Plugh~
Ash coughed out a spray of blood, his palm slapping against the rough bark of the tree behind Aisha to keep himself upright. His other hand gripped the viscous arm of the slime that was still piercing his gut.
His brows furrowed, pain surging through his body as he felt his legs begin to tremble and give out.
[You have received damage. Condition is critical.]
[You have received damage. Condition is critical.]
[Notice: Damage is critical.]
"M-master… Yo-you're bleeding…" Aisha panicked, her mind blank with terror. Tears welled at the corners of her eyes, her hand shaking on the hilt of her sword.
[Notice: Advise to withdraw from current situation.]
"Arggh!"
Ignoring the system, Ash focused his demonic energy, crafting a sharp blade of hardened shadow.
In one fell swoop, he sliced the slime's arm clean off.
As soon as he was free, he spun around, ready to fight the next monster closest to him.
But things went south quickly. The slimes had completely surrounded them, their gelatinous bodies quivering with predatory hunger.
Clack!
Ash managed to land a solid punch on one of the slimes, the force sending it flying backwards into another.
[You have killed a slime.]
[14 points has been added.]
He had no time to purchase a potion from the system. The slimes were too fast, too vicious. If he paused for even a fraction of a second, he knew he would be killed.
He had to ignore the slick, warm feeling of blood soaking his clothes and fight until he could create an opening.
Bam! Bam!
[You have killed a slime.]
[You have killed a slime.]
Aisha watched from the back as Ash fought with all his might, his demonic energy flaring as he pushed his body far beyond its normal limits.
All she could do was watch, her hand shaking as she slowly stretched her blade out.
"I—I can help…"
Her voice was barely a whisper. Her eyes shook with fear at the mere sight of the monsters charging toward them.
Aisha wasn't blind; she could tell Ash was protecting her, constantly positioning himself between her and the attacks.
They weren't after him. They were after her, the weakest one between the two of them.
"I don't want to be a burden…" she whispered to herself, hot tears finally spilling down her cheeks.
She knew that if they somehow survived this, and she did nothing, Ash would have no use for her.
Krrch!
Aisha flinched as Ash once again threw himself in front of her. This time, multiple slimes latched onto his back, some stabbing into his arms, others trying to slip through the gaps just to get to her.
The little elf panicked, panting heavily like an exhausted dog.
Then, she saw Ash turn his gaze towards her, blood dripping from the corner of his lips, his eyes etched with a terrifying anger.
"What are you doing just standing there?! Hurry up and fight!!!"
"I…I…don't know how to… how to kill…" Aisha got even more afraid, her entire body shaking uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, Ash was still trying to hold the slimes back, using all his strength to push despite the fact they were increasing in number with every passing second.
"I gave you that sword for a reason! Just stab them!!!"
Aisha took a hesitant step forward, pushing her blade out as the thought of driving it through a slime crossed her mind.
However, the moment she tried, a horrifying flashback seared through her memory—the sight of a dismembered body in her home.
She recoiled, stumbling back against the tree, crying while screaming.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"
Ash frowned, his patience snapping.
"You want sympathy?! Get in line! I'm risking my life for you, and you think your sorry backstory means a thing to me?!" Ash roared.
"None of that matters when your life is hanging by a thread! I don't know about you, but I don't intend to die just yet! I have a revenge I must fulfill! You! The people who did this to you, do you want to let them walk free because you don't want to get your hands dirty?!"
Aisha was so scared all she could hear was the frantic pounding of her own heart clashing against Ash's furious voice.
"If you want revenge, if you want to remain by my side and have me help you, then you have to fight! You are not worth saving if you don't fight! You are not useful to me!"
Ash turned his gaze fully to her, his eyes glowing with a fierce, demonic light. "Fight!"
Something inside Aisha snapped. It wasn't just his words, but the raw, desperate emotion behind them. A fire blazed through her veins, burning away the fear.
With tears still streaming down her cheeks, she charged forward, allowing mana to flood her sword before driving it deep into one of the slimes.
Baam!
Ash fell flat on his butt, his back resting against the nearest tree. His skin was pale; he had lost so much blood that he could barely lift a finger.
'We did it… somehow…'
He slowly raised his head, taking in the sight of the multiple slime carcasses scattered all around the forest. Now that he thought about it, Aisha had done most of the killing.
Though he had been too focused on his own survival to keep track of her, he could tell she had held her ground.
A small, pained smile showed on his lips.
'Honestly, what happened to being heartless, huh…' Ash sighed. 'Open shop.'
[Magic Shop has been opened.]
[Would you like to purchase a healing potion?]
'Yes.'
[2 points have been deducted.]
A golden light shone in his hand as a small potion vial appeared in it.
He tried to lift his hand to drink it, but his arms were completely unresponsive. He had lost too much blood.
'Damn. Really?' Ash sighed again. 'Dying like this is just pathetic…'
His eyes began to close slowly, consciousness slipping from his body.
But just then, he heard a familiar voice call out to him.
"Master! I am here!"
He could only see her bare feet, but he was sure it was Aisha standing in front of him.
"M-master!!!"
Her voice soon faded as he finally lost consciousness.