Under the black, cloudy sky, three people were running, and a fierce monster was chasing them. Far behind, the ruins stood tall as though bidding them farewell, but they did not return the farewell and left the place running. After a while, they reached another forest in the area. Unlike the previous forest, this one was dense and filled with trees.
"Run, run... Goddess, you two are even failing at running," Petal repeated as he slowed his pace to match Laos and Maris' speed.
"Run Forrest run!!" Laos shouted.
Oh my god, I'm running with all the strength I have... Even breathing, I can't breathe comfortably. This is so difficult, but I will escape. We've covered a lot of distance, and no one has noticed us yet. This is great! I looked at Petal and Maris, who were still running as well, but since the moment I said goodbye to Evol, I've been feeling a huge sadness, not just me, but even them. I feel so sad, do I really not want to leave this palace?
This palace was the place where I adapted, it's a place that introduced me to so many things, so it's not impossible to feel sad leaving it, right? Not to mention the people I lived with here. Yes, I have friends in that place, which is why I'm not happy... Also, I'm running with all my might, and it feels like my heart will stop. So, I can never be happy... True happiness will start once I escape from here.
"By the way, have we left the palace area?" I asked as I ran.
"You fool, once we pass the ruins, it means we're outside the palace area," Petal answered while running.
"So, we've escaped... We made it!" I exclaimed.
"No, don't get happy yet, there's still a chance we'll fail," Petal responded.
"I know... but no one's shown up yet," I replied as I ran, feeling like my heart was going to stop.
"Let's stop... I can't continue," Maris murmured, breathing heavily. Although she was slowing down and I had to match her pace, I couldn't keep up either. We had run a long distance.
"Yeah, let's rest for a bit..." I said as I sat on the grass, leaning against a tree.
"Not yet, we need to get further away," Petal said.
"We won't be able to," Maris replied, taking out a water bottle and drinking from it.
We sat together, catching our breath, and after a while, we lay on the grass, looking up at the trees above us. There were many trees in this forest, and fallen leaves were scattered all over the green ground, the result of the strong wind. Yes, I can feel it, and I even hear the sound of it sometimes. Behind the trees that blocked the view above, there was a black sky filled with clouds.
"Ah!!" Maris suddenly screamed after lightning struck the sky.
"It looks like the weather's really bad today," I said.
We didn't hear any bird sounds or other animals. Probably, everyone was hiding in their shelters, except for us, running like mad in this bad weather. Lying on the grass and watching the trees and clouds above us, but at some moment during this rest, I felt a little happiness. I even smiled. Suddenly, I felt something fall on my forehead, something cold and light. But after it fell, it spread and touched other parts of my face, not just my forehead.
"Fuck! It's starting to rain!" I said as I got up.
"No!! What do we do now?!" Maris exclaimed loudly.
"Let's find somewhere to take shelter," Petal said.
After that, the rain became much stronger. It poured heavily, so much so that it pierced through the thick leaves and touched our bodies. The weather was cold, and it annoyed me. Oh my god, I'm so cold now. I can't believe the weather changed from a bright sunny day with trees moving slowly to the rhythm of the breeze, to this gloomy weather, black clouds and strong winds making the trees dance violently, and the thunder striking suddenly every time... This is the worst weather I've ever experienced!
"Oh, I found you all," came a distant voice from behind us. Suddenly, after the voice finished speaking, a terrifying lightning strike shocked us, and I couldn't even see who had spoken.
Then, the rain fell harder... So much harder, it was terrifying. It was truly a storm. What's happening to this world with this weather? Suddenly, while I was preoccupied with this awful weather, I saw Petal pull out his daggers and stand in a combat stance. Maris had fallen down on her butt and closed her mouth, her eyes wide open in shock, as if she had seen a monster in front of her... Wait, oh my god! Did a goblin attack us?!
"Where are you all going?"
!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When I looked at the source of the voice, it wasn't a goblin or any monster. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. He was tall, holding a sword with a pitch-black blade, standing with his blue hair fluttering in the wind, and his yellow eyes gleamed as they stared at us without blinking even once despite the heavy rain pouring down on him. Every now and then, lightning would strike, and his face would disappear, only to reappear a moment later... I swear, it was the most terrifying sight my eyes have ever witnessed in my life... Gaziel!!
Suddenly, with another lightning strike, he disappeared from his spot... Oh my god! Then, I found him right in front of me, but Petal quickly appeared and blocked his sword with his daggers... No, no, no, we're going to die here! He plans to kill us. In this moment, I fell into a long black pit, unable to see anything, and all I could do was wait for my death. The seconds felt like years, and breathing became hard, not to mention the intense cold.
"I... l... We were just wandering, I swear!" I stammered, trembling in fear.
"You're wandering behind the ruins in this weather?" Gaziel repeated as he stepped back, holding his sword, distancing himself from Petal, who gripped his daggers tightly.
"Laos, there's no time for lies, he's planning to kill us!" Petal said, his eyes locked onto Gaziel's golden ones.
"No, no, I won't do it... but I'll ask, will you return to the palace with me?" Gaziel asked, his terrifying stance unwavering.
"No... we'll never go back!" Petal shouted.
"Fine, then I'll use force," Gaziel whispered before he enhanced his sword with a blue aura.
After that, he disappeared, then reappeared right next to Petal. What speed, oh my god?! With a powerful kick, he struck Petal in the chest, sending him soaring into the sky, with the tree leaves flying along due to the wind. Petal landed on his feet and didn't give up, charging back towards Gaziel with great speed.
"Don't waste your time," Gaziel said as he easily dodged Petal's attacks.
Despite the clear difference in power, Petal never gave up, continuing to stab at Gaziel with both his daggers. Suddenly, the blue-haired man grabbed one of Petal's hands, lifted him up, and slammed him back down. Oh my god, this is terrifying… It's the end for us, I'm sure of it. After Petal fell, he grabbed Gaziel's foot and tried to topple him. That moment reminded me of something… something I had been hiding for a while…
"Thalesa, wake uuuuuuupppppp!!!!" I suddenly screamed loudly.
"Thalesa?" Gaziel muttered.
Then, out of nowhere, Astral sword appeared, and I gripped it tightly. A surge of aura flooded through my body, not just the sword, and finally, I could wield this weapon. I felt immense power coursing through me, and I looked at the butler, who was watching me in shock.
"Maris, stay away from here!" I yelled loudly.
"Oh, I've been asleep for a long time. Well, now you can enjoy a great power," Thalesa said from inside the sword.
"So, you chose this servant? Interesting," Gaziel said.
"Actually, this servant is better than you. At least he won't be afraid to lose his life and trap me in the bottom of a disgusting ruins," Thalesa replied.
"But I was hoping for someone better for you," Gaziel said.
Then, Petal suddenly jumped at him, trying to kick him, but Gaziel blocked it with his hand. Petal quickly retreated, and then I unleashed a large number of Water Slashes. Oh my god, they were fast. A concentrated water attack that was so dense that I even managed to cut part of Gaziel's fine clothing.
"Alright, we need to step it up now," Gaziel said as he turned his aura into blue fire.
Then, he charged at me, raising his sword high, trying to kill me. I blocked his sword, but it was so strong that I was frozen in place, pushing with all my strength. Suddenly, Petal charged at him quickly, kicking his side, then running away from him. I quickly returned to spamming water slashes. I have to kill him somehow. He dodged some, but others struck, and I was able to wound him as well. Oh my god, this ability is so overpowered.
"This hurts!" Gaziel shouted as he disappeared again with that insane speed.
I didn't know why, but I had a feeling he would appear behind me, so I quickly ran away and screamed at the top of my lungs: "Form one: Sea Blade!!!!"
Then, the shape of the sword changed to a short, blue blade resembling the sea. My prediction came true as Gaziel tried to attack me from where I thought he would appear, and I quickly seized the opportunity, launching another water slash aimed at his neck. But in a swift motion, he disappeared again, avoiding my attack, and kicked me in the face. The kick was so terrifying; I felt it with precision, a blow to my jaw that made me spit out blood.
I stumbled back, but without any hope. At any moment, he could appear behind me and stab me again. Oh my god, is this his level of strength? He's really terrifying. Petal realized it was his turn, so he charged again. But this time, before he ran, he threw a dagger to distract Gaziel. Yet, the blue-haired man deflected the dagger and then blocked Petal's attack with his sword.
"You guys are good, you're doing well with only a small fraction of my power," Gaziel said.
A small fraction?! Oh my god, I'm going to die here. Yes, I'm sure I'm going to die in this forest, in the middle of this rain and wind. I launched another water slash targeting his back, but with ease, Gaziel blocked it with his sword enhanced with terrifying blue fire, causing the slash to evaporate in the air. Despite all this heavy rain, his fire didn't go out for a single second.
Suddenly, he advanced toward me with his blazing sword, trying to cut me. Damn, he's really crazy. I blocked his attack with my sword, which has great power. After that, I quickly ran away, looking behind me and ahead, terrified by the thought of him appearing suddenly and attacking again. But just the thought that he could do it alone is terrifying.
"Listen, Laos... you're really crazy. You'll never defeat Gaziel, don't you see that he also masters some of the Rune abilities?" Thalesa said inside my head.
"Rune?!!" I asked, surprised.
"Yes, the way he disappears, it's not his speed. This is the Rune," Thalesa explained.
"I don't care, I just want to escape from this palace!!!!" I replied.
While I was talking with Thalesa, Petal kept trying to stab or cut Gaziel repeatedly. But it was more of a comedic sight than an action scene. Gaziel was dodging Petal's attacks with such ease, so much so that I thought of returning to the palace… yes, why am I even running? Why not just go back? No, no, it's too late. We'll be executed if we go back.
I ran to help Petal and tried to stab Gaziel in any way I could, but I failed. While he dodged Petal's attacks, he was blocking mine with his sword. He's so strong, yes, we can't defeat him, no matter what happens. I just hope for some kind of miracle. Suddenly, I heard the sound of blood being spilled. I quickly looked towards the source and was shocked to see a dagger from Petal lodged in Gaziel's shoulder.
He did it!! After that, Petal started running away, shouting: "Yooohoo! I stabbed him!!!"
"This is annoying," Gaziel muttered as he pulled the dagger from his shoulder.
But what are those features? Oh my god, this is so terrifying. Yes, I can feel it, he's angry. GOD!, what's happening to him... I mean... yooo, we're going to die now. Everything's going to end... yes, this... this feeling, it's fear. No, not just fear, I'm terrified. Those looks I saw earlier on his face, they speak volumes, as if he's saying, "You've messed with the wrong person."
"Alright, I'll enjoy this for a bit, you cat," Gaziel said.
Suddenly, he disappeared again, then appeared in front of Petal. Yo!, is the Rune an endless power system? He's used it so many times!! But quickly, Petal retreated, and yet, the blue-haired man didn't show mercy. He grabbed Petal's foot and yanked him toward him with force. Petal grabbed one of the tree trunks, but it didn't last long. Gaziel lifted him as if he were a puppet and slammed him to the ground with great force. I swear I could hear the cracking of many ribs and even bones in Petal's body. No, no, oh my god!!!
I felt immense courage and launched a number of water slashes, a huge amount of them, to the point that I feared Thalesa's power might run out, but I didn't care and kept spamming, hitting that blue-haired bastard. But unlike the previous times, this time I didn't even touch him... Yes, he's raised his level... fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After realizing that long-range attacks weren't working, I tried to run with all my strength to save Petal. Suddenly, a lightning strike hit the ground behind me, terrifying me, but I kept running through the flying leaves and heavy rain. Then, I heard another stabbing sound. It was hard to see, but I reached the source, where Gaziel stood, and directly below him was Petal, lying down, covered in blood.
"Petaaaaaaaaaaallll!!!!!!" Maris screamed.