volume 2 - Chapter 119 (2/2)

“Another…… twenty seconds.” Brendel estimated in his mind. He had used this ability once earlier to cover half of the distance to his destination.

“No, if we…… don’t fly in the air….. we can’t hold on that long!” She shook her head right away.

Brendel turned his head to take a look.

He wished that Scarlett’s answer was different from his own but he knew that was something impossible. He had predicted the same results from the start. Even though the monster was clumsy and slow in turning directions, the speed at which it charged in a straight line was shocking. Each time they turned to pull away from it ended up with the monster gaining back the distance after a few seconds.

If they kept changing directions all the time, they would not be able to lure the monster back to the intended location even if the sky turned dark.

Flying up to the sky was a temporary solution, but Brendel realized that it was becoming more and more accurate in sending the rock spikes at them. With the nearby trees being destroyed over and over again, the obstructions to the attacks were also becoming fewer. They might as well have a target painted behind their back.

“You can’t fly up.” Brendel gave his conclusion.

Scarlett rapped the warhorse’s head in frustration.

He looked back again and saw Ekman getting closer and closer. He finally stopped hesitating and threw out an Exploding Crystal at it. The monster covered its head with both hands as the series of explosions happened right in front of it. However, the explosions did not seem to stop it even for a moment, as it charged right out of the smoke and dust.

Scarlett felt that threat and forced the warhorse to jump into the air. Ekman did not waste any time and shot the spikes out from the ground at them.

Even though Scarlett reacted to the attack as fast as she possibly could, the exhaustion from the long tension had caused her to be slower by a split second. The rock spikes accurately struck the warhorse’s thigh and caused the entire body to topple, knocking it straight onto a tree.

The immense impact caused Brendel and Scarlett to be jerked out from the warhorse, and when they finally reacted from the attack, they realized they were already on the ground, dazed and injured.

Brendel almost felt like he was back at Bucce the first time he arrived there. That feeling of wrecking pain and confusion was almost like a bomb thrown into his mind. But his worry was not about what kind of damage he received from the impact, because the b.a.s.t.a.r.d was going to follow up with another attack.

[f.u.c.k, this time we’re in grave trouble!]

He grabbed the last Exploding Crystal and tried to get up while he shook his head to shrug his dizziness, but before he was able to do so, a hand pressed him down.

“Listen carefully.”

Scarlett’s voice sounded like it came from a near and far place at the same time. Even his vision appeared like there were two or three images overlapping each other when he tried to focus on her.

“I’m going to delay that monster and give you some time to escape.”

“What are you trying to do?”

Brendel felt pangs of sharp pain in his spine, and he wondered if it was broken in several places.

“There’s no need to worry about me. I’m also an Acolyte, the most damage that mindless creature would be able to do is injure me if I delayed it for a short while.”

“I think I’m the one who told you about the characteristics of an Acolyte…… Ouch.” Brendel felt her help him up.

“Hmph.”

The girl scoffed coldly in his ear and released him. “The horse is right behind you. Stop wasting time.”

She took up her halberd and turned around to face the monster. It had crashed into a few trees and destroyed them in its charge.

Scarlett took up a stance and placed her spear horizontal to her body and gritted her teeth.

Brendel looked at her back once more before he grabbed the reins of the mithril warhorse and mounted it. There was no time to waste and argue. Scarlett had made her choice and he could only cooperate with her.

This chance would be wasted if he hesitated.

He forced the horse into a furious gallop. There was a loud smacking noise, and when he looked back, he saw Scarlett flying backwards like a piece of rock, colliding into trees with audible snapping noises, before he lost all signs of her.

[f.u.c.k! There’s no way she’s able to hold off a Boss-tier with an unsealed Element at all! This isn’t going to work—]

The monster turned to Scarlett’s direction for a few seconds, when a small crystal knocked onto its head. The explosions happened in front of its face, causing it to turn into Brendel’s direction again.

It was certain that the girl had lost her combat abilities, and thus set its target on the irritating fly. Without a proper order, the Berserk status that it had caused it to kill anything that still moved.

Scarlett’s delay had worked.

Brendel was ready to use his Charge ability. He made the horse run off in another direction and activated his ability, causing the speed of the warhorse to move over a thousand OZ, reaching the peak of his character’s speed in his previous world.

If someone was able to look at him from a hill, they would have seen a blurring silver line cutting through the entire forest.

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