player POV-Chapter 70: The Red Killer 2

Alexander the Red moved again, slowly raising his massive head, as if what had happened had been nothing more than fleeting amusement to him. His red eyes slid over us one by one, then stopped on Zion’s body lying on the ground.

Then... he smiled.

It was not a human smile, but a slight bend of his jaws, a primitive movement filled with deadly mockery.

— Hssss...

A low scraping sound came from his throat, a sound that sent shivers through our bodies.

Lina moved instinctively toward Zion, her eyes wide, her face pale like a corpse.

"Zion... Zion!"

But before she could reach him, the ground suddenly shook.

— Boooom!

Columns of dirt and rock rose from beneath our feet, and the battlefield turned into complete chaos. I was thrown backward, spinning in the air before landing with difficulty, while Alisa slammed into the ground several meters away, and a muffled scream escaped Gina’s mouth as she struggled to keep her balance.

Alexander was using the earth element without mercy.

He did not give us even a second to catch our breath.

His massive body surged forward, his mouth opening again, but this time he did not release venom... instead, he charged straight toward Zion.

"No!"

I moved immediately, without thinking. I unleashed the threads of Altaria at maximum speed; they wrapped around the trunk of a tree, then I pulled myself like an arrow. At the same moment, Alisa fired a blue arrow tinged with purple, while Gina shouted a defensive spell, spreading a trembling purple barrier in front of his body.

But Alexander did not stop.

He collided with the barrier... and it shattered. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Like glass.

At the last moment, I reached Zion, grabbed his arm, and pulled him with everything I had. I felt as if my shoulder was about to tear apart, but I did not let go. His body slid across the ground, and Alexander’s mouth passed only a few steps away from us, his fangs striking dirt instead of flesh.

We survived... barely.

Zion coughed blood, his chest rising and falling with obvious difficulty, as if every breath required effort beyond his strength. His eyes were half-open, unfocused, his consciousness barely holding on, like a thin thread on the verge of snapping. For a few moments, I thought he would lose consciousness again, but then... I heard him mutter low, unclear words.

Only moments passed before Zion tightened himself, gradually regaining consciousness. His facial expression returned to its usual state. At that moment, I noticed the sudden improvement in his condition, a rapid improvement to an unnatural degree, and I knew immediately that he had used the Body Indifference skill.

He lifted his gaze toward me, staring steadily, then spoke in a calm voice, despite the traces of pain that had not completely disappeared from his features:

"Thank you... for saving me."

After that, he stood on his feet slowly, as if challenging his battered body with sheer strength. He scanned the area around us, and the scene was grim; everyone was already in bad shape. Silvar, Lina, Gina, and Alisa... all were severely injured, barely able to move. Strangely, I was the only one among them who hadn’t suffered any notable harm.

Then, Zion muttered in a low voice, barely audible:

"Absolute Mind..."

At that moment, his thinking rate tripled, as if his mind had entered an unnatural state of acceleration. Yet, it did not come without a cost. Even while using the Body Indifference skill, he felt sharp pain inside his head, as if his brain was tearing from within. It wasn’t long before a small amount of blood began to drip from his nose.

He wiped the blood away with the back of his hand without concern, then looked in my direction again and said in a low voice,

"Follow me. I have an idea... I want to try it."

He paused for a moment, then added, fixing his gaze on me:

"You are important to this plan, so... can you keep up with me for a while?"

My expression changed slightly as I thought to myself:

Has he lost his mind from being hit so hard, or what? Does he think I’m his follower now?

I breathed slowly, then added to myself with a sarcastic resignation:

But fine... let’s follow what he says anyway. I won’t think of a better idea than him—he is the hero, after all...

I nodded in agreement with his words, and before we took a single step forward, I felt something strange. The air around us had changed; an invisible weight pressed against my chest.

And suddenly... a shadow appeared before us.

I raised my head, my body stiffened in place when I saw him.

Alexander the Red.

He stood before us in deadly silence, staring at us with his glowing red eyes, cold and devoid of any emotion. His massive body slowly twisted around itself. I felt a shiver run through me, and the hair on my arms stood on end involuntarily as I stared directly into his eyes.

He didn’t give us even an extra moment.

He moved toward us with terrifying speed, opened his mouth wide, and then unleashed a thick green venom in our direction. I had no time to think; I jumped at the right moment, barely avoiding the venom as it passed by my side.

I landed on the ground, gasping, then quickly looked toward the place where I had been standing moments earlier. My blood froze in my veins.

The ground there... had turned completely green, corroded.

Damn it... I never want that venom to touch me... even if it’s the last thing I do.

But I had no time to catch my breath.

Alexander the Red attacked again. This time, he struck the ground with his tail like a whip, with tremendous force. A terrifying impact echoed, and in the next moment, a wave of rocks and debris surged toward us.

The rocks were fast... far too fast.

I didn’t have enough time to dodge them or even think about how to escape.

One of them hit me directly in the middle of my abdomen.

I felt as if my insides were about to explode within my body. The air was violently forced from my lungs, and I fell to the ground, completely off balance. At the same moment, I vomited a large amount of blood, the metallic taste filling my mouth.

The pain was unbearable.

I felt as if consciousness was slowly slipping away from me, like a dark tide dragging me toward the depths. For moments, I was no longer aware of what was happening around me. The sounds became distant, distorted, as if coming from another world.

My vision blurred, and all I could feel was that terrifying sensation...

The sensation of losing consciousness, of losing control over my body, as the world around me gradually faded away.

Before I could comprehend what was happening, a circle of fangs appeared before me, surrounding my vision from every side. I didn’t need to see clearly what was in front of me; I knew immediately... they were the teeth of Alexander the Red.

At that moment, a distant scream pierced my hearing, charged with terror:

"Rion! Get away from there!"

I almost laughed with bitter mockery.

Get away?

How could I do that, when I couldn’t even move my body? I could no longer feel my limbs properly, as if they no longer belonged to me. The pain was suffocating, and weakness pinned me mercilessly to the ground.

Then, countless thoughts flooded my mind all at once, thoughts I couldn’t stop no matter how hard I tried.

Will I... die here?

Didn’t I say I would return to my brother?

How can I allow myself to die in this place?

I felt something tighten in my chest.

Aren’t I supposed to return to him? Maybe he’s waiting for us right now...

How can I disappoint him twice? Isn’t it enough that I left him once? And now here I am... dying once again.

Those thoughts passed through my mind like knives.

What a cruel irony...

And what about all the things I had planned to do?

The promises, the hopes, the path I had not yet walked?

I laughed inwardly, a laugh devoid of any joy.

What a truly cruel world.

My mind was working madly in those moments, faster than it should, as if trying to cling to anything before the end. But that didn’t change the truth.

Alexander the Red had already decided it.

At that moment, Zion was about to rush toward me, trying to save me, but Alexander the Red unleashed a dense burst of venom in his direction, forcing him to retreat and preventing him from approaching. The attack didn’t last long... then it suddenly stopped.

Zion froze in place.

Before his eyes, he saw Alexander the Red clamp his massive jaws shut...

and swallow Rion whole. And in that moment, nothing remained but silence...