The Protagonist Already Knows

Chapter 58: Gate Crash [3]

Taking a deep breath as the chaotic mana particles continued swirling around like a tornado, I quietly removed an arrow from Carissa’s quiver.

...

...

...

*BANG*

*BANG*

My eyes instantly flicked upward as I peeked at the Dreg Demons from behind the tree trunk.

The entire ground beneath the crimson-red blood had begun shaking uncontrollably, and the flying mana particles began to tear apart the air, revealing pitch-black gaps in reality itself.

The space before me looked like an unfinished painting...with massive, odd pitch-black gaps in the middle of the scenery of the jungle.

In the next second, a massive gust of wind descended upon the area, forcing my eyes shut and threatening to throw my body away.

Hugging the tree trunk before me, I managed to remain standing with Carissa on my back and reopened my eyes.

There... unperturbed by the sudden wind, the four B-rank Dreg Demons suddenly began yelling.

"GET THEM IN, QUICK!"

As I looked further forward, a familiar silver arc appeared, impaling countless tree trunks that were in the way and causing some trees to even topple over.

As the serpents in the area began leaping into the portal, vanishing in the next moment, I slowly walked forward, ducking underneath toppled tree trunks and crushed bushes.

However...before I took another step, one of the Dreg Demons suddenly stepped forward and raised their hands.

In the next moment, a massive crimson-red mana sphere formed, expanding and expanding until it completely covered the silver gate and serpents.

"..."

It wasn’t like the arrow teleportation trick would work, anyway.

Shrugging my shoulders, I slowly hid Carissa beneath a toppled tree trunk and took a deep breath.

Activating Anubis’s Ferry, I flew forward as fast as I could into the opening created by the Gate Crash, deliberately putting myself right in the vision of one of the Dreg Demons.

"THEY’RE HERE!"

"GET THEM!"

Instantly, countless crimson-red slashes flew at me...but I simply phased right through them, passing the surprised Demons.

As I phased through the barriers of the crimson-red mana sphere, I allowed myself to be pulled toward the massive arc, and simply waved at the Dreg Demons watching in astonishment.

However...just as I was about a meter away from the portal...I suddenly escaped the suction force pulling me backward and flew straight down, phasing through the dirt ground.

As my vision turned pitch-black, I desperately flew forward while underground, recalling how I had nearly suffocated earlier.

Feeling my ability about to end, I resurfaced, finding myself behind the four Dreg Demons, who were staring at the Gate blankly.

Sneaking back under the cover of the trees, I quietly approached Carissa, feeling an intense amount of sorrow flood through my mind.

"..."

Before I knew it, tears began forming in my eyes, dripping down my face and clouding my vision.

"*ahem*"

Standing behind Carissa’s hidden body, I glanced at her and awkwardly coughed.

As Carissa’s head slowly turned to face me, I awkwardly asked, ignoring her red and puffy eyes.

"Did you wake up when the gate descended?"

Her shaking pupils met mine, and she hesitated before saying in between breaths.

"Y-you’re here!? B-but I s-sa-"

So...she had seen me "abandon" her, but hadn’t said anything.

Turning and leaning downward so that my back faced her, I just said.

"You’re dreaming."

"..."

"In your dream, you should survive, at least, right?"

"..."

She didn’t say anything as she grabbed my shoulder and pulled herself onto my back.

In front of us, the last ten serpents were leaping into the portal, as the arc began shaking and shrank considerably.

As I crept back into the opening, I could hear the Dreg Demons speaking into a radio.

"...the male one escaped."

"...THAT MEANS THE FEMALE ONE IS STILL THERE: GO FIND HER! THE OTHERS ARE STILL SEARCHING, SO SHE MUST BE NEARBY!"

As the shout echoed through the radio, the Dreg Demons awkwardly looked at each other.

"If we stick by the portal, she’ll come to us...right?"

Another Dreg suddenly argued.

"But...she uses arrows to move around...if we let her go, she could escape the jungle, and we’d have to spend days searching for her...with the boy gone, she has no more reason to leave today."

"...?"

Hm? Carissa was the one on the brink of death, but they assumed that I was the one who needed to escape today?

After spending a moment trying to think what could have given them that idea, all I could remember was the death-mana sphere I had created back when traveling to the Dreg Capital.

As I stood there confused, one Dreg Demon stepped forward and nodded his head.

"Three of us will go, and one can stay here just in case."

"Only one...?"

"She’s poisoned and, according to the commanders, only an E-rank...honestly, even one of us might be too much. Anyway, the gate will close in less than 30 seconds."

Agreeing, three of the B-rank Dreg Demons sprinted into the forest, one of them unknowingly passing right by us.

Seeing one sole figure now standing in front of the gate, which was now the height of a basketball hoop, I reached into my pocket and threw an arrow as hard as I could right at the sphere.

*WHOOSH*

The arrow hit the barrier of the mana sphere...then rebounded backward like a basketball hitting a wall before limply falling to the ground.

"SHE’S HERE! I SAW AN ARROW!"

As the sole Dreg screamed into his radio before immediately clawing at the air and sending a crimson-red sword slash in our direction, I raised my right arm, which was now shining a deathly black.

In the next moment, a death mana-sphere met the slash, a resounding bang echoing and a cloud of dark-purple smoke appearing.

Without skipping a beat, I grabbed another arrow and threw it forward through the cloud of smoke.

Then, I ran...I ran as fast as my legs would let me, ignoring my bleeding sole and my aching ankle.

Emerging from the cloud of smoke, I immediately spotted the Dreg standing to our left, waiting right in front of the arrow I had thrown.

Thus, in the next second, the two of us collided with the barrier of the crimson-red mana sphere.