Chapter 95: Chapter95-A New Problem?

Allen hit the ground, and, vomit some blood out, pain etched across his face. Man, that looks really painful. Drek then closed the distance in an instant, leaving him completely at his mercy, with his sword ready for a fatal strike. Wait! No, he's not going to kill him, right? There's no way, right? But before I could finish my thought, I did something I didn't expect at all... *** Damn, he's about to kill him... I can't let that happen; it could jeopardize one of our major upcoming projects of both of our companies... I lunged forward, desperately trying to intervene. But Drek was too fast. He sidestepped my attack with effortless grace, his blade swinging in a deadly arc. I knew it... There was no way I could have saved myself. With a flick of his wrist, Drek sent me crashing backward. My body hit the ground hard, my vision blurring. "Ughhhhhhh, why is it always my back?" I scrambled to my feet, but the pain and disorientation made it difficult to focus. Anna and Zeras were still engaged, but their efforts were faltering... Honestly, it didn't look like a fight at all. All I saw were Anna and Zeras struggling to defend themselves with their swords against Drek. It really felt like the battle was entirely controlled by one person, and that was Drek. Drek's relentless speed and power were taking their toll. Zeras, breathing heavily, tried to fend off Drek's attacks, but his strikes were becoming slower and less precise. Drek's sword cut through Zeras' defenses with ease, forcing him to retreat. Anna, meanwhile, was struggling to regain her footing... Fuck, she is totally exhausted... Her movements were sluggish, her attacks increasingly ineffective against Drek's relentless onslaught. Drek's sword came down with a powerful swing, striking her sword from her hands and sending her crashing to one of the buildings this time... She couldn't endure the pain any longer and immediately lost consciousness after being struck against the building... The battle was a wild mess of attacks and dodges. Drek was like an unstoppable storm, moving so fast it was almost impossible to hit him. His sword cut through the air with deadly precision, every strike causing bloody pain and destruction... Everyone was either exhausted or injured, including me, who was barely able to hold myself upright on the ground. From Solos to Allen, they were all down, scattered across the battlefield like broken toys. In other words, he had won the battle and completely defeated us. Drek was currently surveying his surroundings, his gaze coldly appraising the fallen victims of his wrath. This was a very good chance to sneak attack him, but my legs were so wounded and exhausted that they refused to move even an inch. And, there was also the chance of him easily evading my attack, which is why I backed away from my plan and remained standing on the ground, struggling to stay conscious. Drek, after carefully examining everyone's condition, finally turned towards me. His deep blue eyes met mine, piercing through the haze of pain and fatigue, sending a shiver down my spine... Why? For two main reasons... Firstly, even if I used my dash skill to escape, he could easily kill me, as his speed far surpassed that of a Gold ranker. Secondly, his face showed no expression or emotion. From my perspective, I have always believed that a person whose expression can't be read is either irritating like Anna or a monster like Marcus. Right now, it was clear which category he fell into. We stared into each other's eyes for what felt like forever, neither of us showing any emotion. Even though I was scared out of my mind, I somehow managed to keep a straight face. We kept our silent standoff until suddenly, a blast went off at the nearby university building, catching both of our attention. The explosion came from the second floor, which was now visible as dark smoke poured out from the damaged area. The sound of swords clashing echoed through the smoke, making the situation even more tense. I squinted my eyes, trying to see what was happening up there, but the smoke was too thick and blocked my view... Frustrated, I looked back at the battlefield, expecting to see Drek still standing there, locked in our silent stare. But to my surprise, Drek was no longer there. My heart pounded as I looked around, searching for any sign of him. My mind raced with possibilities... Where did he go so suddenly? Wasn't he supposed to kill us? I searched again but couldn't spot even a glimpse of him. The battlefield, which had been noisy with combat, was now eerily silent except for the distant sounds of fighting from the university building. Solos and Zeras, even though they were exhausted, were also looking toward the explosion, their eyes wide with confusion and concern. Allen, still lying on the ground, managed to lift his heads, trying to understand what had just happened. "Hmm?" I whispered to myself, unable to believe what I saw... I-is that even possible? As the smoke began to clear, the sound of swords clashing grew louder and more frantic. The shadows in the smoke started to form shapes, revealing figures locked in fierce combat. The most surprising part was that I couldn't see them clearly due to their incredible speed. I couldn't even tell what kind of clothes they were wearing. Their speed was even higher than that Drek guy, making it clear that whoever was fighting up there was either at the peak of Gold rank or possibly even Platinum rank... "Man, I better stay away from them," I muttered, watching the figures in the smoke moving with blinding speed. The clashing of swords was intense, and I knew getting involved would be a mistake. I scanned my surroundings and saw Solos and Zeras helping Allen to stand up. Their faces were etched with pain and exhaustion, yet they were determined to keep going. I couldn't understand how they could even move after that brutal fight. I approached them, trying to muster some semblance of concern. "Hey, guys, are you all okay?" I asked, knowing full well that nobody was... Allen grimaced and shook his head. "Barely. That was rough." Zeras nodded in agreement. "We've been better." Solos remained silent, which I understood since we weren't friends but enemies... Allen, still catching his breath, looked over at the unconscious Anna. "Anna needs help. She's out cold," he said, his voice strained. "Solos, Zeras, take her to the nearby faculty and make sure she gets medical attention." They both nodded, gently lifting Anna and carrying her toward the faculty building. Concern was clear in their eyes as they moved, careful not to jostle her too much. Allen then turned to me. "Michael, you, come with me. We need to check out what's happening at the university building." Huh? Why? I don't want to die.... I hesitated, feeling the pain in my legs and the weight of exhaustion.. "But I'm injured too," I protested. That was just a made-up excuse, one I was sure he would ignore... Allen gave me a disappointed look. "Michael! Be a man... We need to see what's going on, and I can't do it alone." I sighed... Exactly like this... Despite my reluctance, his words left me with little choice. He grabbed my arm and began pulling me toward the university building. I stumbled after him, struggling to keep up through the pain and fatigue. Every step was difficult, but Allen's insistence and the urgency of the situation kept me moving forward. When we burst through the entrance, the scene inside was chaotic. The hall was a battlefield, filled with the clash of swords, cries, and blood. It was a mess. Everywhere I looked, all I saw was blood. Our allies were in a fierce fight against the rebels. Sam, James, and a few others were in the thick of it, their faces showing grim... Not much though... The air was thick with dust and the acrid smell of smoke and, blood... Sam fought with a combination of agility and strength, his movements precise and deadly. He parried a rebel's attack and countered with a swift strike to the ribs, sending his opponent sprawling to the ground. James, wielding a heavy broadsword, fought with raw power, his strikes creating wide arcs that kept multiple foes at bay. The swiftly executed their opponents with ease... We moved closer, careful to avoid the most intense skirmishes. Allen shouted over the noise, "Sam! What's your condition?" Sam deflected a blow aimed at his head and took down another rebel before replying, "Not much to say, but there are way too many of them. They keep coming like ants..." Allen nodded. "That's good. Do you know where the others are?" Sam pointed toward the staircase at the end of the hall. "They're on the third floor trying to help people get out. I don't think there's much fighting up there, but that red guy is a real monster, so he might have gone up there too." 'Huh, red guy? Which red guy?' Is he talking about the person with the red mask? But wouldn't that means... Understanding the urgency, Allen turned to me. "Michael, we need to get up there and help them." Before I could protest, Sam added, "You two go up there; we'll handle these enemies down here." I had no choice but to follow his words given that If I don't then I might get in trouble... Allen and I rushed up the stairs to the third floor to check on the others... On the way up, we ran into several rebels. Allen and I fought them off together, and taking them down which helped me earned some much-needed EXPs. The battle was quick and easy, so we finished it fast; we had no time to waste. When we reached the third floor, the scene was shocking. What the... The hallway was a complete mess, covered in bloodstreaked on the walls and pooled on the floor. In the middle of the hallway stood Lia, her sword in hand and her clothes soaked in blood. It was clear she had been in a serious fight. Had she lost it while fighting them? Who kills like this? I looked at the bodies and felt a bit sickened. Most of them had countless stab wounds in their chests and faces. Their faces were all disfigured from the stabbing. But unlike me, who wanted to stay and understand the situation, Allen didn't wait... He walked towards Lia, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Hey, Lia, you okay? You've made quite a mess up here." Hmm... Real mess... He started looking over the dead bodies and the bloody scene while I stayed a bit behind... After few more seconds, when no response came from Lia, I immediately looked towards her direction... What's going on? She should have answered Allen's question by now. Lia usually replies quickly to any questions. Her back was turned to us, and her face was facing the other way. I waited a little longer for her to respond, but after a full minute with no answer, I started to get worried... Allen's concern grew as he asked, "Lia, what happened? Why aren't you talking? Is something wrong? Are you alright?" Lia stayed silent with her rigid stance. She didn't move at all even after Allen asked again. The only response was the heavy silence in the air. This is worrying... Has something happened to her? Maybe an injury or something? Why isn't she talking? Has she Wait, why am I so concerned about her? What's even my connection to her? This isn't like me... Normally, I'd be thinking about escaping if things got worse, but now I'm moving toward a girl I've only known for maybe two months... This is crazy! What's going on with me? I should get out of here if things turn bad, but... I touched my chest. Why does my heart ache at the thought of leaving alone? What's this sudden sadness I'm feeling? Is something wrong with me? While I was lost in my thoughts, I with Allen, unknowingly kept moving closer to Lia. But suddenly, we both stopped in our tracks, which snapped me back to reality. No, that's not quite rightstop is too gentle a word. It felt like we were frozen in place, unable to move an inch. Hmm? What's going on? Why can't I move? 'Allen, huh? I can't speak also? What is this shit?' I tried to speak to Allen, but no words would come out. My mouth was open, but no sound emerged. I turned to Allen, who was similarly trapped, his face reflecting the same confusion and alarm I felt. What is happening? I thought, panicking as I tried to make sense of the situation. My mind raced, but my body remained paralyzed. The only thing I could do was stare helplessly at Lia, her back still turned. The air was heavy with silence, broken only by the distant sounds of fighting and the pounding of my own heart. Desperation surged through me as I struggled to break free from the invisible hold on me, but it was like trying to move through quicksand... Damn it, it's not workingI can't break free... No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't budge. What's happening to us? I thought again, desperately searching for an answer. But then, something happened that made me deeply uneasy, sending a chill through my entire body.