Chương 15: Chapter 15- A Trap (2)

swish

Thalrexia's breath hitched as the world spun around her.

She felt the sharp sting of air whipping past her face as her body hurtled through the air, the ground below her a blur of motion.

The next thing she knew, her back slammed into something hard—a tree—and she gasped, the impact knocking the wind from her lungs.

"Kugh—ahg!?" Pain shot through her chest, but she barely had time to process it before her focus snapped back to the hole ahead.

"N-no!" she cried, panic flooding her voice as she saw him slipping. Her mind roiled, remembering how, while falling, he had hurled her away from his body, falling instead into the hole, which was clearly her fault for not focusing on the path and distracting herself.

Keith's body, on the other hand, tried to grip the sidewalls during the fall. In the attempt, his fingernails tore out of his hands, damaging several bones in his fingers as he slid down due to his momentum and weight.

Finally, his hand gripped a root coming through the soil just before his body crashed onto the wall.

"Ugh!?" He gritted his teeth, and his eyes darted to the hole in the ground where sharp wooden sticks jutted out at odd angles, as if they had been purposefully arranged by hunters. The sharp points were directed upward, and his feet were just a hand's breadth away from being penetrated.

But he didn't lose his composure, realizing the severity of the situation as he swiftly called out to her.

Even though he could feel that his fingers were probably broken and his shoulder was nearly dislocated, it appeared that, due to the state of this body's physique, it was far sturdier than he had thought; even with that speed, he didn't sustain any major injuries.

"Calm down, Thalrexia. Search for something to help me!" Keith's voice was strained, his hand clutching a gnarled root of the tree as his abdomen hit the rocky earth. He had tried to stop himself, feeling the ache of muscle tearing and blood trickling from the wound.

"H-huh? Y-yes!" Thalrexia's chest tightened with dread, but she forced herself to act, darting her gaze around the scene.

Her heart pounded in her ears, her feet slipping on the wet earth as she scanned the ground.

Something—anything—could help.

Her eyes suddenly landed on a nearby tree branch. She swiftly grabbed it, her hands completely dirtied, and sprinted toward the hole. She lowered her upper body into it, stretching her hands to provide support with the wood to help him back up.

"H-hold it—" Thalrexia was in a panic, unable to process anything as she looked at him on the verge of tears, feeling it was due to her mistake that he was now in such a situation. But before she could finish her words, she heard his voice again.

"Thalrexia! MOVE!" Keith yelled as his hand had just grabbed the stick while his eyes saw a bulky figure standing over her, preparing to slam his feet onto her back.

Bam!

"Kughh—!—Aaarrghh!" Thalrexia's eyes widened as a stream of blood splashed out of her mouth, falling directly onto Keith's body and drenching him as her eyes rolled back due to the force and intense pain in her spinal cord, which had just been struck with incredible force.

"Aahhhhhh—!" A bulky man, his feet digging into her back, pressed her into the muddy earth with force, making her scream in pain. Her ribs felt as if they were breaking as she struggled to breathe, her arms hanging while clutching one end of the wooden stick while the other was held by Keith.

"Ugh.....Aaarghh—drip," she tried to move, but the weight on her back made it impossible. She felt intense pain radiating from her spinal cord and ribs, one of which was broken and had punctured her lung, causing blood to gush from her mouth. Her eyes became hazy as she yelled in sheer pain.

"Oh, what a scene we have here. A rat caught in a trap."

A mocking voice suddenly echoed in the surroundings, causing Keith to look in the other direction, where he saw a man standing with a sickening grin on his face, his lips curling in amusement.

The young man's eyes gleamed green, his hair tousled in an untamed mess. His smile was full of arrogance as he looked down at them like they were nothing more than prey.

"Release her," Keith's voice was low and full of menace. His body twisted, his free hand gripping the root tighter as if to pull himself up, but he was still stuck in the trap. Given the state of Thalrexia and their present condition, he understood that the situation wasn't in their favor.

But even in this situation, he didn't lose his composure, commanding, "Sacrifice Veinrand fang and use Eros point to extract Aureon Arrow!"

The man chuckled, his green eyes flicking between them. "You know, I think I'll enjoy this. Bring me the knife."

Another bulky man stepped forward, reaching for something at his waist.

[ 5 Eros Points received from sacrifice ]

[ Extracting Aureon Arrow ]

"Kugh!" Thalrexia's breath hitched as the man grabbed her hair, yanking her head back with enough force to send pain lancing through her scalp.

Her eyes watered, but she kept them open. Her eyes widened, yet amidst all this, her hand did not for a millisecond loosen the grip on the stick she held, as if wanting to at least save him, given it was her fault.

Everything would have gone well if she hadn't distracted herself, so even at the cost of her life, she wanted to protect him.

'!'

"....st-stop," she pleaded when she saw the blade glinting in the man's hand. Panic surged in her chest, and she cried out, "N-no!"

Her eyes trembled visibly, her pupils quivering as the tip of the blade was pointed directly at them. A chill ran down her spine as tears streamed down her face.

The young man, his voice dripping with mockery, leaned in close, the sharp edge of the dagger gleaming dangerously near her face. "Let's take the eyes first. After all, we wouldn't want you seeing what's coming next, would we?"

"...I...am sorry... all because of ....me," Thalrexia's breath came in shallow gasps as the dagger hovered inches from her eye, with tears streaming down her face. Still gripping the stick, she asked Keith for forgiveness, knowing it was because of her that he was in such a situation.

'!'

Suddenly a sharp pain shot through Thalrexia's hand as she felt a very heavy pull before a soothing voice resonated amidst the pain. Keith's arm snapped forward with a violent motion, pulling the stick she had held until now and thrusting himself upward.

The force of the impact sent a jolt through her body, enough to cause damage to her hands due to his weight, as the force of her broken ribs dislocated both of her shoulders.

Swish!

"Just hold on for a minute."

A voice reached Thalrexia as, with her hair gripped in the young man's hand and her eyes looking upward towards the sky, she suddenly saw a familiar figure hurled up in the air—it was the same green-skinned man who had saved her.

With his light green hair fluttering in the breeze and his glinting, sharp, cold eyes directed towards the young man who clenched her hair, he seemed to be her only hope.

At that fleeting moment, it was as if all her facade of appearing strong had broken apart.

She felt exhausted and no longer wanted to appear strong as tears burst from her eyes. She yelled from her heart, "I DON'T WANT TO DIE, PLEASE SAVE ME!"

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