Kye realized that if he could break their coordination, he might have a chance to escape or at least hold them off long enough for something to change. And being resilient was one of Kye's strengths, after all, so gathering his strength, he focused on the ground beneath him.
The participant who could manipulate the ground was using it to immobilize Kye, but the latter had more than a few tricks in his arsenal. Coating his sword with water through Aria's seal he started to slash to the ground while dodging the multiple strikes coming at him.
It didn't take long for Kye to achieve what he had wanted. The ground beneath him was now a watery quagmire, rendering the earth manipulator's abilities useless. Regaining his speed now that nothing hindered his footing, Kye dashed toward the big guy who had been guarding the others.
With a flurry of well-timed strikes, Kye's sword, Lightbringer, became an extension of his will. It sliced through the flesh of his opponent like a hot knife through butter. Blood sprayed, and agonized cries filled the arena. Kye had incapacitated the man without causing any fatal injuries, a testament to his reluctance to harm his fellow participants more than necessary.
Nonetheless, he still did him enough to incapacitate him completely for the fight.
Stepping back from his fallen opponent, Kye scanned the faces of the other participants. Fear had replaced their initial aggression. They had seen his speed and his ability to turn the tide of the battle. For a moment, they hesitated, unsure of how to proceed without their strongest fighter.
Kye's chest heaved with exhaustion, but he knew he couldn't afford to rest. He was still vulnerable with his wings injured, and Michael's command to capture him alive remained in effect. Gathering what remained of his strength, Kye flapped his wings.
The pain it was causing him was unimaginable. Every time he flapped his wings, a jolt that almost paralyzed his mind came.
'K-Kye stop. An angel isn't supposed to fly with damaged wings!'
'Shut up!' Kye shouted in his mind. 'I don't care about what happens, I just want to get out of here.
Although it still pained him greatly, he continued to flap his wings, slowly soaring higher and higher.
[Your HP is dangerously low.]
'Damn SHUT UP!'
It was only through sheer willpower that he was still able to fly. So being distracted, be it from Lightbringer, or the system, wasn't welcomed right now.
As Kye gained altitude, he glanced back at the arena one last time. The remaining participants, despite their fear, were regrouping, realizing that Kye's damaged wings made him a vulnerable target. Michael, too, watched from below, his expression unreadable but determined.
At this moment, both angels made eye contact. Kye got a shiver down his spine, expecting Michael to stop him once again, but to his surprise, nothing happened. He just let him go.
In the end, Kye could only fly away. As far away as he could. He didn't know why Michael let him go, nor did he want to know the reason. But still.
He was an anomaly, and Michael knew that very well. So letting him go might have been a calculated decision. Kye couldn't dwell on it now though; he had to focus on escaping and regaining his strength.
As Kye soared higher into the sky, the pain in his damaged wings remained constant, a relentless reminder that he shouldn't have trusted Michael in the first place.
Nonetheless, he refused to let it deter him. The winds whipped around him as he pushed through the sky, putting distance between himself and the arena.
Hours passed, and exhaustion began to catch up with Kye. He had to find a safe place to rest and recover, away from the prying eyes of Michael and his followers. His thoughts turned to Ras, but he doubted that he was even here, on this planet right now. After all, he wouldn't have let his kin be captured otherwise, right?
So in the end, he could only rest where he was right now. Far away from the city. In the middle of the wilderness. Thankfully he found a cave nearby, but he didn't know if he would be able to stay there for long. After all, the scent of his blood was bound to attract monsters here.
But still, he couldn't continue anymore. His body was burning, and the system kept telling him that his HP was low.
If he didn't rest now, he might as well die, or at least not have any HP anymore, which would surely lead him to death.
In the end, sitting on the cold ground a little away from the entrance of the cave, he finally let himself relax.
In the relative safety of the cave, Kye's trembling body began to settle as he slumped against the cool, damp wall. His wings were throbbing with pain, and he could feel the slow trickle of blood from the wounds.
He knew he couldn't rest for long, and the tension in his body refused to subside entirely. Every rustle of leaves or distant sound sent his senses on high alert. The wilderness outside was a harsh and unforgiving place, and Kye was well aware that he was far from safe.
Especially since this place was filled with high-ranked monsters. Sure Kye was strong and had a lot of tricks that could help him win a fight, but still, he didn't want to try the impossible right now. He didn't want to die, for god's sake, so he wanted to play the cautious card.
And what was worse was that he couldn't even retract his wings since they were injured, so he was forced to endure the never-ending pain.
[Archangel Uriel pities you.]
"Shut up, Uriel." Kye groaned back between two breaths.
[Archangel Uriel says that she will teach a lesson to Archangel Michael.]
"Yeah yeah sure do what you want."
With the safety of the cave offering a brief respite, Kye's thoughts once again turned to Ras and the fate of the now-freed phoenixes. He didn't understand how they got captured in the first place. Surely such legendary creatures as these Phoenixes wouldn't be captured so easily, right? Or maybe the Church was hiding something?
"Well they have an Archangel, so surely there are other angels as well, that must be the reason why."
His mind continued racing with thoughts, his next course of action, and his own limitations. It was clear that he needed rest, but he also needed a plan. The wilderness was vast and unpredictable, but it also held the answers he sought.
As Kye's thoughts churned, the sensation of being watched settled over him. Instinctively, his muscles tensed, and he scanned the dim interior of the cave. But there was no one there, at least not that he could see.
[Archangel Uriel senses a presence nearby.]
"Uriel, now is really not the time," Kye muttered, his voice tinged with frustration. He wasn't sure if Uriel's warning was genuine or just another manifestation of the archangel's concern.
'Why is she even helping me?'
Despite his exhaustion and his doubt, Kye slowly stood up, wincing at the pain in his wings. He peered into the shadows, his senses on high alert. The cave's entrance was still visible, and the pale moonlight provided some illumination. But there was no sign of movement nor enough light for someone to see. Except for Kye, of course, as he could see perfectly fine.
As Kye remained on guard, a soft rustling reached his ears. It was almost imperceptible, but in his heightened state, he caught it. Slowly, he reached for Lightbringer, his fingers wrapping around the hilt.
"Who's there?" he called out, his voice echoing in the cavern.
Silence followed, broken only by the soft drip of water from the cave's ceiling. Kye's heart raced, and he was torn between staying and investigating or fleeing while he still had the chance. The potential danger, combined with his exhaustion, made the decision a difficult one.
Then, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was a woman, clad in earth-toned clothing that blended seamlessly with the surroundings. Her eyes bore a mix of curiosity and wariness as they met Kye's.
And what struck Kye the most was her red and curly hair.
"You're injured," she said, her voice calm and measured.
Kye's grip on Lightbringer tightened, but he didn't lower the sword. "What do you want?"
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