Chapter 126: We can’t fight this!
The stunning view of the waterfall mountains was now marked by the charred remains of a fierce battle.
The mountain basin was turned over, with some areas destroyed, causing the water to flow down like tears.
Everything reeked of blood and destruction—Ice shards, daggers, and claw marks stained with blood were lodged into a mountain wall.
Sword strikes carved deep gashes into the mountain walls, but the most heartbreaking sight of all was Eva and Ethan, drenched in blood, one dead, the other inches away from it.
Ethan bore a deep gash slicing from his shoulders down to his waist, blood spurting out relentlessly.
His eyes shut, expression marked by pain and terror—his heart faintly beating, indicating he was near death and beyond saving.
Eva, on the other hand, had a gaping hole in her chest, her eyes glazed over and losing their luster, with no signs of movement in her chest—lying motionless on the ground with her expression frozen in sorrow.
Foxy’s head was ripped off, and its beautiful fur was stained with blood.
Aaron was torn in half, and his crow was nowhere to be seen except for a few bloodstained feathers on the ground.
Julian’s body was lodged into the sharp edge of the mountain, and blood slid down his face, mixing with his tears.
He glared at the monster that had caused this, hatred boiling in his veins, etching its face deep into his soul. He vowed to tear it limb from limb, to watch it bleed to death with grim satisfaction, reliving its agony over and over again.
The behemoth of a beast—resembling a gorilla on steroids with the sharp tusks of an elephant—was crushing Aaron’s crow beneath its teeth, a dissatisfied glint flickering in its eyes.
It sensed a fiery gaze and turned around, noticing the tiny human lodged against the mountain, its massive neck arched and jaws gaping wide.
Julian’s eyes locked on the monster’s approaching maw; the stench of decay and rusted iron washed over him. But before the beast could swallow him, a black mist surged around Julian and everyone on the ground. The world twisted and rewound—the shattered mountain reconstructing itself, the monster retreating in agonizingly slow reverse.
*Rewind to how the situation unfolded*
Eva lay on the covers, her face pale and listless. She couldn’t muster any strength to eat, despite the tempting aroma.
"Here, drink this first before you take your vitamins." Ethan handed her a bowl of soup, with pieces of meat floating on top, while picking up the glistening fried meat spread served on the table.
"Eva, love, are you feeling better now? Three days are almost over, and we need to leave the area before everyone is evicted from the space," Julian asked with a worried expression, feeling that her period had come at the wrong time.
If Eva’s space didn’t force them to reappear at the exact spot they had entered, he would have let her rest inside. But their situation was dire, and there was no guarantee the outside was safe. They stood a better chance of escaping with a small group than dragging hundreds along.
"I can manage," Eva murmured in response, taking a sip of the soup. She felt the hotness spread to her stomach, instantly warming her. Sighing with contentment, she took another sip and chewed the tender meat.
Julian reassured, "Don’t worry about doing anything; I can carry you as we leave the area for a safe place," before he picked up his cutlery to concentrate on his meal.
"We’ll leave after we eat. Where’s Aaron?" Ethan asked, suddenly realizing Aaron was missing when he didn’t hear his voice agreeing with the plan.
Eva pointed toward the forest, where Aaron appeared, his hair wet from a recent bath. Julian echoed Ethan’s words and quickly agreed because their main goal was to leave the area and avoid a fight. He saw no issue or danger with their plan.
Eva shifted, making room for Aaron to sit and join them. A comfortable silence settled over the group. They ate slowly, enough to regain their strength—half full, but not so much that a heavy stomach would make them drowsy.
Eva led them out of her space, and they reappeared in the familiar surroundings of the mountain waterfalls.
"Let go!" Julian shouted. Ethan, carrying Eva on his back, stepped forward but froze mid-stride. His eyes narrowed as he sensed danger, and he sharply turned to the left—yet not fast enough to avoid the full force of the attack.
The shockwave slammed Ethan against the mountain wall, but he reacted fast, releasing Eva. A sickening crack split the once-tranquil air. Eva’s eyes widened in horror, and she rushed toward Ethan’s collapsing figure.
"Foxy!" she shouted. Instantly, Foxy created energy blades shaped like steps, providing Eva with a path as she raced to Ethan and pulled him back before he could plunge into the depths below.
She swiftly surrounded him with her green dome, healing his injuries. Color returned to his pale face, and faint signs of consciousness flickered—he had been knocked out cold by the attack.
"Eva, watch out!" Julian shouted, fear thick on his face as he tried to teleport to her. Aaron was already airborne, deathly pale, urging his crow to fly faster.
Julian reached her first, swinging his sword to deflect the brown, razor-sharp talon aimed at Eva’s chest. The impact numbed his arm instantly—and to their shock, only the monster’s pinky that had unleashed such crushing force.
Eva broke out in a cold sweat at how close to death she was. She was about to thank Julian when her eyes met a giant slit eye in the sky, and she shrank back in terror.
"Teleport us out of here! We can’t fight this!" Eva’s voice shook with fear, the decision forming the moment her eyes locked with the monster’s predatory gaze.
Julian followed her gaze, his hand trembling around the sword as his heart sank into an icy cellar. He didn’t need Eva to repeat herself—he was prepared to teleport them away when the monster unleashed an earth-shaking roar. The shockwave ripped through the air, scattering them and shattering his plan.
The ground quaked in the aftermath of its roar. Ethan’s eyes snapped open, quickly taking in the chaos. His lips pressed into a thin line, sweat running down his face as he fought his beastly instinct, screaming at him to run.
He drew on the waterfall, shaping massive daggers of ice until the sky bristled with frozen spikes. With a sharp motion, Ethan unleashed them all at once.
A piercing whistle split the air as the barrage sank into the monster’s flesh. At the same time, Wolfy slashed its claws through the air, sending ice shaped like fangs to tear into the beast.
Aaron struck next, manipulating the monster’s own shadow—driving the shadow of its pinky straight to its chest.
Julian followed, swinging his blade into the mountain wall and hurling chunks of rock like a storm of bullets at the monster.
While Eva and Foxy absorbed the vibrant energy from the monster, a green mist floated from the monster into them.
Everyone had a silent agreement to attack the monster together, but to their horror, all they did was leave a scratch on the monster’s tough skin; it didn’t even bleed.
Then the monster launched its own devastating attack. First, it slashed its talon across Ethan, nearest to it.
Ethan swiftly encased himself in the toughest ice with his wolf’s help, but there was no stopping the force of the slash—the ice around Ethan broke apart in filaments.
Then slice through Ethan’s shoulder, going down to his waist — the aftershocks split the mountain at the back in two. Wolfy whimpered in pain as its back slammed against the wall, the force instantly crushing its skull.