By Zephyria “About 2km to the target point, hurry up!”
Bruno, watching the flash bomb fired from the front, raised his voice in an uncharacteristic manner. He followed from the very back, but kept urging the leading members to speed up.
Rainer was piggybacking on Bruno’s back, and Rainer was clinging to his superior’s back with only one arm, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the inside of the barrier.
Ominous smoke mixed with explosions covered the ground and rushed to the barrier line. The approaching giant darkness was majestic and terrifying enough to make humans feel like mere creatures.
But there was one more thing that caught Rainer’s attention as much as that. It was the intense golden light that stained the sky near the barrier.
Unstable Magic Power was surging throughout the area, so Rainer was sure that the source of the light flashing in the distance was Leonardo Blaine. If so, the Legion Commander must be there too.
The problem was that the volcanic ash rushing in from inside the barrier was about to swallow that light.
No matter how strong and good at judging a person is, there was a high risk of panicking and suffocating if they were trapped in a place like that. Moreover, the two people inside were already exhausted from a long battle, weren’t they? It was uncertain whether they would be able to hold out until the search party arrived and completed all preparations.
Rainer, who was watching the situation with anxious eyes, clung to the back of his superior who was carrying him and said.
“Vice Commander, please let me down now. If you’re going to break through the barrier anyway, it doesn’t matter where the location is, does it?”
However, Bruno answered firmly despite Rainer’s request.
“To install the Auxiliary Barrier Stone, you need solid ground with a straight-line distance of at least 50m. The length of the land along the barrier line is short around here, and the ground is weak because it’s in the middle of the lake. If we’re not careful, the barrier could break in the middle and the efforts of the two people who came all the way south could be in vain.”
Bruno spoke as if he had anticipated why they had come south. Moreover, he thought it was the Legion Commander’s will, so he couldn’t help but worry about both the rescue of the survivors and the safety of the barrier.
However, unlike his firm tone, his voice was mixed with rough breathing. There was an impatience in his back that he couldn’t see, so Rainer closed his mouth without saying anything to Bruno’s words.
Perhaps sensing something, Bruno added in a barely audible voice.
“I’ll be there soon, just wait a little longer.”
Rainer wasn’t sure if he was talking to him or to those inside. But either way, he could only nod briefly, hoping it would be as he said.
Pweeeng―
Just then, another flash bomb streaked across the sky. Drawn by the light, he looked ahead and saw the Light Balls of the leading group, which had been quite a distance away, gradually getting closer.
As if sensing that the destination was near, Bruno squeezed out the last of his strength and maximized his speed. Rainer also stayed close to Bruno’s back, minimizing air resistance. They had traveled a long way, and now they were about to reach their operational position.
Kwaaaaang―!
An enormous impact sound exploded, making his heart sink. At the same time, the barrier right next to them shook violently as if it were about to break. As a result, Bruno and Rainer, as well as everyone else who had been ahead, looked up at the barrier with wide eyes.
The transparent membrane was shaking violently, with sparks flying on its surface, as if it were enduring the impact of something colliding with it.
Rainer’s jaw dropped involuntarily as he watched. His gaze unconsciously followed the position of the light that had been flashing in the sky.
But he could no longer find anything there. The light had already been swallowed by darkness, disappearing without a trace.
“Augh, uh, uaaaaah―!”
“Leo, calm down!”
Leonardo covered his face with both hands, writhing in agony that engulfed his entire body. The dark dust that filled the surroundings buried even his voice in darkness.
A destructive energy that no one outside could even imagine was pooling inside Leonardo’s body, gnawing away at his very existence. As proof, the red spots that had been spreading menacingly had already covered his face.
Hideous reddish traces swam inside his skin, touching his sense of pain. It was similar to the pain of a burn, as if tearing apart the thinnest and most delicate skin.
As the maddening pain continued, Leonardo even wished he could lose consciousness.
He wanted to let go of everything and have his nerves cut off. Because at least then, he would be more comfortable than he was now.
“No, Leonardo! Wake up!”
Holding onto Leonardo’s body, Hugo continued to shake his consciousness.
Now seemingly intent on melting even his own skin, Leonardo was covered in gold, becoming a fire demon himself. But Hugo hugged the burning mass even tighter, distorting his face as he repeated to him over and over.
“Please, please don’t give up on yourself.”
A desperation he had rarely felt in his life welled up to his chin. Don’t lose your ego, please don’t let go of yourself, Hugo pleaded earnestly.
Kwaaaaang―!
At that moment, the barrier membrane twisted violently, followed by a series of heavy, thunderous sounds. Hugo, who barely avoided a Boulder flying from the dust, stared at the weapon embedded in the barrier with contracted pupils.
Another volcano in the vicinity had begun to erupt, and debris was now flying as far as the lake. If his instincts hadn’t sensed the flow of air, that last one would have meant instant death for both of them.
Scanning his surroundings with a tense gaze, Hugo hurriedly tried to disperse the dust and secure his vision. But it was all darkness, to the point where it was meaningless, and in the midst of it, Leonardo’s scream of pain echoed again, desperately.
Every time he saw him in agony, Hugo fell into endless self-loathing. Even the cold air he poured on him only grazed his burning skin before quickly disappearing. Since the cold was instantly swallowed by the fire demon as soon as it tried to touch him, there was no way to quell the heat spreading from inside his body.
‘What should I do in this situation….’
He had made a big mistake in thinking that he could control it just by suppressing the energy. A thick blood vessel popped out on Hugo’s jaw as he gritted his teeth.
At this rate, he might perish together with him while holding him. Before that happened, he needed something else. In short, another way to relieve the heat inside and outside Leonardo’s body at the same time.
But Hugo, who was busy shooting down the flying Boulders, couldn’t think properly right now. Only the instinct for survival was heightened to the point of exhaustion, and he was barely prolonging his life by relying on his senses.
At that moment, another Boulder crossed the sky and flew towards the two of them once more. Just as the dark shadow came within range, Hugo wrapped Magic Power around an ice spear and swung his arm forward greatly.
Then, the huge Boulder cracked and split, veering off to his sides and colliding with the barrier membrane. Then, two chunks of rock that bounced off the impact fell into the lake, making a heavy friction sound.
Splash―
It could have been easily overlooked amidst the explosions, but his blue eyes rolled downwards for a moment.
Hugo’s gaze, staring at the pitch-black lake water, was sharper than ever.
‘Water?’
In a brief moment, something only he could do flashed through his mind.
Then, looking back and forth between Leonardo and the lake, he fired the condensed cold air under his feet.
The lukewarm surface of the water temporarily froze, and a chilling sensation that spread out brushed his face along with hope.
After that, there wasn’t even a moment’s hesitation.
“Leo, hold your breath.”
Hugo covered Leonardo’s nose and mouth with his hand and jumped into the water in one swift motion.
As the entangled two fell into the lake, a large splash of water erupted around them. Countless water droplets rubbed against each other in disarray, and the surface of the water rippled along with the sound of rain.
At the same time, the Boulders that had fallen into the water followed them, caught in the whirlpool. They sank quickly, threatening to grab their ankles, but they couldn’t catch up with the two heading into the depths.
Leonardo, who was on the verge of losing consciousness, felt as if he had been splashed with cold water the moment his body was submerged in the water. His fading consciousness was pulled back to reality, and the burning heat was temporarily offset by the cold water temperature.
At the same time, his ears felt muffled and the explosions seemed to fade away. He even had the illusion that he was dreaming.
However, the ultra-low temperature of the water, as if trapped in ice, constricted his blood vessels and hardened his brain. As a result, his muscles cramped and his body stiffened for a moment, and he reflexively gasped in surprise, which was the cause of the problem.
‘……!’
The water that leaked through the gaps in Hugo’s hand invaded Leonardo’s nose and mouth as it was.
The faint breath that caught in his throat rushed back into his throat along with the water.
Because of that, Leonardo struggled for a different reason than before, but Hugo only glanced back at him and didn’t stop diving. Rather, he continued to swim leisurely into the dark and quiet place, so that no other being or object could follow.
A Light Ball first cut through the water. As the abyss brightened, Hugo, who had been descending, increased his speed like a mermaid meeting water.
Each time he waved his arm, he swam more than 10 meters, and the lake, which had met its master, was moved by him, causing a current that carried the two somewhere.
The place they arrived at, swept away by the current, was a narrow bank under a protruding rock wall. The area to be used as a roof wasn’t large, but it was enough to protect the heads of the two who were close together.
In the deep water where even sound was blocked, Hugo focused on the surrounding waves for a moment. Even so, his gaze and mind were only directed at Leonardo, who was in his arms.
“…….”
Perhaps because of the intense heat, bubbles were rising randomly from Leonardo’s entire body. The energy he was emitting had noticeably decreased, but his face was very distressed as he struggled to breathe.
As he gripped his arm and trembled, Hugo immediately removed his hand that had been covering Leonardo’s nose and mouth. Then, his suppressed breath burst out at once, and Leonardo instinctively struggled to rise to the surface.
But Hugo manipulated the water to grab his arms and legs, and wrapped Leonardo, who was trying to rise, tightly around him and pulled him back in front of him.
Afterwards, he made him face him directly, and carefully cupped his cheeks, who had closed his eyes tightly. When he wrapped his gracefully curved waist with one arm and pulled him in, his lower abdomen was firmly attached and the distance became quite close.
Perhaps because it was underwater, which was like his home ground, various senses heightened in an instant. Because of that, a small hesitation flashed through his mind, but now that he had come this far, hesitation was meaningless.
Hugo gently rubbed the other’s trembling lips with his thumb. Then, he slowly tilted his head, bringing their faces closer together.
When Leonardo, who felt a strange current, half-opened his eyes, a strange sensation had already gently covered his lips.