Chapter 274: Marich: Did I Interrupt You Two?
"Is it over—"
Lorne slowly activated his Spirit Vision, carefully scanning the messy battlefield around him.
Due to the intense battle just now, the spirituality here was still in an extremely chaotic state. Fortunately, however, he could no longer sense the spiritual reactions of Steve and his group nearby.
They—they were likely truly dead.
"It's over."
A cold voice sounded behind him at some unknown time. Lorne turned his head and saw Sharon silently floating there. Even on her perpetually unchanging, delicate face, a trace of undeniable exhaustion flashed by, a rare sight.
"Hoo—"
After receiving confirmation, Lorne finally let out a long breath of stale air, and the nerve that had been stretched to its limit completely relaxed.
He was too tired. After continuously using so many Mystical Items, even with the high spirituality of the "Monster" Pathway, which far exceeded that of the same Sequence, he couldn't sustain it. Moreover, the terrifying consumption from the two "concerts" just now had caused some negative effects on his own spiritual body.
Most critically, his abdomen had been struck hard by the out-of-control Marich.
This was the most speechless part for him. The most serious injury he sustained tonight was not from an enemy, but from a "friendly"—he was filled with a sense of absurdity.
"Are you—are you alright?" Suppressing his turbulent thoughts, Lorne turned his head and asked Sharon, who was beside him, in a somewhat hoarse voice. He remembered that she had also taken the brunt of Steve's attack and poison.
"It's not a major issue—" Sharon replied softly. Although she had sustained some injuries, they were not serious, at least much better than Lorne's current condition.
"We need to leave here quickly." Sharon raised her eyes and scanned the area. "It won't be long before the official Beyonders arrive—"
"It's good that you're fine, but—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Lorne interrupted her.
"I'm not fine—"
As soon as he spoke, Lorne felt his legs suddenly turn soft, his vision went black, and his body staggered, unable to support himself any longer. Both the physical exhaustion and the immense mental drain were pushing him to his limit.
Just as he felt his legs weaken, unable to bear the weight of his body, and was about to fall face-first into the mud, a pair of soft, cool arms suddenly supported him from behind.
What entered his sight was Sharon's pretty face, which looked a little disheveled from the battle. Because his vision was darkening, Lorne couldn't clearly see her expression at the moment, but he vaguely felt that she didn't seem as pale as he had imagined, but rather had a bit more color than usual.
Besides the thick smell of blood, a peculiar, cold fragrance permeated the air.
Looking at someone from this angle—it was quite unusual.
Lorne's gaze uncontrollably passed over the substantial curve of the "mountain range" and landed on Sharon's beautifully sculpted, jade-like chin and neck.
Suddenly, Sharon seemed to notice his gaze, and her azure eyes shifted slightly downward.
Their eyes met.
Hiss—Was that an illusion?
Lorne wondered if he was hallucinating because he was too tired.
A trace of embarrassment and panic seemed to flash across that doll-like, delicate face.
How could that be—How could Miss Sharon show an expression like that?
When he recovered and looked closely again, he found that Sharon still maintained her usual calm and cold expression.
Sure enough—it was an illusion, he must be too tired.
Lorne continued to maintain the supported posture, with most of his body weight resting on her.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. There was only the sound of the night wind whistling through the abandoned dock and their slightly hurried breathing, making the atmosphere strangely stagnant and—awkward.
"The last time—what I owed you, is it settled now?"
After a moment of silence, Lorne asked softly, breathing heavily. He was referring to the time Sharon acted as his bodyguard.
Although she did it for money, she was put in danger and attracted the attention of a demigod because of him, after all.
Because of this, he still felt somewhat apologetic towards Sharon.
"The previous incident was merely a transaction." Sharon's calm voice came from above his head.
"But, I care," Lorne replied.
"Mm—This time, I owe you." Sharon's tone carried a hint of subtle etherealness and softness.
"Then—does that mean I'm your creditor now? Teacher Sharon~" Lorne joked, deliberately adopting Scott's slightly flippant tone.
Sharon remained silent, seemingly acquiescing to this somewhat strange title.
"Do you intend to maintain this posture indefinitely?" She suddenly spoke, her tone returning to its usual coldness, revealing no emotion.
I'd quite like to—Lorne muttered silently in his heart.
This was the first time he had experienced something like this. And, honestly speaking, Miss Sharon's figure was truly excellent, and her embrace—was quite comfortable. If he could get a lap pillow too, it would be perfect.
"Can you walk?" Sharon asked again.
Lorne assessed his limbs and found that his strength had recovered somewhat.
"I should be able to—" He stopped abruptly mid-sentence.
""
—I can't."
Meeting Sharon's azure eyes, which were full of scrutiny, Lorne chuckled, "How about—you carry me back?"
"Teacher Sharon~"
This was the third time Sharon had fallen silent. She knew Lorne was in a bad state; after all, he had practically fought the entire battle alone. But—she was deeply skeptical about whether Lorne truly lacked the strength to even walk.
"Hey, are you two alright?"
A hoarse and weary voice came from the side. It was Marich.
The recovery ability of a "Zombie" was exceptionally strong. After the effects of the crimson moon diadem and the poison had both dissipated, he gradually returned to normal. Among the three people present tonight, he was arguably the least injured.
After climbing up from the ground, Marich, covered in dust, walked over toward them.
However, when he saw the scene before him, he froze slightly.
Sharon was supporting Lorne from behind in a semi-floating posture, while Lorne's upper body was resting comfortably in Sharon's arms.
"Um—Did I—interrupt you two?"
Seeing their somewhat ambiguous posture, he awkwardly scratched his head.
"You support him," Sharon said, her tone cold.
Immediately after, Lorne felt the support vanish from his back, and his body involuntarily tilted forward, falling straight into Marich's arms.
Smelling the complex odor of dirt, blood, and decaying Corpses emanating from Marich, he showed an undisguised look of disgust.
He adjusted his posture and draped one of his arms around Marich's neck.
"Marich, your curse—" Lorne initiated the conversation, bringing up the unpleasant scene from earlier.
"I apologize." Marich lowered his head. "At the time—I was affected by the full moon and Steve's scream." He sighed and continued, "I overestimated my endurance."
"Are your injuries alright, then?" Lorne turned his head and asked proactively.
"I'm fine, my injuries aren't serious."
"That's good." Hearing this, Lorne's tone suddenly lifted slightly. "I feel—I have a little bit of strength now."
"?" Marich was confused. Was there any necessary connection between these two things? If you have strength, walk on your own!
"Thud!"
A muffled sound, not too loud, but very sudden.
Lorne suddenly raised his other arm and punched Marich hard in the abdomen. The force he used wasn't great, but it was extremely sudden. Marich was completely unprepared and frowned deeply from the blow.
What are you doing! Lorne clearly read this meaning from his expression.
"This way, we're even," Lorne explained, a relieved smile appearing on his face.
"Sorry, I'm the kind of person who doesn't like holding grudges overnight."