Chapter 101: Cha.101 Last Standing (5)

The goblin’s entire body shook.

"The monsters are all around us!"

The team could barely catch their breath.

They hadn’t even had time to process Valen’s loss.

And now...

They saw dozens of square-headed monsters surrounding the temple.

"You said there were only fifty!" Doran screamed at the goblin.

The goblin jumped in fear.

"They were! There were only about fifty when we left the dungeon! I don’t know how there are so many now!"

Yasmin placed a hand on Doran’s shoulder.

"These are weaker than the ones we faced before... I think the fifty might have split themselves up, but I’m not sure."

Doran looked at her before glancing around.

The monsters were slowly making their way up the stairs, then he looked behind them.

The roots were closing in from the other side.

In the next moment, the entire temple began shaking.

"Fuck! Everyone, get ready! We’re leaving this place!"

Doran shouted before ordering everyone to hold onto him tightly.

He began whispering the formula for Light Dash.

Then, his eyes widened.

He gritted his teeth.

*It didn’t work... I need more power to use it.*

Doran closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He changed his phrase formula.

Instead of asking... He ordered.

Even before he began whispering, he could feel the pressure building inside him, but he didn’t care.

He slowly began chanting.

"Rassikh Rorder Speedrov Khakhfs Great Light."

Blue light covered the group.

In an instant, they teleported into the air, high above the monsters.

Doran coughed up blood.

"Yasmin! Slow our fall!"

He looked toward Qasim. "Qasim! Use wind magic if you can!"

Yasmin immediately spread her cloud around the group.

Qasim slowly raised his hand and wind gathered beneath them.

The pressure pushed against their bodies, slowing their descent and keeping them suspended in the air.

Then Levia raised her hand.

A massive fireball formed above her and she launched it toward the monsters.

The fireball exploded, flames spread across the monsters and the surrounding forest.

But the monsters didn’t stop.

They kept coming, even through the flames.

Doran’s expression hardened.

He used Light Dash again.

This time, blood began flowing from his eyes and ears.

He could feel blood filling his lungs, his soul being crushed beneath an invisible weight.

The pain was so overwhelming that he nearly lost consciousness.

Qasim saw him, but he couldn’t help.

His own body was barely holding together.

*I should kill myself.* The thought appeared in his mind.

*I can return through time and fix everything...*

Qasim’s mind became consumed by the idea, but the moment he tried to cut his wrist, he hesitated.

*What if I don’t go back?*

*What if that was a one-time thing?*

Fear began growing inside his heart.

He didn’t understand how the process worked, he didn’t even know if it would work again.

*It could make things worse...*

*Just like I did by following that stupid feeling.*

What if it failed?

What if he truly died?

What would happen to his team?

Would they die too if he did?

More and more fear began taking over the boy.

"I can see the village!" Levia’s voice suddenly snapped him back to reality.

Qasim blinked.

His thoughts shifted away from suicide and back toward the situation in front of him.

He raised his hand, the all-element magic ball formed again.

He launched it toward the monsters while continuing to cast wind spells beneath the group.

Levia looked down. "Qasim, slowly lower us!"

Qasim obeyed.

Levia took a deep breath.

Once they were low enough, she raised both hands, a gigantic wall erupted from the ground.

It consumed the last of the mana remaining in her body.

The monsters began climbing over it, but the wall bought them precious time.

They were already much farther away.

"We’re doing it!"

Doran shouted. "Keep pushing forward!"

Qasim changed the direction of his wind spell,the wind pushed the group toward the village.

Soon, they could finally see it.

"There are people ahead!" Yasmin shouted.

She narrowed her eyes, then her expression changed.

"It’s Yorness!" She pointed ahead.

"Team Three is over there!"

Doran gave a small nod.

"Let’s run toward them!"

He looked at the others.

"Whoever can’t run, tell me! I’ll carry you!"

Despite his body being pushed far beyond its limits, Doran still believed he could do more.

*That’s what he would do...*

Qasim looked at Doran.

"I can move on my own now."

Doran hesitated, then he nodded and gently placed Qasim on the ground.

The entire group began running toward Team Three, they had done everything they could, and pushed themselves beyond their limits.

Now they were running on nothing but the last scraps of strength left in their bodies.

Then they heard Yorness’s voice from ahead.

"Where is your captain?" Doran bit his lip.

*Even in this situation...*

He looked toward Yorness.

"Valen is gone!"

His voice was firm.

"I’m the new captain."

Yorness stopped talking.

Even from a distance, the team could see the coldness in his expression.

*So he really was already dead...*

Yorness’s gaze moved across the group.

His face changed when he noticed the five goblins, then his expression hardened further when he saw Qasim.

He shouted. "Leave the boy and the goblins behind. Then you can enter!"

His voice became colder.

"And don’t try anything funny. The entire area is covered by a protective barrier!"

Doran stepped forward, anger burning in his eyes.

"Stop with your dirty tricks and open that damn barrier!"

He pointed toward the monsters behind them.

"We’ll die if you don’t!"

Yorness completely ignored him.

His eyes remained fixed on Qasim.

"It’s all because of that brat!"

His voice was merciless.

"Leave that parasite holder to die. Otherwise, I won’t let you pass."

He paused.

"That’s the king’s order."

Yorness’s eyes widened when he realized the team wasn’t backing down.

He saw fear and confusion in Qasim’s eyes, the same fear in the goblins.

But the other three were determined.

*Fucking idiots.*

Yorness turned toward his team and whispered one word.

"Do it."

In the next moment—

Team Three raised their hands.

With frightening precision, they unleashed wind magic.

The attack struck Qasim.

His body was sent flying backward through the air.

"Qasim!"

Yasmin immediately jumped after him.

"Fuck! Let’s help her!"

Doran tried to move forward.

"No, you are not."

Yorness’s voice was cold.

He cast an electrical spell.

Lightning struck Doran and Levia, stunning both of them and before either could react, Yorness used wind magic to pull them toward him.

"I created this spell after my fight with that annoying hawk!"

His voice rose.

"But you forced me to cast it this way!"

He pulled the two of them to his side before turning toward his team.

"Kill the goblins."

Meanwhile, Yasmin managed to catch Qasim in midair, but now the two of them were falling directly into the middle of the monsters.

Yasmin immediately covered them both with her cloud.

She unleashed everything she had.

The cloud tore through the monsters, slaughtering everything in their path as she fought to return to the team.

Suddenly, her cloud disappeared.

She had reached her limit, but she didn’t stop and kept fighting with her bare hands and whatever strength remained in her body.

Until a monster struck her.

She crashed into the ground.

Qasim opened his eyes.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Doran and Levia were twitching helplessly under the electrical spell.

The five young goblins were being cut apart by wind blades.

Yasmin was lying on the ground and the two of them were surrounded by monsters.

Then Qasim saw him.

Yorness.

The old man was staring directly at him.

There was disgust in his eyes.

As if Qasim were nothing more than a worthless bug.

As if his life had no value.

Qasim slowly stood up and reached toward Yasmin.

He wanted to protect her, but the monsters were slowly closing in.

*If I use Light Dash... there is nowhere to go.* His heart began beating faster.

*If I blast these monsters... there are too many.* His body grew hotter.

*If I try to fly with wind magic... Team Three will kill us.*

His mind raced desperately for a solution.

*If I try to... It won’t work.*

*What about... Not possible.*

*If I... No.*

There was nothing he could do.

It was over.

Qasim looked toward Yorness again.

There was nothing in the old man’s eyes.

Nothing but coldness.

Qasim’s heart beat faster, and his body became hotter.

He gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowed.

His face twisted with anger as he unleashed another burst of magic, pushing the monsters back.

Then he screamed at Yorness.

"At least take her with you!"

Yorness didn’t flinch.

Qasim’s anger grew.

"Why are you doing this?!" His voice shook.

"Why is the king doing this?!"

No response.

Qasim’s anger rose again.

"He praises me, and now he wants me dead?!"

He clenched his fists.

"After everything we’ve done for his kingdom while he sits on that throne doing nothing?!"

Yorness finally opened his mouth, and with a single sentence, he destroyed the last of Qasim’s hope.

"Hurry and die."

Qasim simply stared at him.

The monsters continued closing in.

*I was controlled by a monster and forced to drag my team into danger.*

*But you have the choice to save us, and you don’t.* Qasim’s anger reached another level.

Even his eyes began turning red.

*I hate you.*

His eyes widened.

*I hate the king.*

*I can imagine both of you plotting against me... Mocking me.*

*Laughing at me...*

I hate.

*I hate the scientist!*

His breathing became unstable.

*I hate the monsters!*

His chest rose and fell rapidly.

I hate...

Tears began falling from his eyes.

*I hate myself!*

*I hate how I keep treating this world like a story!*

He clenched his fist

*I hate myself for every mistake I’ve made!*

*For everything I’ve done... only to end up like this!*

His vision became blurry.

*Melissa is dead.*

*Valen is dead.*

*Everyone I meet... everyone I grow to care about... ends up dead.*

A sharp pain pierced through his shoulder.

Qasim staggered.

*Everything I’ve done was for nothing...*

His eyes trembled.

*They’re dead.*

DEAD!

He reached toward his chest, but his hand hit something.

Something was blocking the way.

Qasim froze.

*The artifacts.*

He pushed the monsters back with another burst of magic.

Then he reached into his clothes and pulled out the artifacts.

The dark-blue sphere, the red dots were still glowing inside.

Qasim stared directly at Yorness.

His eyes were filled with an emotion the old man had never seen before.

He raised the sphere.

His other hand tightened around Yasmin’s.

"ACTIVE!" He screamed.

The sphere began shining.

White light burst from within it.

Then—

The light turned purple.

It swallowed Qasim and Yasmin and several monsters around them.

Yorness simply stared at the light.

Then it disappeared.

An empty hole remained where Qasim had been standing.

The old man narrowed his eyes, he clicked his tongue.

"Fucking idiot."

He shook his head.

"If the king gave that to you, why would you even use it?"

Yorness looked toward Doran and Levia, both unconscious on the ground.

"Keep the barrier up. We don’t want those things suddenly attacking."

He paused.

"Then take these two back to the kingdom."

Yorness took one last look at the scene.

The monsters still filled the forest, then he turned around and walked back toward the kingdom.