Avelyne shot forward, too fast for Nyx's eyes to follow. All he managed to see was a blur, and she vanished into nothing.
Thanks to her healing him, Nyx was no longer completely blinded by pain and was able to see again. His gaze found the approaching monsters—or what was left of them. Within a single second Avelyne had decimated them. Torn them into pieces. Only a cloud of blood was left behind.
'Holy hell.'
Nyx had thought Avelyne was just a supporter with no close combat abilities. But this?
'Well, looks like there is more to her than just healing.'
To be able to reduce abominations in such a short time to this—that was something even most Awakened within Eurasis weren't able to do. His sister maybe, but she was already Ascended, not just some Acolyte.
Maybe Nyx wasn't in such a bad situation as he had assumed. They might not have been Ascended, but their strength was close to rivaling an Ascended one. Well, not in a bad situation if you didn't count the never-ending mass of beasts.
After reducing the abominations to nothing, Avelyne went back to Nyx's side, giving him her full attention now. Healing him with all her might, however, didn't change much. Yes, the pain had lessened a bit. Yes, he was able to think clearer.
But it was just borrowed time.
Her Essence pool was his death clock—like an hourglass, Avelyne's Essence was like sand filling his vessel. The capillary—his overloading perception—let the sand slip through. But it wasn't sand. It was his lifespan. And once it stopped coming, it would empty in seconds. The moment nothing was left inside—
He would die.
Nyx didn't know how he knew this, but his instincts told him that this was his last lifeline. Once severed, he would collapse—like a marionette with its strings cut. Nyx had only one chance to survive: to leave this tide behind.
But even that wasn't in his hands. He wasn't strong enough to support Caelia at the front. He would be a liability. No—he already was.
'Fuck.'
While Nyx's thoughts were spiraling down into an abyss of hopelessness, the blinding light of Caelia's sword caught his attention. From the divine looks of it, Nyx had suspected it to be a golden light or something like that. Instead, it was a bright shining white—like a star in the night sky.
It seemed as if the blade was getting sharper and sharper. The more blood it shed, the easier it carved through flesh. Shining brighter with each kill. Even after all this time Caelia moved as if exhaustion was unknown to her—not existing within her world.
Swearing filled the air. Just from the sound of it, Nyx had the suspicion that Caelia's weapon took her reason in exchange for strength. The more she killed, the more she lost her mind. But maybe, just maybe, this was simply who Caelia was.
Not even in Nyx's wildest dreams would he have thought to hear someone voice out such vile curses. They went so far that Nyx almost felt pity for the abominations. No one wanted to get called such names.
'At least she has fun at the front.'
The onslaught of the tide had been going on for nearly an hour already, and monsters were still rushing in. It was terrifying. Just imagining that the beasts' focus could shift to them was enough to make Nyx's stomach churn.
Caelia didn't seem to get tired anytime soon. Her weapon shone brighter and brighter. Her moves became deadlier. The narrow path she created grew wider again. What was less than a meter before was now spacious enough for three people to walk side by side without their shoulders touching each other.
But as nice as this development was, it was also unsettling. They had already covered a lot of distance from their starting point. However, the flood of monsters didn't lessen a single bit. Nyx even had the feeling that the swarm of abominations grew increasingly denser.
No, to say it was a feeling was wrong. Nyx knew the tide had become tighter.
With Avelyne's healing and himself adapting to the pain, Nyx was able to somehow make a few things out from his perception. He didn't need his eyes to tell him that the tide had grown denser.
Nyx was able to feel it. He would have preferred it was only because his senses told him so, but it was also the toll on his mind and the increasing pain that told him there were many more monsters now.
It would have been a blessing if it was just the pain that had increased, but unfortunately it was also his lifespan that was decreasing faster. The drain had almost tripled, and Avelyne's Essence was getting more exhausted by the minute. Her healing couldn't keep up with the draining anymore.
'Those two might be able to get out of here alive, but I definitely won't if this continues.'
Nyx cursed inwardly.
No matter how he looked at it, things had to change, and not just in some minutes or an hour.
No.
Something had to change now. Collecting all his remaining strength, Nyx shouted towards Caelia in the hope to reach her, hoping that the noise of the beast tide wasn't louder than him.
"Caelia, OUT NOW!"
He didn't know how he managed to reach her, but Nyx saw Caelia taking a look behind her. Their eyes met. Taking his current situation in, Caelia gave him a simple nod before she turned back to the front again.
To be fair, Nyx had no idea how to get out of this situation, so he took the only variable he thought could still make a difference. He didn't know how or if Caelia was able to make a difference, but he didn't have other options.
Avelyne was already pretty exhausted from the constant healing she gave him. Nyx himself couldn't fight, and even if he could, he was in no condition to do so. The environment was not much better; between the forest and the next city was nothing but plains.
But from looking at Caelia, he realized his gamble was rewarded.
**AUTHOR NOTE **
Sorry for not posting a chapter for so long. I was having some time consuming matters to resolve.