The cave trembled and groaned as if protesting the sheer might of Ethan's blow. Cracks spiderwebbed across the walls, and the ceiling threatened to crumble under the immense pressure. It seemed as though the entire cave would come crashing down upon them.
In a swift and decisive move, Ethan sprang into action. He kicked his friends, one after another, propelling them urgently through the portal to safety. With each kick, he launched them through the air, ensuring they reached the other side unscathed.
Ethan's attention shifted to the open gateway as his companions soared through the portal. Determined to seal it and prevent further catastrophe, he extended his hand, ready to close the portal.
In that fleeting moment, Emily materialized before him, her eyes filled with surprise. Time seemed to slow as they locked gazes, an unspoken dilemma hanging in the air. Then the portal closed.
"What the hell are you doing?" Ethan asked.
"I could ask you the same thing!" Emily raised her voice. "You threw us right in the middle of the enemy base!"
"Ian could make you all disappear!" Ethan raised his voice. "That was the easiest way to return to Earth and confirm to everyone that most of the problem had been dealt with! And I could escape using Dark Stealth!"
"Ah… you should have said so earlier!" Emily protested.
"How stupid can you be…" Ethan said and then facepalmed.
The ground shook violently beneath them, causing the cave to crumble and collapse. Rocks tumbled from above, crashing down with a thunderous roar. Dust filled the air, making it difficult to see through the chaos.
The force rippled through the cave, exacerbating its instability. The walls trembled, and rocks began to dislodge, creating a hazardous environment.
"We don't have time for this," Ethan said and then sighed. "Let's move on. Fly as fast as possible; I will cover for you."
Emily created an ice platform, and then she began to surf in the air while avoiding the blocks of earth and ice. In the meantime, Ethan avoided them by moving like a shadow on the ground. The enemies were running away, and they didn't have time to worry about that.
In the end, they managed to escape the falling cave, but thousands of enemies were waiting for them. The creatures saw Emily in the air, but they didn't take notice of the shadow on the ground. Still, Emily had a hard time dodging them all.
"Come to think of it, she doesn't have scars, and she spent three years in another world, so dodging should be her specialty," Ethan thought.
Still, there was another problem for Emily. Emily's body shivered uncontrollably as the biting cold of the night intensified. Her teeth chattered, creating a symphony of clicks in the frigid air. Every fiber of her being quivered, trying to ward off the piercing chill that seeped into her bones.
Her hands, once warm and nimble, now trembled involuntarily. The icy gusts cut through her clothing, finding their way to her vulnerable skin. Each breath she took was a visible mist, a testament to the freezing temperatures that surrounded her.
Her muscles tensed and contracted, attempting to generate warmth and combat the relentless cold. But despite her efforts, the shivers persisted, a constant reminder of the harsh environment that enveloped them.
Ethan sighed and then emerged from the ground and fired an ice spear under his feet that propelled him forward. When he passed by Emily in the air, he tied her up in a winter cloak and then began to fly in the sky with her on his shoulders.
"Hey, I am not luggage," Emily protested.
"You are right; luggage doesn't cause this much trouble, only in airports," Ethan said.
Ethan looked over his shoulder and saw the enemy army chasing them; too bad for them, he could keep propelling the spear ahead by hitting its butt with others. At the same time, he could see the cave completely sealed. Trying to create another portal there will be the same as asking to be buried alive.
In any case, after a while, they crossed the mountain and then landed nearby. Everything was pretty dark in the area, so it seemed like it was better to camp and wait until morning. It was also snowing heavily. Still, Ethan didn't want to grant Ian material to annoy him for weeks. Besides, Emily probably would act weird if they were to camp together and alone at night.
"We will press on," Ethan said and then sighed while he watched Emily still trembling all over, and then he sent more copies of the winter cloak to her. "I thought that all mages had good elemental resistances, but I guess I was wrong."
"Why would I have when no enemy ever wound me with elemental spells?" Emily asked while she was covering her limbs with the cloaks.
"Then why the hell did you take three years to return to Earth?" Ethan furrowed his eyebrows.
"Too many people getting in my way and too little actually helped," Emily replied and then summoned a Fireball to warm things up around them.
"Yes, blaming others for your incompetence is always the way to go," Ethan shrugged. "Anyway, we should hurry since Nuvian will return home faster than we can reach the starting point."
"Are you fine with so little protection against the cold?" Emily asked.
"It is fine; I am built differently," Ethan replied. "This doesn't even count as a cute winter for me."
Actually, Ethan was trying really hard to keep his balls from freezing, but he would rather die than show weakness. Still, to think that he absorbed the experience of dozens of enemies and made Cold and Freeze Resistance reach crazy high levels and still wasn't enough… that would explain why Emily was blue a while ago.
In the end, when morning came, they reached the place where they appeared in that world. However, there were no signs of Nuvian and the others returning there.
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