Chapter 1564: To Protect

Eccar finally lunged forward. His body moved almost on instinct as the first creature charged toward him with its jaws wide open.

He moved aside at the last moment and drove his fist into its side, sending its body crashing against the tunnel wall.

The impact shook the surrounding stone, and Eccar immediately followed with another strike before the creature could recover.

More monsters rushed toward him from the darkness.

Eccar turned and struck one after another, gradually releasing more of his strength as the creatures pressed closer.

His fists shattered their hardened limbs while his kicks sent several monsters tumbling across the ground in an instant.

He moved quickly between them and tried to keep the battle away from the pilgrims, but the narrow tunnel gave him little room to work.

Then the ceiling cracked.

A sharp sound echoed above them before several pieces of rock broke loose and came crashing down.

Eccar looked up just as the debris struck the ground around the pilgrims.

The people screamed as smaller stones struck their bodies and larger pieces crashed against the ground beside them.

A pilgrim fell to his knees while clutching his arm. Another pilgrim cried out in pain after a piece of rock struck his back. The sudden screams immediately broke Eccar’s concentration.

He was stunned for half a second. His eyes widened as he looked at the frightened pilgrims.

"Again..." The thought came without warning. "I’m doing it again."

He had been careful at first, yet the moment he began releasing more of his strength, the tunnel had started to collapse around them.

It was the same mistake all over again. No matter how much he tried to control himself, his strength continued to hurt the people he was supposed to protect.

That hesitation nearly cost him his life.

One of the creatures slammed into him from the side and sent him crashing across the rocky floor.

Before he could recover, another creature leaped from above and struck him across the chest.

Eccar rolled away just before its claws tore into him, but three more monsters immediately surrounded him.

He pushed himself upright only to be struck again. One creature seized his arm with its powerful jaws while another slammed its body into his back and sent him stumbling forward.

Eccar broke free with a burst of strength, but the monsters had already closed around him.

They attacked from every direction.

Eccar blocked one set of claws before another creature struck him from behind.

He swung his fist and sent one monster flying, only for another monster to rush into the opening.

The confined tunnel prevented him from using his usual fighting style. Every movement threatened to send his body into the walls, and every powerful strike risked bringing more stone down upon the pilgrims.

The creatures took advantage of his hesitation and repeatedly forced him backward while the pilgrims screamed behind him.

"Help us!"

"Please! Someone help!"

"The stones are falling!"

Their cries echoed through the tunnel and mixed with the snarling of the creatures.

Eccar heard every voice. He heard every scream of pain and every desperate plea for protection, yet instead of making his body move, the sounds seemed to paralyze him further.

His thoughts became tangled together as fear, guilt, and confusion fought for control.

Then Eccar heard another voice.

"Please..."

It was the old man’s voice. He knew it.

Eccar turned his head.

The leader of the pilgrims had fallen against the ground. Blood ran down the side of his face and soaked part of his clothing.

One of his hands pressed against his injured side while the other struggled against the ground as he tried to push himself up.

Several pieces of stone surrounded him, and another creature was already moving toward his position.

Eccar stared at him. His chest tightened.

The old man’s condition reminded him of everything that had happened since they entered the Trial.

The two dead pilgrims came back into his mind. Their crushed bodies, their open eyes, the disappointment in the old man’s expression when he had asked Eccar to move the boulders.

The simple graves they had left behind....

Every memory returned at once, and the guilt that had been building inside him suddenly became almost unbearable.

"I failed them again..." His thoughts stopped there.

He could not think of a solution. If he attacked with too much strength, the tunnel might collapse and kill the pilgrims. If he restrained himself, the creatures would tear them apart. If he tried to move the battle away, he might leave them exposed.

Every choice seemed capable of ending with another death.

Eccar stood motionless while the creatures circled him.

His fists clenched, but he could not bring himself to raise them.

His breathing became heavy and uneven. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest while his mind desperately searched for an answer.

The Trial had reduced everything to a cruel choice. Fight and risk hurting the people behind him, or hesitate and watch them die.

"Eccar..."

The old man’s weak voice reached him again.

Eccar looked toward him.

The old man had lifted his head despite the blood running down his face. He looked terrified and exhausted, yet he still tried to remain conscious.

"Please... protect them."

Those words finally broke through Eccar’s confusion.

Eccar’s eyes widened.

He looked at the old man. Then he looked at the terrified pilgrims surrounding him.

They were still afraid of Eccar. Some of them had already been injured because of him, and some still watched him with distrust.

But none of that mattered anymore. They were in danger, and waiting for the perfect decision would only leave them exposed.

Eccar finally understood what he had been doing wrong.

He had been so afraid of making another mistake that he had stopped protecting them altogether.

His expression hardened.

"Stay close together!" Eccar shouted.

The pilgrims looked at him in confusion.

"Don’t move away from each other!"

One of them cried: "What are you going to do?"

"I’m going to protect you!"

Eccar slammed both hands into the ground. Earth Magic erupted beneath his feet.

The ground shook violently as thick walls of stone surged around the pilgrims.

Huge slabs of earth and rock rose from the tunnel floor and curved, forming a massive protective dome around the entire group.

The structure enclosed the pilgrims from every direction while leaving enough space for them to move and breathe. The ceiling of the dome locked into place just as another wave of debris came crashing down.

The stones struck the protective barrier with deafening impacts.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The pilgrims recoiled as dust and fragments of rock scattered across the ground, but the dome remained firmly in place.

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