SSS Awakening: All My Clones Have Divine Bloodlines!

She didn’t waste time confirming whether he’d actually spotted her or not, and immediately bolted in the opposite direction from the clearing.

It was clear, the longer she stayed, the more danger she was in.

That had been her plan from the start, but now, watching Adrian give chase and close the distance more and more with every passing second, she could feel death creeping closer with each heartbeat.

’I have no other choice,’ she thought, a mix of grim determination and resignation clouding her mind, replacing the panic that had gripped her moments before.

There were several reasons she’d decided to run. Not just because staying put was dangerous, that much was obvious, but also because her opponent was stronger than her, by at least two full ranks. What did that mean?

It meant that no matter how much she wanted to escape, there was no way out, he’d catch up to her before she could even blink.

The only reason she was still alive was because the sadistic bastard behind her wanted to take his time hunting her down. She’d understood that immediately, and as frustrating as it was, all she could do was accept it.

That said, she also knew she couldn’t keep this up much longer. Where was she even supposed to go? Who could she possibly ask for help?

The answer was obvious. So she decided to go with a different plan, a risky one, to put it mildly. But considering that one way or another she was probably going to die anyway, she figured she might as well try it and hope for a way out.

’Worst case, If I’m going down, I’m taking this bastard with me.’ she told herself, and without hesitating any longer, she released all of her mana at once and kicked off the branch beneath her with all her strength.

Seeing this, Adrian, still behind her, seemed to slow down slightly. It was obvious that no matter how fast she went, she couldn’t outmatch a C-rank like him, and he knew that she knew she was weaker. So why bother?

’Maybe one last desperate effort, hoping to somehow pull off an escape?’

That was what he thought at first, and the idea only excited him more. The more desperate the prey, the more he’d enjoy the hunt. But it wasn’t long before he had to reconsider, because several figures suddenly began appearing in the area around them.

’Tch, so this is what you were trying to do,’ he thought as he watched creatures emerge from beneath the snow, from inside the tree trunks, and even from the branches she had just passed.

It was obvious she’d decided to throw him to those creatures as a distraction.

"You really think that’ll save you?" he said, immediately changing direction to dodge a claw that shot out from the branch he’d just landed on.

He’d already ended up in those creatures’ sights too, just like her.

"Ah!" A sharp cry rang out shortly after, followed by the shadow of a figure plummeting downward, crashing brutally into the snow below, which cushioned the fall only slightly.

Lirien had taken a direct hit from one of those creatures, a powerful one that gave her no time to do anything except channel every ounce of her mana into her arms to shield herself. It clearly wasn’t enough.

She was slammed into the ground with brutal force, injuring both her arms and much of the rest of her body in the process.

In no time at all, more creatures appeared, and soon both of them found themselves surrounded.

The creatures had closed in from every side by now, tightening the circle little by little, like predators who already knew they’d won, taking their time to savor the moment.

Lirien lay on the ground, unable to get up.

Both of her arms were bent at unnatural angles, deep gashes running across them.

The pain was so intense that she nearly lost consciousness with every breath. The fall from that height had shattered far more than her body could endure. Blood trickled down her temple, blurring the vision in one of her eyes.

Not far from her, Adrian wasn’t doing much better.

What had started as a leisurely hunt had turned into a fight on multiple fronts, the creatures had surrounded him from several directions, forcing him to defend rather than attack. For the first time since he’d started chasing her, his smug smile had begun to falter.

He looked at Lirien, then at the creatures closing in around her, then back at the ones pressing in on him.

"What a pain," he said, his tone almost bored, and a little irritated. It was clear he wasn’t happy about the idea of giving up his prey, having his hunt cut short like this. But whether he liked it or not, there wasn’t much he could do about it.

"If you really want to die like this, be my guest."

With those words, he turned around and, with a powerful push, leaped onto a nearby tree. From there, he disappeared among the branches, leaving her behind.

Leaving her alone.

Only moments away from being torn apart by the Forsaken.

A few of them didn’t waste time and took off after him, though whether they’d catch him was uncertain. What was certain was that she couldn’t do the same, not in her current state.

’So this is how it ends for me?’ she thought, her mind struggling to form coherent thoughts, clouded by the pain radiating through every part of her body.

Lirien closed her eyes. There was nothing left she could do.

As much as she didn’t want to accept it, she understood her situation, and in the end, she gave in.

The remaining creatures didn’t seem concerned by any of this, advancing at a slow, steady pace, closing in second by second.

Just as the nearest one reached her and raised its claw for the finishing blow, something shifted in the air.

It wasn’t immediate,

It was more like a sensation that gradually spread across the entire area, like an invisible weight settling over everything.

It was hard to tell whether the surroundings had become calmer or darker.

Every Forsaken closing in on her stopped dead in its tracks. They too seemed to sense the change.

The shadows of the surrounding trees began to move. Or perhaps it was something beneath them.

They stretched outward, darkening, as though they had come alive. And little by little, from those shapeless masses of shadow, shapes began to take form as they rose from the ground.

Within moments, the Forsaken that had been closing in on their prey now found themselves surrounded in turn by something else.

Strange humanoid figures, made entirely of shadow.

Hm?

Lirien, who’d closed her eyes, sensed that something was off and opened them again, only to see the Forsaken no longer focused on her, but on something else entirely.

Confused by what was happening, she forced herself to look around, and that was when her gaze met the new arrivals.

’This... what’s happening?’