Myriad Devils-Chapter 85: To escape, sacrifices are a must

"Are you serious?!" Andrew stared wide-eyed at Anon as the latter continued his shocking words: "Jacob, Seth, and I were battling nine one-winged monkeys in total. He used that opportunity to sneak an attack in."

Pointing at the gash on his chest, he said to Andrew: "What? Do you think I don’t wish to save Felix and the others? Didn’t you see what happened with that single one-winged monkey? I’m not at my full strength right now."

’Anyways, we have no idea where we’re even heading.’ Anon thought: ’In an attempt to leave this battlefield, we might end up crossing paths with Seth, and the others, or worse yet, a group of one-winged monkeys. We might even be heading in the direction of the pond. Well, at least, if that’s the case, there’d still be a massive crater going into the earth where the pond water once was.’

Hearing Anon’s words, Andrew finally understood the entire situation. After all, to him and Catharina, they didn’t really understand the situation currently.

’Who’d have thought that Bolan was actually an inheritor?’ Catharina thought. This much was easy to figure out. Only the identity of an inheritor could make someone like him who appeared to have no background, suddenly be in the possession of such a treasure. Really, the only thing that was confusing was the motive.

’The motive to attack Anon. And why did the inheritors attack us in the first place? Was it also for Anon?’ Catharina summarized: ’At that time, is this what Freya meant? Still, why does Bolan...’ Thinking up to this point, she sighed and shook her head.

Before long, the trio quickened their pace, initially walking, they began a full-on sprint. Naturally, they didn’t dare utilize stellar cosmic energy since the one-winged monkeys, and beasts in general, were relatively sensitive to that. It’d only alert them to the trio’s location.

Initially, the entire battlefield spanned only two to three hundred meters. For stellar fighters, especially stellar geniuses like them, such a distance was unbelievably short. In fact, even without stellar cosmic energy drawing out power from their principle and strengthening them, in less than two dozen seconds, they’d be out of that zone.

Of course, this was only if they were already near the end of the battlefield, and the direction they chose to head led to the other side. In all truthfulness, they were much closer to the end of the battlefield. Luckily, they weren’t heading towards the location where the Crystalline Lake once was either.

Slowly but surely, some five or so seconds after they began sprinting, the dust in the air began dissipating before their very eyes. Unconsciously, their speed increased even more as the embers of hope flickered in their hearts. This was, after all, a life-and-death scenario that they had experienced for the first time in their lives.

Whether it be Anon, or Catharina, or Andrew, though Anon had killed, whether it be him or the other two, there was never truly a threat to their lives. This experience would leave a lasting impression on their hearts for the rest of their lives, no matter how short their life would be from here on out.

But, like all good things, just as they were about to enter what could be seen as a safe haven, compared to the dusty battlefield which held a great many dangers, what they especially feared, naturally came to...

Step by step, with each stride, Anon’s expression slowly morphed into a deep demonic scowl. The earring attached to his ear shimmered with golden light as his golden staff forged from cosmic dust materialized in his grasp. Though Catharina and Andrew were oblivious, Anon reacted to the danger hidden behind the veil created by the dusty battlefield.

His figure suddenly blurred.

Completely beyond the imagination of the other two, Anon suddenly drew a massive amount of stellar cosmic energy toward him. In an instance, his aura abruptly intensified to a degree that saw it swallow the other two like a tsunami capable of crushing a country. Catharina was to his right, and as time seemingly slowed in the world that he perceived, like a shadow, he brushed past her, so closely that he could even pick up on her scent.

Boom!

The explosion caused by the impact of two opposing forces saw to it that both Andrew and Catharina were picked up by the shockwave and sent violently flying away. As they crashed into the earth and then skidded across the dirt, rushing towards them were two one-winged monkeys.

Aaooh! Aaooh!

The cries of these beasts penetrated their minds, awakening them to their desperate situation. As if something suddenly clicked in their minds, they immediately shot up to their feet, and even as their bodies still skidded across the earth due to the momentum of the shockwave, they spun around, already taking out their weapons.

Catharina swung the sword that was sheathed on her waist. Shooting out of the blade, seemingly, as she slashed at the air several times in the blink of an eye, several and tens of golden blades materialized in the air and flew chaotically, towards the two incoming one-winged monkeys.

At the same time, Andrew released an empowering roar that sent out ripples that crashed into the two incoming beasts, slowing down the speed at which they moved, to a degree that it almost seemed impossible for them to evade the incoming golden slashes. And yet, they didn’t even attempt to dodge said golden slashes.

Pa! Pa! Pa!

As if unaffected, they flew straight towards the duo, unbothered by the golden slashes that solidified upon impact and imploded once coming in contact with their bodies. Though a chilly wave washed over their bodies, the two one-winged monkeys bellowed loudly and flapped their single wings, seeing their speed skyrocket.

At the same time...

Swoosh!

Anon came uncontrollably flying at a rate even faster than the two one-winged monkeys. Sensing him from behind, they turned around mid-air and assaulted his incoming figure. Having been sent hurling away, he was in no state to react to the two one-winged monkeys as the beasts’ wings arched and their feathers suddenly sharpened, rushing towards Anon’s figure.

"Arghhhh!"

Anon bellowed out as a golden light exploded into the surroundings. His staff trembled as cracks began forming on its surface. Anon’s golden amber eyes shone with resplendent light as the veins under his skin bulged. At this moment, he was completely straining his spirit to draw out even more power from his principle.

’I’ll use it now!’ Desperation appeared in Anon’s eyes: "Cursed Ground!"

For a moment, the golden light disappeared, but in the next, it flickered once again. That single moment when it flickered again, it was the instance when the two beasts and Anon confronted each other. Though the light disappeared right after, somehow, Anon’s staff redirected one of the wings whilst he twisted his torso ever so slightly, to evade the second.

Just barely, he squirmed between the two one-winged monkeys, before crashing into the earth and skidding across the dirt. Both Andrew and Catharina, with dark and even hopeless expressions, reacted, rushing towards Anon, and going a step further, towards the two one-winged monkeys.

This situation...

Anon’s action of evading the two one-winged monkeys showed his ability, but what truly caused both Andrew and Catharina to feel hopeless was the fact that Anon was sent uncontrollably flying away. To add to that, his aura flickered in and out of existence, as if he was pushing his limits simply to activate his principle.

As they rushed towards the two one-winged monkeys that were frozen mid-air, stunned by Anon’s escape, the duo instinctively prepared themselves mentally.

Why?

The very act of rushing towards the two one-winged monkeys was akin to rushing to their own deaths. To sacrifice oneself...

"Catharina, leave!" Andrew growled in a low voice.

His veins seemingly attempted to burst out of his skin. His eyes became bloodshot as a strange dark light shone in the depths of his pupils. Under his skin, his muscles twitched and spasmed out of control. Unknowingly, as his words fell, he coughed a mouthful of blood.

But even as he visibly deteriorated, Catharina’s pores rose whilst her hair stood on end in reaction to the aura that began leaking from Andrew’s body. Without even realizing it, her body began slowing down.

"W-What are you doing?!" She exclaimed in shock. She knew very well what he was doing. To strain the spirit was the only way to draw out more power, but that in and of itself was a very dangerous game to play. In one moment, an entity could rise to a new realm of strength, and in the next, their spirit may very well break apart.

"Go!" Andrew growled.

Right after, he cackled out loud: "Anon can barely stand on his feet. To escape, someone needs to sacrifice themselves, and as a man, how can I let you give up your life."

"Today, I shall become the main character!"

With a swing of his arm, it slammed into Catharina’s chest, sending her flying away. He couldn’t help but wonder aloud: "Is this the power of the second world?! Hahahaha! Come, come bastardly beasts! Come die!!!"

Manifesting into the real world was a dark bubble. Surrounding Andrew, this dark bubble expanded outwards, towards the two one-winged monkeys, and even going further beyond.

Wherever this dark bubble went, the earth under trembled, cracked, and shattered.

Seeing this, a pained smile stretched across Andrew’s face as he voiced: "You’ve all been feeling the fear from this principle. Now that I’ve stepped into the second world, let me allow you to taste annihilation manifested. The principle of annihilation, even the second world is this powerful! A pity, a real pity..."

The longsword and shield in his two hands slowly withered away: "Is this the limit of a weapon forged by Kolar-dust?" He grinned, shifting his gaze towards the two one-winged monkeys who seemed frozen in fear.

"A proper bawl to end it all...!"