[Warning]
[Health at critical]
'Thanks for telling that.' I quipped as I dispelled the shield from around Rose. I had succeeded in casting the skill around her just in ti.
Dark mana is highly corrosive, but it won't rust since I already have a superior elent of darkness but the sa couldn't be said for others.
Anyway, that's a problem. The lady currently standing in the destroyed room was unmoving but it wasn't a good sign.
[Health potion: Cost 3000]
I hurriedly purchased many health potions and dumped one down straight from the inventory. Rose was safe since I had protected her but the sa wouldn't be to the others.
Especially Stewart because he had taken a direct hit while protecting the other two. "Feed these to him. Hurry!" I threw three bottles at Max who had just gathered his surroundings.
As for Laura, she was unconscious but right now wasn't the ti to worry about her.
[She's fine]
Only I and Stewart were in critical condition. Unfortunately, from the looks of it, our condition was about to get worse.
I had just managed to stand up when dark mana started gathering around Monica. From the looks of it, it wasn't on the verge of another blast but that wasn't far either.
The good news was that Stewart was standing up using his sword. Although dark mana was still slowly corroding him, his own mana was acting as a protective agent to slow down the process.
"How long will you be able to last?" I asked Stewart. He was panting heavily and his eyes were on Laura.
"Don't worry about her. She's fine." I inford him before turning to Max and Rose, "Take her and run away from here. Make sure no one else cos here."
Max and Rose didn't question and took Laura away hurriedly. As for Stewart, I couldn't let him go. Without him, I stood no chance against Monica.
[You can absorb that energy]
'No. It's inherent. It's completely converted to her nature. At such a low level, I can't absorb it. Besides, that's not even energy, that's mana.' Although I can take soone's energy no matter what kind it is except for those that go against nature such as mana, if I absorb such a potent energy at such a low level, I will die.
[Why not store it in a container?]
'Unlike life energy, death cannot be contained.'
[I can]
I halted at Allison's words. What did she an she could contain it? There was sothing that had been bothering about Allison. Sothing just like that funky feeling about Eric that has been pricking ever since I ca here.
[Do you want to or not?]
'What will you do with the energy?' I asked. I had to be assured what she was planning to do.
[…]
Damn it! I turned to look at Stewart who wasn't looking too good. The dark mana was corroding him faster than I had expected.
Seeing no other choice, I touched him and started absorbing the dark mana in him. I couldn't absorb mana. It was all Allison.
He gritted his teeth as pain assaulted him terribly. Still, he pushed through it and didn't let a sound co out of his mouth.
His complexion soon got better and his pain also stopped. The corrosion had stopped so I fed him another health potion and his wounds healed.
"What does she an to you?" I asked Stewart, referring to Laura. Monica still wasn't moving but I had a feeling that wouldn't be for long.
"She… She is the young miss I raised myself." He took so ti to reply with so difficulty but he answered anyway.
"Then focus on that." I said before I added, "It will hurt less."
"Will it hurt very much?" He asked. I nodded in reply and he asked, "And what about you? Why are you doing this?"
I smiled and replied while facing him, "That's for your young miss."
He chuckled at my reply and said, "n indeed do stupid things for won."
"Tell about it," I answered and returned my focus to the lady in front of us. She was still accumulating dark mana around her. It would have been better if it was at least dark energy instead of mana, I could have still sowhat coped.
[Be ready]
I prepared myself for a world of pain at Allison's reminder. All said and done, it's going to hurt a lot.
"What do you need to do?" Stewart asked.
"Immobilize her. I need to touch her back." I replied and he nodded. I gave him so potions and said, "Take one the mont you are hit. And then try to keep on taking them."
"That will cause to be distracted and you to be…" He didn't need to finish his sentence for to know what he ant. But I didn't need to touch her constantly.
'How much ti do you need?' I asked Allison.
[0.432567 seconds]
Almost a half second. That should be enough but with Monica's current rank, her speed would at least be at A rank, a second was a very long ti for her.
"Get ready," I said and Stewart nodded.
"Now!" I yelled and we both flung forward. Stewart matched my speed to stay with . With our closing in, Monica turned her head toward us. Her eyes were white which ant she wasn't completely conscious yet.
"Flank her!" I yelled and we both split a few ters away from her, taking her from each side.
As expected, she wasn't in her senses otherwise she would have gone for instead of Stewart which was exactly what I was counting on.
Unfortunately, she wasn't so out of it to forget reason that much. Stewart was thrown away with just one hit from her.
'Bless.' My speed increased by 30 percent and I jumped and touched her back. Just one tiny problem though. I was just an inch away from her back when she turned around and caught by my wrist.
"Hello," I said with a smile and gritted myself. She pulled and spun by my arm, and threw at another end of the room.
'Bless.' I cast another blessing but this ti on Stewart who was running towards . For , 30 percent wasn't much of an increase, for him, it was quite a lot.
That seed to be enough as his speed increased just enough that he caught before I crashed into the wall with full force.
"This isn't working. She's too fast." I said but his focus wasn't on that. It was on that new power he was feeling right now.
"Did you do this?" Stewart asked, astonished at his new strength.
"It's brief so we don't have much ti. Let's make the most of this." I said and nodded, snapping out of his surprise for .
The only silver lining was that Monica wasn't moving. It seems like she would only defend herself but with the intensity of her increasingly dark mana, I doubt it would be long before everyone in the radius of ten kiloters died.
The earlier wave wasn't that long but this one was charging for a very long ti. This wave would definitely kill all the normal people at least.
[It would]
'Great.' There is a difference between assumption and sure thing. I was the one assuming; Allison was the one confirming my suspicion.
"We don't have much ti," I said to Stewart who nodded in return. Only now was I able to see his condition. He was badly eroding so I touched him first before moving on to Monica. He was my only support, I couldn't lose him.
"Thanks." It seems with just this battle he had forgotten all honorifics.
"Let's do this," I announced before we jumped at Monica once again. This ti, however, her attention turned to first. She jumped at but Stewart was able to block her with the flat side of his sword.
He was still flung away but so was Monica to a little extent. I jumped behind her and tried to touch her again. Unfortunately, again, she grabbed my hand.
Luckily, before she could even pull , Stewart ca from the other side and bashed into her with my hand still in her hand.
All three of us crashed into the wall of the room and broke through it and many more. I had to use the skill, 'Divine shield' to protect myself from the impact of our crash.
[Now is your chance]
Now was my chance with all three of us entangled. And as lady luck had it, her back was turned to . I touched her on the back only to be blocked by her once again.
Okay, mother-in-law or not, I'm starting to beco very annoyed with her.
[Warning]
[Excessive dark mana is gathering]
[Chances of survival: 0%]
'I can see that!' The Darkness around Monica was getting denser by the second and I doubted we would both survive even if she didn't release a wave and I still couldn't reach her heart.
Stewart ca to my rescue and caught Monica's wrist. Monica used her other hand to push Stewart away but Stewart, being physically superior, was successful in stopping her wrists.
"NOW!" He yelled and I too brought my other hand with great difficulty and touched her back in the sa exact spot closer to her heart.
[Dark mana is now all absorbed]
[Condensing into a crystal]
It was strange. Allison was weirdly actively cooperative today. Anyway, I next touched Stewart as he was on the verge of death from the looks of it and used heal on him at the sa ti.
His condition soon got better and he was capable of standing up which was proving to be a hurdle for . Monica on the other hand, was unconscious. Only this ti, she wasn't moving in her sleep.
"Is she alright?" was the first thing Stewart asked. I nodded slightly without looking at him. I was panting heavily.
[Dark mana crystal: S-]
The gain out of this was very unexpected. An ingredient for the third step of the penta enhancent array. Although it was of mana instead of pure energy, I could still purify and convert it. I won't need it right now for anything else so I just left it in the inventory.
"You are amazing." Stewart slumped near and praised . I chuckled and replied, "Tell sothing I don't know."
"You're different." He then said, replying to my figurative remark. "How so?" I still asked.
"You were truly trying to save her." He replied. I remained silent. There was no answer to that. He again stood up but this ti, instead of going away, fell on one knee and said in a soft voice, "I convey my deepest gratitude to you."
I smiled and pulled out an item from my inventory. It again cost all the coins I had made from clearing two dungeons in this kingdom.
[Tear of a phoenix: Cost 20000000]
I threw it at him and said, "You will need it for your injuries and now that your wife's awoke, you will need it all the more." He was surprised when I said that. He wasn't stupid to not know which injuries I was referring to.
"What?" I asked. "How did you know?" He asked in return.
"I know how a father cares for her daughter. I've seen it and experienced it myself." I replied rembering the image of my father and my own from a past very old.
A sad mory but a past nevertheless. He nodded and sat back down.
This here in front of , was the king of this nation. The consort of the royal family's current queen, Monica Ravenknight, and father to the acting queen, Laura.
"What do say we don't say anything about this to Laura." He proposed and I nodded with a slight laugh. "She'll be very angry."
"I know." He replied while laughing and then we both burst into laughter. My laughter was interrupted by a new ssage.
[You have saved 10492 lives from this event]
[You have obtained 10492000 EXP]
[You have leveled up]
[You are now level 106]
The power of saving lives.
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