GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!
The sound spread through the whole town like wildfire, continuing to shake the ground.
Small stalls started to collapse.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The metal sheets covering the rooftops rattled violently.
Birds fled immediately.
Horses started to panic.
Dogs started to bark as loudly as they could.
One woman tripped over and fell while carrying a fruit basket on her head.
Children stopped playing.
Some covered their ears.
Others ran toward their parents, crying.
A few simply stood frozen, staring at the sky.
"M-Mom...?"
A little boy clutched his mother's hand.
"What was that?"
She didn't answer.
She didn't know either.
A drunken man looked out of his window and threw up on the spot.
Then.
Suddenly—
Silence.
The sound stopped.
The entire town went quiet.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The horses remained restless.
The children clung to their parents.
Everyone waited.
But nothing happened.
Lying on the ground, Pietro's mouth was slightly open.
His eyes darted toward everybody.
Ben.
Ford.
Garfield.
The rookie.
They were frozen in place as sweat rolled down their cheeks.
Slowly, they came to their senses and immediately started breathing heavily.
They covered their ears.
Ford held his head.
"W-What is t-that scream?"
"My head feels heavy... like a rock."
Tears rolled down the rookie's eyes before he wiped them away, without even realising it.
Pietro slowly pushed his body up and sat down while still keeping his eyes locked on to everyone.
He coughed.
But carefully.
Not too loud.
Feeling kind of dizzy, Ford rubbed his eyes. Something ran down his nose before wiping it off with the back of his hand.
"Why..."
He tried to walk but his vision was hazy and slightly blurred.
"...am I—"
Then he smelled something.
Something metallic.
Garfield looked at Ford.
"Ford, are you..."
Then his eyes darted toward Ford's hand.
"Ford—YOU ARE BLEEDING!"
The others turned toward Ford.
"What...?" Ford asked slowly.
Ben nervously placed his hand on Ford's shoulder.
"You okay, dude?"
"Okay? What else... would I be?"
"I-I think you might wanna get some rest."
Ford's vision was still blurry.
So blurry that he couldn't even recognise Ben's face.
He tried to rub his eyes.
"Aha! The blood will get into your eye! Don't rub them!" Garfield advised. "Hey, newbie. Do you still have those cotton balls with you?"
"Y-Yes."
"Here, Ford, take my napkin."
Ford took the napkin and started wiping his nose.
Then he said, "Come on, guys... It's chuckle not... a big deal..."
"No, dude. Look, you can't even stand straight right now."
"Yes, Mr. Ford. He is right!"
Ford tried to walk.
And he did.
Perfectly fine.
If "perfectly fine" meant walking like a drunken man.
"Wait!"
Garfield looked around.
"Pietro."
His eyes widened.
"WHERE IS HE?!"
"Where did he go?!"
The rookie pointed toward the main gate.
"THERE!"
Everyone turned.
"He's running away!"
"PIETRO!"
The rookie immediately started running toward the gate.
Ford shook his head.
"I told you... I am fine."
Ben grabbed his shoulder.
"Ford, you're bleeding!"
"It's just..."
Ford's knees gave out.
THUD!
"FORD!"
Ben immediately caught him.
Ford's eyes closed.
"...a nosebleed..."
"THAT WAS NOT JUST A NOSEBLEED!"
"FORD!"
Garfield rushed over.
"Get him down! Carefully!"
The rookie stopped near the gate and looked back.
"But Pietro—"
"Forget Pietro!" Ben shouted. "Ford first!"
Garfield dropped beside Ford.
"Come on, Ford! Wake up!"
Nothing.
"Ford!"
Still nothing.
The rookie looked toward the gate.
Pietro was already gone.
"...He escaped."
Garfield clenched his teeth.
"Damn it!"
...
Lying on the bed, Ford rubbed his eyes.
He tried to move his feet, but a sharp pain shot through his toes.
"AGH! Did I get a splinter or something?"
Ben turned his head toward him.
"Your feet? No. You actually hit them against the door while I was carrying you on my back. Sorry, dude."
Before Ford could respond, Garfield walked out of the kitchen with a glass in his hand.
"Ford, I think the sunny weather gave you heatstroke. And that scream probably made it even worse."
"Also you've been working a lot recently. You should take some rest."
"How long have I been... sleeping for?"
"Probably around half an hour."
"Oh..."
Ford looked around.
"Where's the rookie?"
Garfield sat on the bed and placed the glass beside Ford.
"I actually sent him to report about Pietro at the captain's office. Because, you know, he... 'escaped.'"
Ben sat down on the chair.
"So... Where did he go?"
"Pietro? We don't know for sure. He headed south when I last saw him running."
Ford raised an eyebrow.
"South?"
"Isn't that..."
He swallowed.
"...toward Jeten?"
Meanwhile...
Huff... Huff... Huff...
Pietro ran through the forest without ever looking back. He passed through tree after tree after tree. He looked around flabbergasted.
"Wow. Who could have thought... that there could be a forest in the middle of a desert? This place is... beautiful."
Indeed. It was as if Mother Nature had put more enthusiasm into making it than anything else. Though, making other creations jealous isn't very beautiful, Mother Nature.
As Pietro went deeper he noticed that the ground was pretty muddy.
"Did it rain or some—"
He stopped.
A tree...
With a big cross on its trunk.
He placed his hand on it and moved slowly.
"Have I..."
CRACK!
His eyebrows rose before he turned around. He could hear something from afar.
Shouting.
"Umm—"
And screaming.
"Shit. No no no no no no NO! NOT AGAIN!" Pietro turned around. "I AM NOT DOING THIS!"
Then he started running the opposite direction from where the shouting came from. Still better than most horror movie characters.
Investigate a place where a weird sound came from? Nah, he wasn't taking any chances this time. He's had enough experience from last time.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Puff...
About an hour ago...
"The next spike won't miss."
The suspended spike of ice began to spin, its sharp tip becoming a blur as the sound grew louder.
Zzzzzzvvvvv!
"...I promise."
A blinding halo of mist hissed outward as the friction of air melted the ice, masking the deep cracks splintering through its frozen core.
Some of that mist wasn't actually mist at all.
But rather, mana.
Aurora's mana.
Thalas.
Hemenor.
Specule.
Sweat rolled down all of their faces.
Specule swallowed.
He couldn't move.
Thalas gritted his teeth and lunged forward, reaching for Specule.
But he was too far away.
The spike pierced through the sky like a rocket.
Straight toward Specule's forehead.
For a moment, Specule just stood there, staring at it with wide eyes.
The distance between them shortened.
It was about to pierce his skull.
Then—
His eyes glowed.
And he was gone.
No.
He was inside the spike.
His reflection appeared on its surface.
Thalas froze.
"SPECULE, YOU IDIOT!"
"IT'S GOING TO BREAK!"
Moments before the spike struck a nearby tree, Specule's hand emerged from its surface, followed by the rest of his body.
Instead of shattering, the spike pierced through multiple trees before finally melting away.
Specule landed on the ground and glanced over his shoulder.
The sight behind him left him horrified.
He barely had time to process what had happened before Aurora's fist was already hovering inches from his face.
Specule flinched and squeezed his eyes shut.
But...
Nothing happened.
The punch didn't land.
He waited.
Still nothing.
Specule slowly opened his eyes.
Aurora...
...was stuck in place.
A small portion of the ground beneath him had turned into ice, freezing his feet in place.
Aurora turned his head.
"Oh, you."
Thalas stretched his arms forward, breathing heavily.
"Specule! Come here!"
Specule jumped back a few steps and stood beside Hemenor.
Aurora smirked.
"Using my technique against me, huh? That's pretty clever of you."
His smirk disappeared.
"But always keep one thing in mind."
"Never use a technique on somebody who knows it better than you."
"Or else..."
Thalas wasn't a fool. He was already preparing to stop whatever Aurora threw at him—
"This could happen."
Aurora raised his hand forward.
The mana flow in Thalas's body increased. And his arms and legs quickly stiffened.
"What the—"
CRACK!
The ice below Aurora shattered into pieces before starting to float around him.
Thalas froze.
But—
Aurora wasn't aiming for him.
Thalas turned his head.
"NO!"
SHOOT!
The tiny ice shards flew straight toward Specule.
He ran.
As fast as he could.
But the shards followed him.
"WHY ME?!"
The shards weren't flying by themselves, obviously. Aurora was controlling them with his arm.
As far as I understand, if the object breaks while he's inside it, he might die.
The spike was too big, so he managed to escape before it broke.
But these shards are tiny.
If he enters one now, he might not be able to escape in time.
As Specule continued running, Aurora calmly moved his arm, guiding every shard after him.
He sighed.
Maybe I shouldn't do this while a kid is watching.
But wait.
Why isn't Kayushi saying anything?
"Kayushi, you have been really quiet for a while now. Is there a problem?"
...
"Kayushi?"
"Yeah?"
"What's happening? Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine."
"Then why were you so quiet?"
"Wait, quiet? What do you mean?"
"I was literally shouting at the top of my lungs about 10 seconds ago."
"Really?"
"Why would I lie?!"
Aurora narrowed his eyes.
"Interesting..."
Aurora crouched down.
"Wait, why did you crouch all of a sudden?"
WHOOSH!
Aurora glanced upward.
Hemenor's kick sliced through the air above him.
"Oh."
While crouching, Aurora planted both hands on the ground, pushed off with his legs, and kicked Hemenor in the abdomen.
Hemenor slid backward as Aurora landed on his feet.
"Is this kick your signature move? If it is, then it's very predictable."
Hemenor gritted his teeth.
Then he charged forward.
"AAAAAHHHH!!!"
His boots dug into the muddy ground.
He threw a punch.
Aurora bent his head to the side.
Hemenor's fist tore past his face.
Then, with his other fist, Hemenor shot upward with an uppercut.
Aurora swiftly bent his upper body backward.
The fist passed just above his face.
He raised his arm, then moved it as if trying to signal something to come toward him.
"How old even is Kayushi?"
"Why do you want to know that?"
Hemenor chuckled.
"Curious."
"You don't need to care about Kayushi for now. Think about yourself."
"Wha—?"
SHANK!
Pieces of something sharp pierced Hemenor's back as small drops of blood splashed out.
He slowly wrapped his hands around the wound.
"H-Healing..."
A low green light escaped from his palm before his body slowly closed up the wound.
His shoulders heaved as he breathed heavily.
Blue mana wrapped around Aurora's hand.
Then he bolted straight toward Hemenor, clenching his fist tight.
Hemenor quickly took a defensive stance, raising his arms over his face.
Aurora swung his fist with almost no effort.
THUD!
Hemenor barely moved.
Aurora suddenly turned around and started running.
Hemenor stood there, puzzled.
"Huh?"
"What the heck? Are you... running away?"
"That punch didn't even deal any damage."
He raised his hand forwa—
It suddenly felt heavy.
"Don't tell me..."
Hemenor tried to move his legs but he couldn't. They had developed frost.
"No... I am stuc—"
"Wait."
Heat began building in his arms.
Quickly, the frost turned into steam.
A ball of flame erupted from his palm.
Then it vanished.
Hemenor placed his palm on his face in frustration.
"Why didn't I think of this earlier..."
He looked at Thalas.
"Thalas!"
Thalas was on the ground, neither able to move his arms nor his legs. He was practically a worm.
"Yes, C-Captain?"
"Use a fire spell to melt the ice!"
"OH. RIGHT!"
The ice shards still followed Specule without any sign of stopping whatsoever.
It turned out, Aurora had joined the chase.
Specule glanced over his shoulder.
The shards were getting closer.
Much closer.
He also noticed Aurora.
His breathing grew heavier.
Oh Lord Gabriel! Why is my opponent a literal Demon King!? And not even any other Demon King but Jin'Uz Aurora himself!
A wood log came on his path. He jumped over it
I am not even his opponent at this point! I-It's like, I am a rabbit trying to escape from a tiger!
A shard flew straight toward his neck before he dodged it, barely.
He zigzagged through the trees, crushing small plants on the ground with his boots.
WHAT SHOULD I EVEN DO?! MY BRAIN ISN'T EVEN WORKING AT THIS MOMENT!
"HEY!!!"
Thalas and Hemenor were approaching Aurora.
Aurora glared at them.
"Did you use fire to melt the ice?!"
He grinned.
"Good to see you have developed common sense!"
They chased each other like cats and dogs. Screaming and shouting.
But slowly, the sound of the battlefield faded into the environment.
The literal Mayor of a town, who somehow managed to slipped on thin ice and fell into an obvious looking hole, stood up.
He coughed.
The crystal-clear lake below had covered his lower body as if trying to swallow him whole but failed, midway.
Even though the bottom was mostly water, the lake was not the only thing present inside the crater. There was also a bit of higher ground to stand on.
Polish walked up to that higher ground.
The same strange flowers from earlier were growing on the soil.
He picked one up and brought it to his nose.
"Wait—" sniff sniff "Why does this one smell sweeter than the ones above?"
"For now..."
He threw it down.
"I shouldn't worry about this."
He looked up. Sunlight fell across his face, while the vague darkness covered part of it.
"Did Belhama and Poly get out of the hallway?"
"What are they even doing there?"
He pulled his pants a little.
"God, I am fully soaked."
"Fortunately my watch is not, hehe."
"Let's see what's the time..."
"1:07?!"
"It's been 6 hours since we left Sinville?!"
"I gotta get out of here... But how?"
A thick root poked out of the crater wall.
He grabbed the root, planted his shoes onto a stone.
Then pulled, trying to lift his body up.
But he couldn't.
So he moved onto a much higher stone and gripped the roots tightly.
With all his might, Polish pulled, his legs dangling, his fingernails digging into the soil.
He gritted his teeth, his arms shaking.
"Come on..."
He pulled again.
His body rose slightly.
Then his foot slipped.
"WOAH!"
He quickly pressed his shoe against the crater wall, stopping himself from falling.
"...That was close."
He took a deep breath.
Then grabbed the root again.
Pull.
His arms trembled.
Pull.
His foot moved higher.
Pull.
A few seconds later, he had climbed another meter.
"Just... a little more..."
He reached for another root.
His fingers barely caught it.
He pulled himself upward.
His breathing became heavier.
His arms hurt.
His legs hurt.
Everything hurt.
But he kept climbing.
Pull.
Step.
Pull.
Step.
His foot slipped again.
"NGH!"
Polish grabbed the root tightly.
He stayed there, hanging against the wall.
"Don't you dare..."
He found another foothold and pushed himself upward.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
He continued.
After what felt like an eternity, his hand finally reached the edge.
His eyes widened.
"...I made it."
He grabbed the edge with both hands and pulled himself up.
His chest reached the ground.
Then one leg.
Then the other.
Polish collapsed onto the surface.
He lay there, breathing heavily.
"...Finally."
He slowly stood up without glancing behind for once.
The sound of footsteps grew louder and louder behind him.
Then.
"FINALLY! I AM OUT—"
Specule's shoulder hit Polish's.
Time seemed to slow down.
His feet trembled.
He slipped again.
His arms shot forward as his body was falling into the crater.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
That is why one shouldn't count their chickens before they hatch.