Chapter 6: The Escape
“It’s been so long, why hasn’t Carlos come out yet? Is there a problem?” Nick Williams gazed anxiously at the dark smoke prison not far away.
The Horned Horse let out a low whinny, kicking its hooves in unease.
“Don’t worry, my Commander Sir, please trust Mr. Carlos’s abilities.”
Standing next to Nick, Archbishop Ansiel straightened his light gold robe and spoke softly to ease his worries. But his eyes, fixed on the black smoke, didn’t seem as calm as his words suggested.
“It seems His Holiness has a lot of faith in Mr. Carlos,” Nick paused, carefully choosing his words, “This really has troubled you, Archbishop. If it weren’t for your mighty Divine Miracle suppressing that monster, Carlos would probably still be struggling to take it down. Thanks to both of your efforts, we’ve managed to achieve victory so smoothly.”
Hearing this, Archbishop Ansiel looked somewhat displeased, his wrinkled brow furrowing as he pointed at the wreckage-strewn battlefield ahead.
“Commander Sir, you call this smooth?”
“Your Grace, you’re not seriously saying that?” Nick chuckled wryly. “We all know that facing an Abyssal monster like this is a horrifying experience, and given the costs we incurred, we’re lucky to be alive. I’ve already instructed the Clerics to contain the spread of the Abyssal muck. At least we’ve achieved full victory in securing the safety of nearby towns.”
There were many human towns and villages around this land, which is why the Holy Church took this operation very seriously. They had evacuated the populace two weeks prior, not only sending Carlos to battle but asking Archbishop Ansiel to coordinate their efforts.
“How do you plan to handle the fallen knights?”
Fighting the Abyssal monsters was nothing like merely wiping out bandits or quelling rebellions; it was exceptionally brutal. Very few knights remained whole, most ended up devoured, leaving no trace behind.
“They are all heroes,” Nick muttered quietly.
Ansiel nodded in acknowledgment. That was enough; he believed Nick knew what to do.
Just as he was about to speak again, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest and broke into a violent fit of coughing.
“Your Grace, are you alright?” Nick rushed forward to support him.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Ansiel waved his hand. “I’m just getting old; moving around for a bit makes me feel a bit worn out… When I first shot that Holy Lance, I intended to hit that monster’s right leg to immobilize it. But my old eyes were playing tricks on me, and I ended up hitting its shoulder instead. If I hadn’t reacted in time, that old bone of mine might’ve bitten the dust today… But honestly, this Abyss has me feeling a bit strange. Nick, have you noticed?”
“Your Grace, feel free to speak your mind.”
“I can’t shake the feeling that this monster isn’t as ferocious as the ones we’ve encountered before. It seems hesitant; it’s almost like… it was thinking. I believe this is why we were able to end the battle so quickly.”
“Is that so? It’s my first time facing the Abyss straight on, so I didn’t have any distinct feelings. But now that you mention it, that monster indeed doesn’t seem like the mindless beast one would expect… Are you concerned about something?”
“Concerned is not the word. It’s just…”
Before Ansiel could finish, a blinding white light suddenly erupted from not far away, startling both speakers, and they looked up immediately.
The once slowly undulating black smoke prison began to spin rapidly and constrict inward. Almost immediately, the ground let out a “crack crack” as enormous ice spikes shot up, the air temperature plummeting. Even from a distance, one could feel a chilling breeze. The closest knights noticed frost forming on their armor.
“Attention all troops! Fall back and prepare for battle!”
Nick charged forward on his Horned Horse.
With a soft ‘whoosh,’ a glowing white sphere of black smoke broke free from the prison.
“Carlos!!” Nick shouted towards the darkness but received no answer.
His heart sank like a stone.
The black smoke sphere, after breaking free from the prison, trailed a glowing tail and traveled a good distance before landing and dispersing into mist. A white figure darted out from it and sprinted away without pausing at all.
Carlos!? No, wait, too small—who is it? What’s going on… it looks like it’s running away?!
“Your Grace! Please check on Carlos! Right flank, units two and three, follow me!”
Quickly analyzing the situation, Nick shouted and took off in pursuit.
…………
“Phew… Phew…”
Run, keep running, using every ounce of energy to flee.
To my surprise, even though this body looked weak and frail, its condition was far better than I imagined. I ran so fast, my little legs spinning like a blur. I held my cloak tightly around my body to keep it from flapping, and I pulled the hood over my head. After quite a distance, I didn’t feel particularly tired; I was much better off than when I was still a man.
Back then, I was buried in work, often spending ten hours or more in the office, frequently pulling late nights—no time to exercise, developing a bit of a belly at a young age.
The knights’ voices behind me seemed to fade away, my heart filled with joy—it’s over, it’s over! I’ve escaped!
In the final moment of darkness, although I didn’t understand why the swordsman hesitated, it bought me the time I needed to reconnect with the black smoke. I even sensed that chilling aura as I was enveloped by the Abyssal muck.
It felt like I was tapping into the power of frost.
Right now, I might only know how to unleash it recklessly, completely clueless about controlling it. But bursting out black smoke and ice mist was enough to throw him into a panic.
And then that bearded swordsman was frozen stiff in place. I’ll never forget the miserable look on his face! Hahaha, what a blast!
Don’t bully me, hmph.
I couldn’t contain my grin and instinctively turned to look back, completely forgetting that due to Carlos and my height difference, the cloak was far too long. As I turned, the cloak’s hem dragged on the ground and I stepped on it.
At that moment, I was sprinting with all my might, way too fast—there wasn’t even time for a scream! Just like when the Holy Lance hit me, I went flying.
“Thud! Thud!” I crashed into the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop, completely still.
What perfect timing for the phrase ‘too much joy turns to sorrow’ to sum up my situation!
Face down in the dirt, I could barely breathe from the pain. Slowly, I pushed myself up and lifted the cloak to check. My arms and calves were covered in scratches of varying severity; my left knee was scraped badly, swollen up, with bruises seeping out bl**d spots—I gasped from the pain.
“cr*p…”
After a long moment to catch my breath, I was so preoccupied with fighting the urge to curse, that I scrambled to my feet, limping forward.
The trees around were getting denser. Just a bit further, and I could see the expansive forest with towering giant trees.
That tumble cost me too much time. I could already hear the sound of hooves not far behind me. The earlier sense of triumph vanished; I was panicking, desperately trying to run faster, but the injury to my knee slowed me down considerably.
The hoofbeats got closer, followed by a shout from behind.
“Don’t you dare run!!”
The sound of weapons unsheathing echoed through the air.
I instantly tensed, throwing myself backward into a slide. In that split-second as I fell, a sword, slicing through the air, narrowly missed my head.
Close call! I was drenched in cold sweat.
As my body slid across the ground, my back and rear burned from hitting the ground, and before I could readjust myself to stand, a instinctive feeling of danger rushed over me once more.
I quickly rolled to the side, and right where I had been lying, I heard a heavy ‘thud.’ Turning my head, I saw the Knight Leader, eyes full of malice, pulling his short sword from the ground.
A massive beast appeared behind him, lowly growling amidst heavy breaths. With its horns aimed at me, it charged forward.
I was terrified and jumped aside as fast as I could. But icy white mist erupted from me, and since I didn’t have time to adjust my position due to my hurting knee, I slipped up, narrowly evading the beast’s horns but still getting knocked into the air.
“Ugh—”
I spun twice in the air before crashing back down, hitting the ground with a muffled thud.
The impact left me seeing stars, my whole body feeling like it fell apart; I had no idea if I had broken anything.
Without time to get up, I quickly glanced back. The beast lay on the ground, as stiff as if it were made of ice.
“Who are you?! Where’s Carlos!? What have you done to him?!”
The Knight Leader had been blown back several steps by the sudden icy wind. Now, a slight chill surrounded him as he advanced toward me with his sword held at an angle.
I put on my fiercest expression, my oversized hood covering most of my face, unsure if he could see me.
What could I do to that bearded j*rk? He should be the one explaining himself!
With the Knight Leader closing in, I half-squatted on the ground and thrust my right hand forward.
“Crack crack crack—”
Countless ice spikes shot up from beneath me, filling the air with frost as they launched toward the Knight Leader’s face.
The Knight Leader dodged to the side, avoiding the large ice spikes that shot up from the ground while letting his short sword shine with purple light, causing it to hum and emit dazzling rays.
At the same time, I heard hurried footsteps and shouts from a distance, realizing I had no time left to waste.
“Stay here!”
The Knight Leader took a commanding stance, his sword glowing brighter, bending his knees, preparing to jump high, his body blocking out the sun as he came crashing down toward me.
Why are you forcing me like this? Must it be to the d*ath?!
With my heart racing, black smoke swirled beneath me, and icy blue mist wrapped around my arms as I leaped to meet the Knight Leader.
“Crash!!”
“Whoa.”
The heart-stopping collision was over in an instant. The Knight Leader was covered in tiny ice spikes, half his body encased in frost and ice shards as he flew high into the air.
“Commander—!!”
Someone yelled from not far away.
I looked down at the short sword protruding from my abdomen, teetering on the edge of balance.
I was almost at the forest.
Just had to make it inside, and they would have no way to catch me.
