Light at the end of the tunnel

In front of him, he could see those hordes of monsters heading his way while above him, he could see the base of that massive structure that was descending from god knows where.

Completely blocking the light, as it descended from the sky, a complete darkness descended everywhere its shadow reached. 

And no matter where he looked, at this point, it seemed as if death was the only ending awaiting him. Slowly, apart from those countless fiery red eyes heading his way, he couldn't see anything else. It was almost as if he was turning blind. 

If death was the only ending awaiting for him then so be it. Bracing himself, he then increased his grip on the dagger as he firmly clutched his dagger. 

While he was preparing to fight to the death, a certain anomaly distracted him. Right behind those hordes of monsters what appeared to be a bolt of lightning was heading his way at a threatening pace. 

For a while, he looked at it with eyes full of confusion. But the closer it got, the bigger it got. And, the pace at which it was traveling far surpassed the pace of the hordes of monsters heading his way which made him further anxious. 

Was it another threat heading his way?

He couldn't be sure of it since he couldn't see it visibly. But, at this point given his already perilous state even if it was a threat, it would neither surprise him nor scare him.

"How ya holding up boyo?" 

A familiar voice that sounded rather cheerful echoed.

Just when he had thought that nothing could surprise him anymore, upon hearing that unknown voice, his eyes widened in surprise. 

It wouldn't be possible to hear a human voice amidst all those furious growls of the monsters heading his way. But, yet somehow, he could audibly hear a human voice coming from in front. Although that voice sounded quite familiar he couldn't discern whom it belonged to nor remember the person. 

Then again, he tried to focus on that strange flash of light heading his way. After all that was the only thing in his sight, he could link it to the weird voice he had heard just now. 

But, even if it was a person heading his way, what would it matter to him? It's not like that he'd get saved. Thus, he didn't become hopeful even after hearing that strange but familiar voice. After all, Lucius was the type of person who believed that it was only practical to put your hopes on yourself rather than on someone else. 

Putting your hopes on someone else or something unseen would only leave you disappointed. 

Ignoring that strange voice, he then refocused his attention on those bloodshot eyes heading his way. But, just as he shifted his attention to the monsters in front of him, a ferocious growl almost similar to the discordant sound of thunder resounded which caused him to cover his ears. 

Growl!!!!

The dagger which he held in his hand fell during the process of covering his ear. Yet, he couldn't afford to lower his guard. Thus, even while covering his ear, he somehow kept his eyes open. Squinching his eyes, he continued to observe the horde heading his way. 

And, it seemed that even those hordes of monsters heading his way weren't spared. Acting weirdly, many of them were starting to slow down while many of them started to collapse. By the looks of it, the effect on the monsters appeared much more severe than on humans. Or, it could also be that he's being intentionally spared. 

Nonetheless, seeing those monsters slowing down, he felt quite happy about it. Flames of hope kindled within his heart as he started to become hopeful. There was still hope for him to survive this ordeal. 

As those monsters collapsed, dust clouds rose which blinded him. But, soon the tremor caused by that discordant growl subsided as well. However, the descent of the towering structure didn't slow down even a little. There were still no changes in it and it was still falling at a threatening pace. 

Then, whilst he was still trying to adapt his vision, a silhouette emerged from within the smokescreen. 

Though the dust particles floating in the atmosphere irritated his eyes, he still couldn't help but look at the figure emerging out of the smokescreen in front of him with his eyes opened wide. 

Swoosh!!

Mounting his familiar, Blake emerged from within the smokescreen. And for some reason, a silvery glow was radiating from Gloo's body. 

If not for that strange glow, it would have been quite hard to spot them right now, considering the absence of light around him. But, due to that strange glow, he could discern their appearance. 

Yet still, he couldn't help but look at them with eyes full of surprise. The person he hadn't even expected to make it out alive was now flying in front of him. Not only that, but that same person had just now saved his life too. 

"Let's get out of here boyo," Blake spoke as he closed in to Lucius on his mount. 

Then without slowing down, as he got close to Lucius, he grabbed him and lifted him to the mound. 

Getting grabbed by someone in such a rough way might cause a person to flinch. But not Lucius, even while getting pulled by Blake in such a bizarre way, let alone flinching, he didn't even show a slight hesitation or startlement on his face. 

Rather, he was happy to get rescued. 

If Blake hadn't come to his rescue, he might have turned into a meat paste under the stomps of those hordes of monsters heading his way. 

But instead, right now he was alive and well. Not only had he survived the ordeal without any harm whatsoever, he could even see the light in front of him right now. 

Gloo's pace was really extraordinary. 

And, if they continued with this same pace, they actually might make it out of here alive. Looking at the light at the far horizon, he just couldn't help but feel hopeful. 

But just when he had started to have hope, a fiery wall rose from the surface. The border that had separated the light and the darkness, life, and death, a cage-like fiery wall rose, trapping them in the range of the tower.