Back in the cave, Adela and Orion wore expressions of concern while Kyle busied himself examining the walls, searching for a discernible route to the Citadel among the countless markings Orven had etched.
To him, they appeared largely nonsensical, and even the few that resembled coherent paths seed destined to lead him astray.
After all, every stretch of the island was likely infested with beasts by now. Even if the information they had gathered about once-hidden creatures now spreading had only co from the dream, it remained highly probable that it reflected reality.
The drawings covered nearly every section of the cave walls, their tangled routes and branching lines suggesting pathways across almost the entire island.
From them, one could surmise that Orven had ventured extensively without being hunted down, a feat remarkable in itself.
But one thought continued to trouble Kyle: the ridges they had seen in the induced, lucid dream. What were the chances that such a place truly existed?
...Could the exit from the Trial Zone lie hidden there?
Still, there was no certainty, even if the ridges were real and not simply a fabricated construct of the dream.
Orion frowned, unsettled as he shifted his perspective to that of his shadow scout. At that mont they had not yet reached the prison.
"Well, is sothing wrong, Orion? Is she... all right?" Adela asked anxiously, her worried gaze fixed on the handso youth, filled with hope for good news.
Knowing better than to alarm the fragile grey-haired beauty who regarded Na-Ri as both idol and sister, he forced a bright smile.
"She is fine. I am very certain that the Oven fellow can be trusted in this."
Adela lifted a brow and replied with a grimace:
"...You an Orven?"
Realising he had mispronounced the na, Orion gave an awkward chuckle.
"My mistake."
Kyle glanced at them, still unsure what they were so concerned about. He could see that Orion was forcing a smile now and then to keep Adela calm, but it all seed insignificant to him.
Be that as it may, he remained doubtful about the outco. It seed reckless, even foolish, for the beautiful stranger to face a Titan-type alone. Its mutation type was the true danger, and that placed her at a disadvantage.
Besides, just because they had managed to slay a Demon, well, he had delivered the final blow and from his perspective done most of the damage, that did not make it an extraordinary feat. Demons possessed their own superiority, distinguishing each one from the next.
The Demon of Virtue, in particular, owed its weakness to the absence of explosive abilities and, true to its na, to its role as a judge of others. There was probably little weight of misdeeds on the four of them, which ant it had been effectively nerfed.
At one point, after the Demon had slain him in their first encounter and he returned to life, he had automatically drawn strength from the Abyssal Orb. That confird beyond doubt that the Orb was not a re revival item; it was likely among the most powerful items anyone could obtain.
If he chose to sell it, which he considered foolish, or even give it away, that would be equally unwise. Selling it would bring a fortune, as most would offer every Essence core they possessed and perhaps additional usable items.
Despite the temptation, he was unwilling to yield to it. No matter how powerful he beca, this item, received almost as if in anticipation of his imminent death at the hands of the Demon, was his safeguard, ensuring that nothing could kill him. His other item, the Starred Lantern, remained a mystery. He did not yet know what dangers or situations it might be needed for. At least it had been labelled as a tool for his ’need,’ though that was a matter for later.
Honestly, it seed his Na had been remarkably useful for his survival up to this point.
Without it, he probably would never have been so fortunate as to receive such an item.
’I should also try to test if it can accelerate my healing, perhaps...’
Kyle decided to postpone that thought and return to the matter at hand: Na-Ri.
He was fairly certain the beautiful stranger would survive, though perhaps not without difficulty.
Orion’s eyes widened in shock as he observed through his shadow scout the sheer scale of a Titan-type creature and the absurdly resilient carapace that shielded its inner form.
His gaze flicked to Adela, who looked at him with mild doubt, unsure why he had flinched, but he quickly smiled and waved his hands in the air.
"For a mont there, I thought I saw an insect."
Adela scowled.
"An insect? You must be hallucinating."
Kyle glanced at the handso youth and could easily tell he was lying to the girl.
That was likely the safest way to prevent her from panicking.
Furthermore, her Elent had not yet reached its peak and was not strong enough to pierce the induced, lucid dream and realise they were in a trance. By the sa logic, she was currently unable to see through his deception.
"Umm... Kyle, do you happen to... umm..."
Orion hesitated, searching for a way to leave the cave and assist Na-Ri without revealing anything to the grey-haired girl.
Kyle moved to Orion’s side and spoke in a low voice, careful that Adela could not hear:
"She can handle it. I am sure she does not need us."
Orion blinked twice and then glanced at Adela, who seed curious about their exchange.
"Do you know how to play chess?" the handso youth asked suddenly, without thinking.
"What?"
***
The Colossal Mound burst through the shattered gate and thundered onto the open ground. The earth split beneath its imnse weight while Na-Ri held her ground, observing the rhythm of its charge as it devastated the forest, which incidentally cleared more space for her.
At the last instant, she shifted to the side, the beast’s tusks gouging a furrow in the earth where she had stood monts before.
She countered with three precise thrusts: one at the flank, another at the shoulder joint, and a final strike aid lower along the leg. Each ti, her blade t the unyielding carapace.
The tal rang sharply against the armour, yet not a mark appeared. Against such protection, her strikes had no effect and her blade was all but useless.
She imdiately recognised the true hardness of the carapace. It was no exaggeration.
Well, what else could she expect from a Titan-type?
The Titan swung a forelimb in a wide arc. Na-Ri sprang back, sending dust and fragnts scattering as she maintained her balance. She lunged again in a blur, aiming for a gap between plates along the hindquarters, but the weapon glanced aside as though she had struck a divine shield.
’Hm. Interesting. Let’s try that again,’ she thought, a faint amusent glinting in her eyes as calm calculation took hold.
The beast lowered its massive head and charged once more. She rolled aside and rose fluidly, her gaze tracking each motion of its limbs. Speed and precision offered no advantage when the carapace denied every attempt, and the creature pressed forward relentlessly.
Her blade clanged again against the hardened plates as she targeted the forelimb and then the joint near the shoulder, only to be t with the sa hollow resistance.
Step by step, she fell back across the torn ground, asuring its movents and conserving her strength, waiting for the instant when the armour might reveal a weakness.
With a series of swift leaps into the air to evade another strike, her eyes finally caught a glimpse of an opening at its nape.
A sudden, unconscious grin of triumph curved her lips.
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