In that split second of tactical judgment, the battle aura wrapped around Allen's legs gave him one final push. He twisted midair, turning his back to the oncoming monsters, both arms wrapped tightly around Rudeus and Sylphy to shield them.
The aura surged at his back—but the force of his dive did not slow.
And then, amid Sylphy and Rudeus's screams, Allen became a cannonball crashing into the horde of monsters mid-leap.
The sea of monsters bulged around the point of impact—then exploded outward.
From the heart of the swarm, a single figure burst through, tearing a hole in the tide.
The last rays of sunset bathed the valley in red-gold, glinting off shards of shattered bone and misting blood. Broken monster fangs shimmered in the evening light as they spiraled away from Allen's body.
His back had been torn open by claws and teeth. Blood soaked the tattered remains of his swordsman's garb, fluttering behind him as he fell.
[Dragon-Saint Aura]—for all its explosive power—was still a fledgling core. It could strengthen his defenses, but not enough to fully protect him in the middle of a monster swarm.
Allen's eyes lowered in midair.
...At least they're unharmed.
Sylphy and Rudeus scrambled out from his arms, both still shaking with fear, staring wide-eyed at his face. The sensation of falling had completely unmoored them; their minds had gone blank the moment they dropped. Now, as Allen broke through the net of monsters, Rudeus instinctively threw a wind spell downward.
A gust rippled beneath them, slowing their fall just enough to keep them suspended like drifting leaves.
But it wasn't enough to stop their descent.
"Allen! What now?! Think of something!!" Rudeus shouted, pale-faced, his voice cracking as he strained to maintain the spell.
Their bodies swayed in the wind, barely balanced—still falling.
But Allen, still within the heightened clarity of [Perception Flow], wasn't looking at Rudeus.
He looked toward Paul and Laws—clinging to the fractured mountainside not far away.
Three pairs of eyes met across ten meters of open air.
Allen had managed to protect the others—but in doing so, his twist had redirected his trajectory. The jump that was supposed to carry him back to the cliff now pushed him upward instead.
He was stuck in midair, suspended.
His hair whipped in the wind, his coat fluttering. The sun finally dipped behind the mountains, casting everything in darkness.
Sound distorted. In [Perception Flow], Paul and Laws's shouts were stretched, distant—like echoes from underwater.
Their faces, though, were crystal clear.
Allen narrowed his eyes. He studied the faces of these two fathers—and somewhere in the overload of thought, something clicked.
They really do look like worried parents…
In a single flash of thought, Allen made his decision.
This is fine. The situation isn't beyond saving. It's not the worst-case scenario. Ten meters—Paul can handle that distance.
His lips curved up faintly.
No foothold in midair? Then the only option is to use what you have. It's not ideal, but not impossible.
He blinked once—and dropped [Perception Flow].
Sound returned in a rush. The wind howled. The monsters wailed. Darkness surged around them like a rising tide.
Allen hurled Sylphy and Rudeus toward the ledge.
His voice pierced the darkness:
"Catch them, Uncle!!"
Rudeus and Sylphy screamed, eyes wide in horror as they were flung through the air.
No footing? Then use your arms. A launching board for the people in your arms.
If all three couldn't be saved together—then save two first.
Too rational? Coldly utilitarian? Always calculating cost and benefit?
Then fine. Let this be a matter of pure outcome: sacrificing one to save two.
Is that "utilitarian" enough for you?!
Rudeus flew cleanly, a perfect arc—Allen had thrown him with pinpoint precision, using a North God–style throwing technique.
But as Allen watched him sail toward Paul—
His smile froze.
Only one body had been thrown.
He felt a tug on his right arm.
Dumbfounded, he looked down.
Her hand gripped his wrist with all her might.
"Sylphy?!?!"
His voice cracked—raw with panic, almost a scream.
In the darkness, Sylphy's face was tear-streaked, her eyes wide with fear.
But she didn't let go.
Those reddish-brown eyes stayed locked on him, unwavering.
She hadn't been flung at all.
She'd understood what Allen intended the moment he moved—and instead, she'd gripped him even tighter.
Because she had always been watching Allen.
Every day. Every second of the year they'd spent in the same space.
The next moment, the recoil from the throw jerked her body upward, and she slammed into Allen's chest again, burying herself in his arms.
From afar, Laws's voice tore through the night:
"SYLPHY!! ALLEN!!"
And then—
Sylphy, Allen, and the monsters all plummeted into the valley below.
Into the dark.
Where countless crimson eyes awaited.
The avalanche came.
At the same moment Allen and Sylphy fell into the gorge, the mountain above collapsed with a thunderous roar.
Tons of snow, once resting harmlessly at the summit, surged down like a black wave.
The ground beneath Paul and Laws gave way, fissuring at their feet.
Paul clenched his teeth until they almost cracked.
He fought the urge to leap after them, grabbing a still-dazed Rudeus with one hand, and using battle aura to pull a howling Laws back with the other.
Trees cracked and snapped beside them as the snow buried everything. Paul leapt onto a fallen trunk and rode it down the slope, carving a controlled descent to the valley floor.
That was the only reason all three of them weren't buried alive.
The moment they landed, Laws broke free and bolted toward the ravine like a madman. Paul stood behind him, grim-faced.
The valley was dim. Laws barely made it a few steps before stopping short, his mouth open in a voiceless scream. His neatly combed blond hair was now a wild mess.
Rudeus looked around.
Then collapsed to his knees.
His hands clutched at his hair. His face was white as snow. Not a word escaped his lips.
Before them, the one narrow exit of the valley—the only path through that mountain's "drawstring mouth"—had been completely sealed by the avalanche.
Of the three who fell—
Only Rudeus had survived.
That was all.