With two of my Supplementary Skills exhausted, we wouldn't be able to have another chance where Rowena would only be standing still.
It's only a few minutes ever since they arrived and the situation has already devolved to this extent.
Up above, the map had only started showing some of the blue dots leaving the blue core to come and reinforce us. From their current location, I estimated that it would take them at least 5 minutes to reach us.
The scout that was stationary behind the enemies was still there while the other scouts also spread out to make sure that no reds would be able to come and reinforce these three.
Not that they needed reinforcements but if they were keen to win, they would either be coming in to help these three eliminate us or they would take everyone else and go straight to our core.
Either of the two would lead to our immediate death… If that's the case, are we already doomed because of these Gobos denizens?
No… It shouldn't end like this. And there's no point using my overthinking trait like this.
Where's the point of thinking about a negative outcome? None. Instead of that, I better use it to think of a solution to end this higher world denizen.
Drip…
Step…
Drip…
While I was lost in my thoughts, Rowena, after exhaling and coughing out a mouthful of blood, moved from her spot. At every step she made, the blood that was flowing out of the wounds Irja made dripped down the ground, making a trail behind her.
From the direction she was walking in, she's more concerned about Irja. Perhaps it was because my attacks hadn't really hurt her. Even that Sword Skill and Energy Explosions I left behind only gave her a slight injury. But Irja's desperate attacks left her in that state. If she hadn't mustered her energy and caused that explosion, she'd be lying down on the ground, breathless.
Without the former grace from when she was still unscathed, I could feel that the pressure from her gap in UPL between us somewhat lessened.
That's right.
It's not like what we did was useless. We damaged her to this extent!
That burst of energy from before was a desperate move from her to prevent a more serious injury.
Then we just have to conti—
…
The words suddenly got stuck in my throat.
From where I was, Irja who was just crouching after landing away from Rowena suddenly closed her eyes as her body powerlessly fell down. On her side, bloodstain that wasn't there before started to expand and as it seeped on her clothes. It's as if a hole opened beneath it.
Irja… She got hit by that energy explosion…
And pretty bad that I have no idea if she will survive that or not. I'm far away from her to check it and with Rowena between us, I cannot go to her side.
A few seconds later, the surviving Lesser Spirit beside her agonizingly chirped before it disappeared and transformed into a wisp of Dark Energy.
While my eyes were focused on Irja, the bloodied Rowena who also saw it stopped for a while. She stared at Irja's body as her clothes failed to stop her blood from spilling on the ground.
After a while, she turned around with an elated smile on her lips. Perhaps if not for her bloody appearance, it would be an enchanting view.
However, right now, it was just as terrifying or as creepy as it could get.
"… Now then. It's your turn."
As soon as the last word left her mouth, Rowena's figure disappeared from where she was standing.
Like the first time, I sensed where she would be appearing.
And although this might sound cold or cruel, the thought of Irja instantly left my mind as my focus switched to the impending danger as I immediately dodged to the side.
I could say that it was because of my Adaptability and blame it. However, there's really nothing I could do at this moment other than to keep myself from dying.
Everything will have to come after that. I might be like a paranoid who kept on thinking about my Companions' well-being, however, that's not the case for other people.
It's a flawed mindset that those girls tried to change by saying they're strong enough that me worrying about them might become a weakness. But until now, I stood still on that thought. Perhaps, I could even sacrifice myself for them but not for other people.
Irja's status was currently unknown and for now, I could only hope for her to survive.
Forget saving her. I have to prioritize and save myself first from someone with an almost 200 UPL gap on me.
With her possibly being from another Physique-type World, Rowena's Strength stat is surely higher than the rest of her stats.
When her form reappeared behind my previous position, the two Pillar Guardians I summoned immediately went in front of me to take a hit.
They're not like my clones. They're just a manifestation of my Pillars. They have their own abilities but against someone like Rowena, I can only use them to shield me.
While they moved forward to take that hit, I took out something from my necklace.
White Knight!
The Powergen was quickly equipped without any other ceremonious movements. As I felt my Energy Manipulation went up another notch by circulating my Flux Energy on it, I activated another skill and an orb.
Energy Amplification!
Orb of Enhancement!
Ignoring the notifications about whatever buffs I cast on myself, I once again gripped the Willful Sword in my hand.
With two pieces of Output Enhancing Equipment, my prowess, although there's only a little change in my UPL, my heightened Energy Manipulation compensated for it.
As I saw the two Pillar Guardians flying to left and right by Rowena's slap, I sent a Purple Lightning Dragon towards her to block her vision.
And soon after that, I activated another skill.
Phantasmic Doppelganger!
Four clones wearing the same equipment and holding the same sword charged forward while creating numerous Energy Explosion Projectiles or Purple Swords.
Amidst the sounds of the deafening explosions, the concealment effect of the skill gave me the opportunity to creep away from that current battlefield. Leaving everything to my clones and the two Pillar Guardians who had just stood up from the wreckage of a ruined house, I went to Irja's side.
Since I managed to save myself from the immediate danger, I now needed someone to fight for me. Just dodging once or twice wasn't enough after all.
Also with our lives depending on each other, leaving this battlefield is not an option.
As soon as I arrived next to her, I picked her up and checked on her pulse.
She's still alive and breathing. She lost a lot of blood and that's the reason why she fell unconscious. The wound on her side has already started to close. Our Transcendent Body could heal faster than a Mortal Body after all. Only when it was the truly serious ones like a ruptured organ would it be hard even for a Transcendent to recover from.
Producing the bottle of medicinal pills from Alwyn, I took one for her to consume.
Because she's unconscious and the nature of the pill wasn't melt-in-the-mouth, I had to do something she probably wouldn't like if she's awake. Retracting the helm of my Powergen, I put the pill inside my mouth. Afterward, I pinched her nose and pulled her mouth open. Overlapping our lips together, I pushed the medicinal pill inside her mouth.
Perhaps feeling the foreign object approaching her throat, she unconsciously gulped down before a furious cough ensued.
At that moment, her eyes weakly opened soon after that coughing fit. There's a confusion that could be seen from her eyes as she stared at my face.
Perhaps she wanted to ask a lot of questions but I just nodded at her and put her back to the ground.
She lost a lot of blood and it would take some time for the medicinal pill to take effect.
Besides, my clones were already reduced to one during the few seconds that passed. They could hinder Rowena for a bit but all that could be bought from them would be just that, a few seconds.
I sensed my current energy reserves and with the continued use, I was about to be depleted again. Perhaps, it will still give me a few minutes if I sparingly used any skill.
Enclosing my head with the helm once again, I circulated Flux Energy to the Powergen's foot and launched myself to the irritated Rowena after taking care of the last of my clones.
-
-
'What happened? Did I fall unconscious?'
Those are the questions that passed Irja's mind when her consciousness finally came back.
She remembered the soft feeling damping her lips and the warm sensation of something entering her mouth. She's not sure what exactly happened but after tying in the events when her mind cleared up, she couldn't help but feel her cheeks heat up.
'I messed up.' She sighed inwardly.
Rowena's sudden explosion of energy caught her off guard. Even with her Lesser Spirit Fi moving in to cover for her, it still hit her pretty badly.
After that, she lost consciousness. What happened next was unknown to her but to her surprise, that guy's face was the first one she saw upon opening her eyes again.
Spending 20 years in the Irreverent Dungeon because of the unnecessary jealousy from the Sovereign's wife, she first thought that like the others she witnessed dying while being locked up, her fate will be the same.
Although she kept telling the old rug Klement that her Sovereign would bail her out, she knew that was impossible to happen. He could have stopped his wife but no, he allowed her to do what she wanted to appease her.
She was lauded as the most talented youth of the tribe back then. Reaching Transcendence in less than 18 years? It's a feat that only elites from a Prime Tribe could reach. But due to one misplaced jealousy, her future was doomed.
'I have to recover and… help him.' She pulled herself up and sat in a lotus position to circulate her energy and focus it on closing her wound as well as replenish what she lost.
Her Transformation ended and it would strain her to activate it again. At the moment, with the pain still racking her side, she could only focus on recovering.
Judging from how she could already move about, the medicinal pill Daisuke had her take was showing its effects. However, she estimated that still needed a few minutes to heal to a certain extent.
'Don't die yet.' She glanced in his direction and whispered under her breath.
Daisuke is a mystery for her. And now that she's seeing more of what he's capable of doing, the mystery about his identity deepens.
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