We immediately ran toward the rift. The rest of the camp had already started passing through. Around ten to twenty people had gone in.
Just as we thought it was finally over, rustling sounds echoed from behind. I turned and saw one of the transcendent beasts approaching fast.
What is the captain doing? I asked myself in a panicked voice.
Then I saw him in the sky. He landed hard, sending out a wave of wind that shook the ground.
"I will hold them back. Escape!" he shouted.
I stared at him like he had lost his mind. He would be ripped to shreds in seconds. Even though Revin did not really know him, he hated seeing people die.
The captain looked at me and smirked.
"Kid, I am not that weak."
Then he suddenly punched me in the stomach. The force sent me flying into the rift.
In that moment, as I was pulled through the rift, I caught one last look at the captain. His lips moved.
In my mind, I heard one word.
Leo.
Then I saw light. Intense and blinding. My vision slowly adjusted. It was the sun.
I was lying on the ground, body aching.
"Why did he have to punch me..." I muttered, struggling to sit up.
I looked around. The entire area was in ruins. Collapsed buildings, scorched remains. From the damage, it looked like this place had once been a great city. Now it was nothing but destruction.
Without the captain, we had no idea where to go. I was just about to suggest a direction when someone stepped forward.
"I know where to go," he said. His voice was calm, but something about his tone was irritating.
He explained that the device we had used to navigate the Waiting Room had been assigned to him by the captain since the beginning of the expedition. The captain never fully understood how it worked.
But right now, we needed shelter. Rest came first.
Meanwhile, back in the Waiting Room, Leo was standing against seven transcendent beasts. Even for him, it was nearly impossible.
He tried to fight one at a time, but whenever he focused on one, the others closed in. He had to retreat again and again.
That was not even the hardest part. Each beast used different elemental attacks. Fire, lightning, frost, wind. They rained down on him from all sides. He was reaching his limit.
Still, Leo refused to fall.
For hours, he endured.
Then one of the beasts struck him with lightning. The force sent him crashing far across the field. His sword fell beside him.
The beasts began to walk toward him, ready to devour what was left of his body.
Every step they took made death feel closer.
Leo's bones were already shattered. He could barely move.
But he wanted to live.
That will to survive became something more.
His hand gripped the hilt of his greatsword.
Orange cracks began to form on his skin. Flames burst from his body. His clothes turned to ash. Still, he stood.
Even if I die, I will take one of you with me.
The beasts saw the fire and paused. For a brief moment, they stepped back.
Leo jumped into the air and hurled his flaming sword. It pierced one beast through the chest, killing it instantly.
He dashed toward the next, grabbed its throat with one hand, and bashed its skull with the other.
Another charged him.
Leo raised his palm. Flames erupted and swallowed the creature completely.
He stretched out his hand. His blade flew back into his grip.
The blade glowed brighter than ever. He swung it through the air. A wave of fire erupted, burning everything in front of him.
Then he collapsed.
The land beneath him cracked from the impact.
His body was blackened. His bones had turned to dust.
He was going to die.
As his eyes closed, accepting death, he saw a man with silver hair. The figure wore a hood that covered his face.
The man said something Leo could not quite hear, then reached out and touched him.
Leo's body twisted.
He screamed.
The pain was unbearable.