Chapter 392: Way Home!

The sand particles clashed and ground against each other, revolving at a speed that pushed the limits of physics.

They sparked and erupted into a brilliant whirlpool of energy, spinning in a fixed space, boring a tunnel directly through space.

All the energy of the atmosphere was forcefully siphoned into the forming rift as it slowly began to stabilize itself.

Elder Lenny parted his tired lids, bursting into a gasp as he collapsed forward, propping his heavy torso up with his elbows dug into his knees.

The wind whipped and raged, swaying his frail body, as he remained still for a moment to recover.

Skinny Greg caught sight of this and rushed forward to help the elder up.

"Elder Lenny, are you okay? Is it done?" Greg asked, the words tumbling out of him.

Elder Lenny’s brittle bones finally relaxed, as he looked over, weakly nodding in confirmation. "I-it worked... We can finally escape the sea." The elder’s voice cracked as he spoke.

Despite the ongoing clash and storm raging through the area, and regardless of the elder’s low gentle tone, his words reverberated far.

Everyone heard his words, they were going home...

They would be leaving this godforsaken zone at long last...

The reactions that followed were impossible to miss.

Hoarse cheers broke out along the lines, strikes landing faster, their battle style growing more frantic.

At the forefront of the clash, keeping the charmed beasts’ rampage in check were none other than Uriel and the two other captains.

Drawing from their vital force to fuel their abilities, each captain had to engage the strongest of the charmed despite their declining state.

Taking a direct physical and mental strike from a demonic, deer-like charmed beast, Uriel was sent spiraling backwards uncontrollably.

Scraping and skidding through the sea of sand, his lungs stinging hard with every breath, his vision going blurry.

Worse, his veins were flooded with scalding vital force, flowing through his energy nodes like molten lava, sending jolts of pain racing through him.

Letting out pained grunts, he crawled out of the sandy crater of his own making.

Blood leaking from his nostrils and mouth, the whites of his eyes completely red.

Everything ached, he had pushed his body beyond its limits.

His bronze cells had long ceased all activity, and had stopped pushing him to adapt.

The stress was too much, yet his jaw stayed set, his stare fixed on the enemy ahead.

The pathway home had been established, all he needed to do was to keep the enemy at bay till they could all pass through safely.

Weak currents of lightning coursed through his body as he mobilized his aching muscles, pushing one foot in front of the other in one laborious step after another.

A prickling pain jolted through his marrow as he took each step, yet he remained relentless.

As the never-ending horde surged, the charmed beasts pounced his way in numbers.

He took a painfully long, deep breath, raising his fists and getting into a battle-ready stance.

A figure landed right by his side, just as battered if not more so than him.

It was Elaine, her mage armour already reduced to a ragged state, her staff hanging dull and loose from her grip.

Her expression paled to an unnatural degree. "We can’t keep this up for much longer," she croaked weakly.

Uriel raised his blurring gaze, "Just a while longer... directions have been given, and the soldiers know in what order to retreat..."

From the side, another figure was sent flying their way, though their reaction speed had dulled and their senses had been muddled.

Elaine still managed to conjure a shield from snow, not to protect them but to cushion the impact for Lucas.

The three captains had been backed into a corner, exhausted, beaten and outnumbered by foes they’d struggle against even in their prime.

Dozens of charms closer and faster than they’d like, backed by the seemingly endless defiled.

This zone truly was a nightmare unlike any they had ever attempted to clear.

But alas it was too late, and there was no use crying over spilled milk.

They could only continue engaging, while hopefully keeping their heads on their necks long enough to escape.

Lucas rose from the mound of snow, groaning in pain, holding onto his fractured saber, his frame soaked in blood, his vision coated red.

The brief moment of reprieve they enjoyed barely lasted seconds, as a surge of mental attack struck, followed by the grotesque masses of the charmed beasts lashing out with a follow-up physical strike.

Bombarding the three with furious attacks, giving them no room to breathe...

Tanking the mental damage, the captains could only grit their teeth and force their battered frames to the limits once more.

This wasn’t the time to lament, this wasn’t the time to judge.

You either reacted faster than the attack could strike or you forfeited your life. It was simple...

...

Back at the sheltered rear...

Elder Lenny finally gathered enough strength to stand by himself.

And Greg quickly rushed back over to where he and his friends had been tasked to guard.

The job of the nine shackled realm evolvers wasn’t really to guard Seth and the others, it was mainly to move them the moment the Dune Rift had been established.

Uriel had given orders in which the soldiers were to retreat before the clash began, knowing he’d be too busy to issue one when the time came.

And he was spot on...

"Fucking hell, how can a human be so heavy..." Clark, a member of Zoan’s crew, hissed from between his gritted teeth.

They couldn’t have imagined that just trying to move carriers carrying the unconscious frames of humans could be such a taxing feat.

It was almost as though they were trying to exert force on a mountain, if not for the wheels that made things a tad bit easier.

They would have resigned themselves to giving up...

Groaning and grunting, the crew shared the load, putting their all into moving the two carriers at an agonizingly slow pace.

An impatient soldier swept out of a clash caught a view of this and growled, "Fuck this... they’d take forever."

He ground his teeth, but he didn’t just up and rush straight into the rift, that would be an act of betrayal.

Instead, pulling on his remnant, dwindling flow of essence, he activated his gene skill: Vector Thrust!

And with open force exertion he channeled force through the carriers, propelling the ice construct and making it easier for the shackled realm weaklings to move.

But alas, this moment of action left him open, and a defender didn’t miss this flaw.

With a sickening squelch a claw burst right through the defenseless soldier’s skull.

He died, but his effort mattered, and the carriers along with the nine were whisked right into the rift...

And the soldiers paying close attention followed right behind, moving in a synchronized, pre-arranged order.