Chapter 53 – Between Hope and Despair (5)

Despite his efforts, though, Aleen’s attacks were useless against the two level three. He, on the other hand, continued receiving attacks nonstop without being able to evade them.

At that moment, another level two jumped from behind the two level three and attacked him. Aleen was unable to defend against the attack, but Elvila’s barrier stopped it again before finally shattering.

“Urgh…” With a grunt, Aleen tried to attack the level two, but one of the level three stopped the attack in its place before attacking towards the destroyed barrier. Elvila quickly deployed another one, but her expression began to turn a bit pale.

“I don’t think I can endure much longer.” She said worriedly. “Miss Ana, use your skill now!”

“Wait!” Shouted Aleen. “My skill isn’t out of cooldown. I need a few seconds more!”

“Hurry up!”

Aleen gritted his teeth and continued attacking the monsters, but his attacks were every time less effective. Not just it, some level two began to make use of the level three as cover to launch their attacks.

At that moment, Aleen got the feeling that his body could use his skill again.

Immediately, he cried.

“Now!”

Without hesitation, Ana took a step forward a appeared in front of Aleen. She looked to the monsters deeply and took a deep breath.

An instant later, she screamed.

“GET LOST!”

Immediately, a shockwave spread with her like the center. It impacted the two level three head-on and hit a few of the level two in the surroundings.

Then, Aleen moved.

Having used the same strategy before, Aleen moved exactly when Ana launched her skill. Taking a step forward, he made use of the slowed time to attack the monsters.

Knowing that he could not allow the two level three to recover, Aleen immediately trusted his sword towards the head of the first one.

With a step, he was already before the monster.

And at the next instant, he was behind it.

Without waiting for the second level three to react, Aleen put strength in his right foot and spun towards the second monster. Then, making use of the centrifuge force behind his movement, he slashed the second monster.

At the next instant, the second level three brooder was beheaded.

An exhilarating feeling filled Aleen’s body, but he knew that he could not stop now. Knowing that he had to exploit this opportunity at the maximum, Aleen twisted his body once again and killed a third monster, and then a fourth. When the skill finished, five bodies laid behind him.

A smile of satisfaction appeared on Aleen’s face. This time, he felt that it was smoother when he tried to change of direction compared with before.

Turning around, he looked towards Ana and Elvila and nodded briefly towards them.

At that moment, however, he noticed an expression of panic on Elvila’s face.

But before he could understand the reason, he felt an impact on his back.

“Aleen!!!” Screamed Ana.

His body flew back for a few meters, before crashing heavily against the wall.

Blood flowed from his mouth, and a strong feeling of pain filled him.

Coughing a mouthful of blood, Aleen tried to move his eyes to see what attacked him. But when he saw it, a feeling of fear filled him.

Aleen remembered seeing another monster like that.

Yes, a monster that almost caused his death when he was traveling with D’vina.

A level four.

With a body almost two meters tall, the level four stood imposingly while raising a claw to finish the bugs that attacked its nest.

All the monsters in the surroundings retreated, paying respect towards one of the most powerful creatures inside the nest. The bloodlust coming from the level four filled the room, causing a sensation of dread in Aleen.

Feeling the blood flowing from his back, Aleen understood that the only reason because he was alive was that Elvila’s barrier took most of the impact.

But despite it, Aleen was gravely injured.

Elvila quickly created another barrier to replace the one that the monster destroyed, but it only took a swipe of the monster's claw to destroy it.

Without hesitation, Elvila recalled the barriers around her and Ana and deployed three barriers before the monster one after another, finally stopping its advance briefly.

But it was only for a brief moment.

Because at the next instant, the monster began to swing another claw, and another, and another.

One by one, Elvila’s barriers continued to be destroyed.

At that moment, Ana ran towards Aleen with a tear-filled face.

Quickly, she helped Aleen to stand up again while using her shirt to clean clumsily his wounds.

Aleen inhaled deeply in pain and closed his eyes briefly. Then, he looked towards the monster destroying the barriers deployed by Elvila.

Only five seconds had passed from the moment when the monster attacked, but Aleen could see that Elvila was not going to endure for much longer.

“Damn it, such bad luck.” With an ugly smile, Aleen picked up his sword from the ground and stood up shakily.

“Aleen! What are you doing!?”

Looking up towards the exit, Aleen shook Ana’s hand from his body and walked towards the place where Elvila and the level four were fighting.

“Stay behind.” He said softly to Ana without stopping his steps. “And if you find a chance, run away.”

Raising his sword, he slowly came close to the place where the barriers were being destroyed and looked to the level four deeply.

The level four continued destroying the barriers, ignoring completely Aleen’s presence. It, like Aleen, knew that he would be unable to change something.

But despite it, Aleen moved his sword.

Aleen tried to activate his skill again, but his body was unable to bear the strength of it. Aleen felt his body crying, and the rune in his mind resisting the activation of the skill.

But Aleen insisted. He used all his willpower to activate the skill again, notwithstanding that it probably would be useless in this situation.

Despite it, however, he insisted. Aleen was not prepared to give up; not now.

“HAHHHHHH!!!” With a cry of fury, Aleen jumped towards the level four and slashed with his sword.

The monster, however, ignored his attack and continued concentrating on destroying the barriers.

Aleen’s sword hit the monster’s skin, but it was unable to hurt the monster beyond leaving a small white mark. Aleen, however, continued waving his sword.

Before long, though, the monster seemed to find Aleen an annoyance; because it used one of its claws to attack him. Fortunately, he was under the protection of Elvila’s barrier.

Noticing it, the monster growled furiously and continued destroying the barriers that Elvila created, faster than she could create a new one.

Sweat flowed from Elvila’s forehead and her expression turned pale. She could feel her mana diminishing slowly, but she was unable to activate her second skill to recuperate. She knew that if she stops paying attention to the barriers, even for an instant, the monster will break them and kill them all.

So, without more option, she only could continue creating barriers.

Her concentration began to fade, and she could feel that deploying new barriers was becoming harder and harder with every second, but she could not give up.

At that moment, however, the monster cried.

*Screeeeeech!!!!*

With a cry of fury, a dim black light appeared in the monster’s claws, and then, the monster swung its claws against the barriers.

Instantly, the remaining barriers were destroyed.

Elvila put an expression on astonishment but quickly tried to create another barrier. Unfortunately,  when she mobilized her mana, a strong headache impacted.

“Urgh…” Elvila grabbed her head and tried to ignore the pain, but that moment was enough to the monster.

In an instant, the monster was already before Elvila.

Without hesitation, it raised its claw and was about to kill her; but then, Aleen sword appeared before it.

“DIE!!!!”

With a cry of despair, Aleen used his sword to try to stop the monster attack and earn enough time for Elvila to recover.

Unfortunately, he was too weak to stop an attack from a level four.

With a wave of its claws, the monster clashed against Aleen’s sword and threw him to the ground.

Then, the monster raised its claw once again; only that this time, to finish Aleen.

‘I’m going to die…’

With that thought, Aleen closed his eyes and waited for the pain to come.

But after one second, the pain did not come.

Opening his eyes, he looked towards the monster and saw its scythe-like claw impaling the body of a girl.