’This isn’t right!’
I gritted my teeth.
Branches whipped against my feet as I sprinted through the rotten plane.
It had been almost five minutes since I ditched the knight and his glowing battery princess.
Five minutes of guilt.
Five minutes of suffering.
Five minutes of regretting existence.
A heavy feeling settled on my chest.
’This is definitely not right!’
My lungs burned as I ran as fast as I could, jumping over another branch.
’Damn it! Why is this body so slow?’
But no matter how fast I was, it just wasn’t enough.
_KREEEEEEE!
The whole swarm of the insect monsters followed behind like I had personally offended their ancestors.
’Why!?’
Even after I gave them an emotional goodbye worthy of an Oscar.
Even after I accepted fate and beca a respectable coward.
’Just why!?’
"WAIT!!! BOY!!!"
The knight’s voice thundered behind .
"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU FOLLOWING !! YOU ASSHOLE!!"
Leaves exploded as he burst through another root like a boulder, carrying unconscious lissa.
I looked back,
He was bleeding, with multiple cuts on his body.
And still sprinting like a stubborn war-ox who refused to die.
And he was slowly approaching .
’This is bad!’
If this continued, he would overtake .
I gritted my teeth in frustration and pushed more mana into my legs.
"I THINK WE CAN WORK THIS OUT TOGETHER!!" He wheezed.
"GREAT IDEA! FIRST TALK TO THINGS BEHIND YOU!!"
I jumped over another branch,
"IF THEY AGREE, I HAVE NO PROBLEM EITHER."
"Boy!! STOP RUNNING! I HAVE A PLAN," The knight roared again.
But ti his voice was close.
Too close.
"GOOD FOR YOU!!" I scread, pushing more mana into my feet.
’Run! Run! I can’t lose in a race of survival.’
"WHOA!! LOOK !! BEHIND YOU!!" I yelled.
"STOP TRICKING !"
I clenched my fist,
’Guess it won’t work again.’
It had already been the fifth ti.
That was how I was keeping the lead in this race.
I saw a broken branch in front of .
Without a second thought, I bounced it in the air and kicked it back with a leap.
"OYE! STOP IT ALREADY!!"
The knight just side-stepped, easily dodging it.
"THEN STOP FOLLOWING !!"
Just then,
_SKREEEEE-WHUMMMM!
A wave of psychic force rippled through the air,
the sound a horrible mix of grinding glass and a choir screaming underwater.
_schhrrrNAAAAAHhh-vvuuum
My skull burned, and my vision shook as I stumbled forward.
But the attack ended as soon as it ca.
I quickly did a sorsault and balanced myself.
My head hurt, but since we had gained considerable distance from the tree,
The pain was manageable.
"AHHHHH!"
For at least.
The knight scread in pain as his eyes blanked out for a second.
But his feet never stopped, as he kept running.
Soon, he shook his head and snapped out of it, too.
’That’s insane.’
It was already the fourth ti, and his response was getting better each ti.
His condition was not very good.
But,
I put more force in my legs. Every ti I thought he was done for, he ca back stronger.
That was an insane level of protagonist shit.
’He is definitely using a skill.’
Which was bad news for .
"AHHHH!"
The knight’s scream almost crashed my eardrums.
"DAMN IT!! STOP SCREAMING!! YOU ARE JUST GATHERING MORE!!"
I said in frustration... screaming.
Then ca the mont I feared, the knight beca faster.
Not just "heroic effort" fast.
No.
This was a cheat code protagonist sprinting fast.
His footsteps thundered behind , growing louder with each second.
’No. No. NO. This cannot be happening!’
I pumped more mana into my legs.
They spasd.
A muscle cried.
Another tried to resign from existence.
’Tch! what a trash body!’
But it didn’t matter.
The knight was closing in.
His shadow lood over .
lissa’s limp body bounced on his back like a floppy flag of doom.
And then,
He passed .
Multiple fras of him passing by clicked inside my head.
He ran right by like I was a side character.
I froze mid-run for a heartbeat.
He sprinted ahead, footsteps shaking the rotten earth.
"What—HEY!!"
"HAAAHH!"
He gasped like a dying bull but kept accelerating.
He was leaving behind.
That traitor.
That hypocrite.
"WAIT! WHY ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY NOW!?" I yelled.
He didn’t look back.
"BECAUSE—" he wheezed.
"—I DO NOT WISH TO DIE EITHER!"
He pumped his legs harder.
I tried to match his pace,
My legs imdiately disagreed.
Pain shot up my calves.
Breath hitched.
And I...
began falling behind.
’No. No. I refuse! I am NOT going to lose to so stupid plot armor!’
_KREEEEEEEEEEE!
The swarm shrieked behind us.
Dozens of wings cut through the air like knives.
I looked back.
The horde was only a breath away now.
"WAIT!! I HAVE A PLAN!!" I scread.
"GOOD FOR YOU!" The knight replied,
’This bastard!’
"JUST LISTEN TO FOR A SEC—"
And then the knight suddenly... slowed.
’Huh!? What is he actually listening to!’
His steps faltered like soone had grabbed his soul mid-air and squeezed.
I almost crashed into his back.
"What the hell—?! MOVE!!"
But he didn’t move.
His face was pale, staring ahead, chest heaving, eyes wide.
I followed his gaze.
And my heart dropped into my stomach.
’The hell..!’
And my heart dropped into my stomach.
A cliff.
A massive gash in the rotten world, stretching endlessly left and right.
And beyond it,
A void so deep it felt like it could swallow thoughts.
And Knight ca to a halt in front of the cliff.
Behind us,
_KREEEEEEEEE!
The swarm shrieked, closing in.
I stared into the dark.
And only darkness stared back.
Wind brushed my face, soft, cold, and terrifying.
The knight gulped, clutching lissa tighter.
He took one cautious step back from the edge.
I took three.
"You have a plan, right?" The knight asked.
"You go right, I go left," I said.
"They can just split and chase us."
".."
".."
My mouth moved before my brain could veto it.
"...We could push lissa first and see what happens."
His head snapped toward , horror and fury mixing like unstable explosives.
"I WILL THROW YOU FIRST."
_KREEEEEEEEEE!
The swarm hit the tree line behind us again, closer, louder, vicious.
I exhaled slowly as reality dawned.
Trapped.
We were totally trapped.
"Knight," I whispered, voice trembling despite my best efforts,
"Ever heard of a leap of faith?"
"No."
".."
"We would jump on count of three."
The knight didn’t reply, but his grip tightened on lissa.
"One... Two..."
I bent my knees getting ready to jump.
"Thr-"
But Forze.
"I KNEW IT! YOU BASTARD!!" The knight hissed beside .
But I didn’t pay him any attention.
[Y-@#$$]
An incomprehensible voice rang in my head.
[Y-You@#$]
A soft feminie tone.
[YOUNG MASTER, CAN YOU HEAR ?]
A smile appeared on my lips.
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