The roar of monsters was getting loud, and they were coming towards them. Ming, Luca, and Rin were looking around, their backs touching each other's. They looked nervous because there were too many monsters for them to handle.
"Damn, there are too many," Luca said.
Rin and Ming nodded. Then the monsters started running towards them and attacked with a loud roar. Ming, Luca, and Rin tried to fight back. They tried hard, but there were too many monsters. On one side, Luca was fighting against monsters when suddenly one monster stretched its claws onto his arm.
"AAAA!!! DAMN, THAT HURTS!!" Luca screamed in pain. Rin and Ming, who were still fighting, looked at Luca horrifyingly, but they were also stuck among monsters and couldn't help him. On the other side, Luca was still trying to fight despite the pain; his arms were bleeding as he continued to defend himself.
Ming got angry. "Damn it!!! What is the use of these thunder swords if they can't protect us!!!!" Ming shouted.
Rin looked at him. Ming was still fighting when Rin said, "Calm down, Ming! These swords just stop these monsters from regenerating. Nothing else. We call these swords thunder swords because of their shape and that weird light that comes from them!!"
Rin tried to calm him down. Meanwhile, Luca was struggling to fend off the monsters, managing to slice off the head of one that attacked him, but he was clearly in pain.
"Luca, are you okay?" Ming asked.
"No, I'm not," Luca replied, wincing. "It hurts like hell."
Ming and Rin exchanged worried glances.
"We need to run!" Rin shouted.
Ming and Luca looked at him in surprise.
"Run? You're saying that?" Ming asked.
"Yes! Yes, damn it! I'm saying it!" Rin shouted, his voice shaking with both anger and fear. "I'm not blinded by pride! I can see Luca is injured—and I promised my comrades I'd keep them safe. We can't fight like this. We have to go!"
Ming nodded, understanding. "You're right. But how!!?… The monsters are all around us!"
Rin looked at the monsters while still fighting and said, "I don't know exactly how. But we call them monsters, right? Monsters that hunt humans, blood-sucking. I have an idea, not sure if it'll work or not."
Ming looked at him curiously. Then Rin said,
"Luca, take off your uniform."
Luca looked at Rin with shock. "What are you saying? Do you have any shame?" Luca shouted. Ming also looked at Rin with confusion. Rin rolled his eyes irritably.
"I mean the upper uniform, idiot. I mean the shirt and blazer. They all get attracted by your blood smell. If I am right, that means we can use your blood."
As Rin said that, they were still confused. Rin sighed and continued, "Look, they are all mindless. If you encountered any monster before, maybe you noticed that they follow human sounds, smells, or blood smell. They can't see clearly. Now look at them. Their eyes are red. They are not looking at you when they attack, but they follow your sound, your smell."
Ming and Luca started understanding his plan, and Rin continued. "We will throw Luca's shirt because of the strong blood smell. They will follow the smell, but maybe not all." He sighed and continued. "Even if a few get distracted and a few still remain, we can still run because of the clear way we get." Rin explained, still fighting.
"We can run, and because of our footsteps, they will follow us. Now look at them," Rin pointed towards the river and said, "We will jump in that river so they will lose our smell and sound and go back to Luca's shirt. And when they all get fully distracted, we will come out from the river and walk away in the opposite direction with low steps."
Ming and Luca nodded. Then Luca started unbuttoning his shirt. Rin said to Ming, "Shield him and try to stop his blood." Ming nodded and shielded Luca. When there was no other option to stop the blood, Ming took off his own shirt and started wrapping it around Luca's arm. During that, Rin stepped forward and shielded both of them. Luca handed his shirt to Rin, and Ming managed to stop his blood for a few minutes and took a position to fight.
Rin held Luca's shirt, picked up a stone, tied the shirt to the stone, and threw it away, causing noise. The sound and blood smell attracted the monsters, while Ming and Luca shielded him.
The sound and the smell of blood attracted the monsters, and they started walking in that direction. A few still remained—they were the ones in front of the other monsters. Then Rin said, "Run!" They picked up their bags quickly and ran towards the river. Those few monsters ran after them. But Ming, Luca, and Rin jumped into the river. Splash! They held their breath under the water for 20–30 seconds. After a few seconds of silence, they peeked out from the river and saw the monsters were out of sight. Then they came out from the river.
First Rin and Ming came out, then they helped Luca. All three of them were fully wet, then they started walking in the opposite direction. They kept walking for 30–40 minutes in the dark night.
"Then we should take rest," Rin suggested. Ming and Luca nodded. Rin said again, "I will keep watch." But Ming interfered.
"No, we'll both keep watch, but turn by turn. We all need rest, and you also need rest. You are not a robot," Ming said. Rin looked at him and nodded.
Then Rin stepped forward toward Luca. "Sit down," Rin commanded. Luca sat down and followed his command. Rin crouched in front of Luca, opened his bag, and took the first aid kit that Amaya had given him. He started treating Luca's wound and wrapped a bandage around his arm. During that, Luca and Ming were just watching. Suddenly Rin accidentally tied it too tightly. "Ow! Be gentle." Luca said.
Then Ming said smirkly, "Don't break his arm because of your anger, Rin." Luca laughed with low voice while Rin glared at Ming. "Now now, don't glare at me with your pretty eyes, Rin." Rin rolled his eyes, but it brought an unnoticeable smile to her face that Ming and Luca noticed but said nothing, just kept laughing.
After that, Rin stood up and sat on a nearby stone. His expression didn't say anything, but it was clear he was thinking about something.
Ming and Luca opened their bags and changed into the spare uniforms they had brought for the journey. Exhausted, they leaned against a tree and fell asleep within minutes. On the other side, Rin sat on a nearby stone, staring at the handkerchief Sofia had given him. He remembered Sarah, Sheto, Sofia, and his leaders—Hikari, Daisuke, and Fubuki—along with his fighting partner Amaya. Their words flooded his mind. He remembered Daisuke's advice and looked at Ming and Luca before whispering to himself, "I will bring them back safely. I promise." He kept staring at the handkerchief.
It wasn't just words; it was a promise he made to himself—a promise to protect his comrades. But he knew it was not going to be easy, and something dangerous was waiting for them… or coming towards them.
....
End of Chapter 21