CHAPTER 161: GRUESOME

Nathan sighed for the umpteenth time as he gazed at Elena, who sat on the ground.

He had carried her when she fell unconscious, as he retreated towards their group. With his mana spent and Elena unconscious, he didn't dare to approach Kael and Alice's battle. Nor could he Shadow Step, and could only opt to walk.

Thankfully, they had yet to face any other struggle. Surrounded by grasses that reached as high as their necks, they had been able to avoid the attention of those creatures. He could only hope one of those more sensitive zombies wouldn't pick up their vital essence.

But who would have thought that Elena, whom he had carried in a princess carry, would suddenly wake up?

The young girl had slapped him viciously across the face, and even now, his face still stung from the impact. She really had not held back.

He could only swallow his bitterness and frustration when he saw the clear, undisguised look of disgust in her eyes when she glared at him.

Which was why they were currently rooted on the spot, each of their bodies lowered, as they waited for Elena to recover enough to walk by herself.

While waiting, he kept his guard raised against his former teacher. They weren't on the best of terms after all, not to mention he suspected he still had some gas in the tank.

Honestly, if it wasn't for the old man, and also because he recognized there was strength in numbers, especially when they were surrounded by these abominations, he wouldn't have hesitated to assassinate Daniel and the others the moment he left his trial.

Alas...

'Huh?'

He was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts by a sudden change. And it seemed he wasn't the only one who noticed.

The pillar of flame that had fallen from the heavens disappeared, and after a short while, the sound of battle coming from Kael's direction stopped.

'Did they kill it?' He couldn't help but wonder, and pray his two friends were alive.

But he knew if there was anyone who could put that powerful beast down, it would be Alice and Kael.

His trained senses had always alerted him to the danger Alice posed, not to mention whenever his gaze lingered on those weapons she carried, he couldn't shake the feeling that they could slice him apart before he could ever react.

As for Kael? Not much needed to be said. Since the first night they met, this young junior of his had displayed powers that drew his admiration. He was literally the backbone of their group, and if it wasn't for him, many of them would have died. He was the pillar holding their group together, the reason they had survived long enough to grow as strong as they were now.

He turned his head to see Elena pat herself, her eyes also turned in Kael's direction, despite the plants obstructing their vision.

Then, without glancing at him or Daniel, she turned and walked away.

Nathan could only sigh once more, before he followed after her, Daniel soon joining them without a word.

They didn't know the exact location of the rest of the group, and could only walk in the direction of the path they had planned to escape in.

Since they were weak and tired, they had to move slowly and carefully. And yet, they had barely walked for a few minutes when the sound of an explosion reached them, this one unlike any other that have happened tonight. They didn't even have the chance to react before their bodies were flung away like ragdolls.

Nathan's instinct instantly took control as he moved to dive into the shadows. Alas, the little mana he had regenerated was not enough to activate his skill, and soon after, he fell into the embrace of darkness instead.

---

[You need to escape now, girl.]

Rachel ignored the voice as she took shaky steps. She left a trail of bloody footprints behind with every unsteady step across the torn and ruined ground.

Despite the pain wracking her body and the agony tearing through her soul, she continued checking one figure after another, held upright only by sheer force of will.

[...not have much time.]

The words of the mysterious being slowly faded from her senses as she saw one mangled body after the other.

One of the girls among the survivors had more than half her body turned into pieces. And when she saw the lifeless light in those eyes, whose face still retained a shocked look, Rachel finally couldn't hold herself back.

- BLEGH!

Spit and vomit poured from her mouth, and only after there was nothing left in her stomach, not even bile, was she finally able to pull herself back together.

Wiping her face, Rachel raised her head and surveyed her immediate area.

Only one word could describe what she saw.

Destruction.

The ground had been ripped apart by the violent explosion, with deep cracks splitting across the earth in every direction.

The bodies were far apart, so she had to walk a short while to move from one figure to another. Yet, without exception, all of them were dead, and in the most gruesome ways possible.

Some were missing chunks of their bodies.

Some had their figures twisted grotesquely.

While a few even had the darkish veins she had seen on most zombies spreading across their torn flesh.

"...help..."

A low, hoarse voice suddenly drew her attention, and she quickly changed direction, even breaking into a sprint.

But the closer she got, the more her footsteps slowed until she finally came to a stop.

There, just a meter from her, was Ben, or at least what was left of him.

The young teacher had already lost his arms, yet now, there was nothing below his waist. Half the flesh on his face had been shaved off, exposing bone. One of his eyes was already a glaring red, with darkish veins spread out. The same sign of corruption continued to spread across the remaining patch of skin on his face and what remained of his body.

Yet, the young teacher's remaining eye turned slowly towards her, his jaws unhinging slowly to reveal a small gap.

"...pweash..."

-Ba-dum Ba-dum

Rachel could feel her heart beating louder as she heard the words of the mysterious being.

[Kill him.]

[He has no chance of surviving. It would be better to put him out of his misery than allow him to become one of those vile creatures.]

Rachel didn't respond. Even now, she could visibly see Ben's other eye turn red, with dark veins slowly forming in his sclera.

The mysterioUs being lingered for a moment before their voice came again.

[Besides, now that you've crossed level fifty, your soul should already be powerful enough to contain a Soul Worm. At least one that doesn't bear an Epic class. He would make a suitable target... no, he is perfect for what you need right now.]

Not receiving a response, the voice suddenly turned harsh:

[You need to be the one to deliver the killing blow, or else you won't be able to view his soul form. When will you wake up, girl? You are in a damn apocalypse! This is no place for kindness and naivety.]

Ben suddenly coughed blackened blood, and pieces of flesh started to fall from his remaining face.

"...hwelp m..."

He didn't get to finish as a Magic Missile instantly formed before him, before moving so fast for his weakened mind to follow.

With a pop, his skull was blasted into pieces.

Rachel watched with blank eyes as a ghostly figure suddenly fled out of the remains before her. Before she could even get a clear look, the worm that had somehow slithered out of her right ear without her notice, suddenly opened its mouth and sucked deeply, pulling the ghostly figure into itself.