Approaching, Hitori staggered as if he was about to fall on his face. However, he held himself. At the same time, Echidna, one of Reynold's comrades stared at him in a confused state.
"Is he one of you?" Reynold asked, looking at Jenna.
Jenna nodded in response as her face was already filled with tears, not from pain, but from joy. She couldn't believe that Hitori was still alive, after all she thought he wasn't going to make it when attacked by the Echo earlier.
At the side, Echidna glanced at Jenna and then back at Hitori. She couldn't guess what it was, but something about the person approaching didn't sit right with her.
"Should I open the barrier?" Alon asked, standing beside Reynold. He was dressed in a blue and grey cloak that covered his entire body, while a staff rested in his hand. He looked more like a sorcerer, than a knight.
Reynold took a glance at Jenna, and saw the expression on her face. It was an expression of excitement and at the same time worries. Then he looked at Phillip, Phillip was focused on Hitori, as his eyes could show his sincere expressions.
Seeing all these, Reynold commands:
"Open it."
Without hesitation, Alon, who looked more like a mage than a knight, swirled his staff twice and then a door-like size capable of fitting a human opened in the barrier.
Hitori was almost close to the barrier when suddenly, a figure appeared before him in a flash. The movement made a daunting sound that was unpleasant to the ear, as if it had moved with the wind.
Instantly Hitori stopped, and gazed at the appearance before him. It was the same 7-foot humanoid Echo, against Hitori's 177.8 cm. The Echo's eyes glared down at Hitori as though it was here to take back what it had lost.
"Impossible. What is it doing here? It shouldn't have moved." Reynold mumbled, as fear took over his body.
Not only him but the rest of his crew. Their eyes shivered like they had seen a ghost. It was as if they didn't see the monster when it came. No. They saw it, but didn't expect it to move so quickly.
"It can't be?" Elysia mumbled under her breath. Her blue eyes shivered, while her face turned pale.
Meanwhile, Jenna covered her mouth. With the Echo before them. She thought of how it had killed the previous students who attacked it, and now it was facing Hitori.
The thought of losing him again after just seeing him, was unbearable. Although she had a sword in her hand, she couldn't make any careless moves. On the other hand, Philip was in a bit of rage. He clenched his fist, as he began to cook his next move thoroughly.
Suddenly, a massive ominous wave of aura erupted from the Seven foot humanoid Echo's body, thick white malic and a sinister intent. Those who were not awakened fell to the ground, while they spat a mouthful of blood, as if poisoned from within. One by one, they fell, their bodies lifeless, and died.
"W-What is this?"
Those who were still standing, were the ones who had awakened, as well as the knights of Luminastra. Phillip saw this unfortunate sight, and the anger inside him couldn't be contained any longer.
"No, don't!"
Phillip dashed towards the monster, screaming, his hand with the gauntlet was raised in the air, ready for a blow. However, it was futile. Without even looking back, the Echo caught his blow, and slowly turned to face him.
There was no expression on the Echo's face, except one that invoked fear and disaster. It began squeezing Phillip gauntlet as if the mechanics were made out of plastic, nothing more than a piece of junk.
Phillip looked unfazed. With determination in his eyes, he took his second hand for another attempt, but still failed. The Echo threw him to the air, then leaped up and kicked Phillip hard on his back, sending him to the ground.
With this opportunity Jenna quickly rushed to Hitori.
"Are you hurt? Are you hurt?" She mumbled in care.
However, Hitori didn't pay attention to her as his attention was somewhere else. Jenna looked at his eyes and saw how cold there were, then followed to the direction he was looking at.
It was where Phillip had landed, the dust cleared as it revealed him.
Phillip was covered in blood. The mechanic mask that was on his face had broken in half and his gauntlets were broken. He tried to get up, but was immediately faced with the monster again.
The monster picked Phillip up and slammed him on the ground, picked him up, and slammed him on the ground again, continuously. Each time breaking every piece of metal on Phillip's body, as well as causing him to take severe injuries.
At this point, Phillip was covered in blood, his eyes swollen, however the monster didn't stop.
Seeing this, Hitori tried to move, however…
"Stop!"
Reynold yelled, halting Hitori.
"If you go, you are surely going to get killed."
"Then what should I do? Stay here and watch as he gets destroyed?!'
Hitori shouted.
Reynold's expression changed into pity. He could feel the pain that was coursing through Hitori's vein, but he also knew they couldn't do anything at the moment.
"Even still, you can't go. It will kill you and--"
His eyes shifted to Hitori's hand, and saw how he held it.
"You are injured?"
Jenna, who was looking at Reynold suddenly turned to Hitori and tried to touch him, but he refused.
"It's just a scratch." Hitori proclaimed.
"You are injured and you want to go and face a monster like that? That's unheard of."
While they thought they had time on their hand to be chatting, the beating of Phillip finally stopped, which caught everyone's attention. The monster turned to their direction, and brought out its sword, then pointed at them.
The image created a feeling of deja Vu to Hitori and the rest, when suddenly, all the Echoes who were still standing and waiting for the order, began running towards them at the command of the seven foot monster.
"We need to get out of here, fast!" Alon exclaimed as he instantly recreated the barrier again, reaching where Hitori and Jenna stood.
The horde of Echoes surged and crashed on the barrier. They weren't able to break it, but as their numbers grew it was later to get weak.
"I can't hold for too long!" Alon proclaimed.
At this moment, Reynold and his other comrades began taking the students who were still alive into the portal.
"Let's go, Hitori." Jenna spoke, as she held him to follow her. But Hitori didn't move, only staring at her and couldn't believe it.
"Are you just gonna let him go like that?" He asked, releasing his hand from her grasp.
Jenna's eyes widened as she felt something move in her. It was the first time he had ever said a word to her, but it wasn't in the way she would have wanted it.
"T-There is nothing we can do at the moment." she mumbled. "As you can see we have abilities, and we could get stronger. Reynold said we could come back when we get stronger."
Hearing this, Hitori frowned as if he didn't understand the language she was speaking. He knew he didn't have one of those powers she was talking about, and also wondered if she didn't know he didn't.
She wasn't making sense.
"And you believe that crap?" Hitori fired, as he pointed in Phillip's direction. "He's our friend! And you want to leave him?!"
"We need to go now!"
Reynold shouted. He had already finished taking the students inside the portal, and those who remained were him, Jenna, Hitori, and Alon.
CRACK!
The sound of the barrier cracking echoed as it caught their attention. It was soon to break any second.
Jenna gazed at Hitori in the eye as she took a hold of his hands, holding them tight and said, her voice sore:
"We would surely come back for him."
Hitori was furious, as he turned to look at Phillip. Their eyes met and a smile played on Philip's face as if telling Hitori, 'it was alright'.
Just a while ago, it was Hitori giving him that look, but now, it was reversed.
Hitori bit his lips.
"I promise I will come back for you. Whatever it takes, I will stop at nothing to end this madness."
After speaking, Hitori let go of Jenna's grasp, and went into the portal, his face sharp with resolve, burning with fury as if he had awakened his inner monster.
The moment Hitori entered the portal, the barrier instantly broke and all Echoes surged in.
However, Reynold and the others slipped through the portal just in time before it closed, leaving Phillip, the only human, all alone with creatures that now saw him, as their next prey.