

Manuel's armor was destroyed, so Max gave him the red armor from the other Awakened knight he had slain. Not that Manuel would be in combat.

"Thanks, Max." The spear knight said.

"PLEASE HELP US! WE WILL DO ANYTHING!"

Max looked down at the four mundane knights standing on the natural platform.

'I take them back into the other cave, and the whole kingdom follows us into this place.'

"Good luck." The player said.

The knights stood coldly. Accepting their fate.

No one was coming to save them.

The trace aura that Thomas and the others who entered left behind was probably gone now. Regardless, that ability that the green winged knight had, that tracks people with their trace aura, is unheard of by Max.

'That was a strong Awakened.'

Were the fight on a normal location, Max thought it unlikely that he would win.

Max offered Manuel a hand and the valiant mundane who faced an Awakened stood up to his feet.

"Let's keep going boys." Max said, coldly.

Ahead was unknown, untouched and dark territory.

They'd be lucky to be led to the bottom of the sea.