- ZING! ZING! ZING!
Blue orbs spun around Rachel as she launched them forward, supporting any zombie on their side about to be felled, or any human survivor who found themselves in danger.
By now, the others kept throwing shocked looks at her, and Rachel was grateful her face was hidden behind her cloak.
If not, she wondered if they would be unsettled by the wide smile on her face.
When was the last time she had so much fun?
By now, she could simultaneously form five Magic Missiles at a time, and the spinning they made as they spun around her, not to mention the wind they kicked up, made her look mighty impressive.
What made her feel more giddy was that with her soul weapon, her mana had barely dipped. Which meant she could throw as many missiles as she wanted. It almost made her feel like a child throwing bombs into a crowd of monsters, and hidden at the rear, she didn't need to worry about her immediate safety.
At this point, she was proud to say that aside from the little girl Rose, she had the most impact on the battlefield. Which was why many kept throwing unsure glances at her.
'Surely, they must be thinking I am someone else, hehe.'
To think she would also get so strong. It felt just like yesterday when she tried to steal a kill from Rose. The thought of that memory wiped the smile away from her face for a moment, and she couldn't help but feel ashamed of many of her past actions. She had really been at her lowest this past month, and that was saying a lot, because life had not been good to her ever since her Dad died, and she had even had to separate from her mum.
She couldn't help but wonder if it was too late for her to apologize when the voice of the silent mysterious being suddenly rang in her mind.
[Girl, turn this instant and run away!]
'What?' Rachel's eyes widened, her mind almost blanking out. Thankfully, she was able to take control of her missiles that were about to destabilize and quickly launch them into the midst of the undead, sending another round of explosions into the area.
[Run now, if not you will die.]
'But but...'
[No buts. Run now!]
'I can't just leave the others behind. Can you tell me what's going on?'
The mysterious being didn't get the chance to speak when a pale Kael carrying an unconscious Alice suddenly appeared in the distance.
Seeing this sight almost made Rachel forget the strange situation she was in.
Kael had only ever seen her miserable side, but now that she was strong, she wanted him to see how far she had come.
Without hesitation, she formed five orbs around her, and without even thinking of launching them, she formed another five.
Her mind strained greatly to control all these missiles, but she gritted her teeth under the hood, and quickly sent them forward.
- BOOOM! - BOOM! BOOOM!
RUMBLE!
Cries of surprise rang around her, but she didn't even hear them, her eyes focused on Kael. And when those blue beaming eyes that had been inspecting the area suddenly fell on her, Rachel held her breath.
Unfortunately, his gaze barely lingered on her for a moment before he redrew them.
'Tch... asshole. Can't you see how strong I have become.'
[GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE CLOUDS. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I HAVE INVESTED IN YOU? IF YOU DARE MESS UP MY PLANS, YOU WILL RUE THE DAY YOU EVER CROSSED ME!]
The sudden scream of the mysterious being woke her up from her reverie. The fear she felt when she heard the threat almost made her collapse to the ground.
This time, her body moved before her brain could even react.
She could feel shocked gazes falling on her as she suddenly separated from the group, but Rachel didn't care. Her head turned back even as she ran away, her hood blowing off from her violent movement.
"RUN! ALL OF YOU, RUN!"
She could feel the skeptical looks trained on her, but she ignored them all, and only focused on one person and one person alone. In fact, she herself wasn't sure of what she was escaping from, but she could feel the urgency in the voice of the mysterious being. Just that alone meant something was wrong, and the situation must be very dire.
The sound of explosions lit up the gloomy skies, and when she saw the expression on Kael's face, she knew the mysterious being had not lied to her. The fear she felt at that moment almost made her moving figure freeze. Alas, she didn't even get to.
I am no fool.
The voice sounded as if it came from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Not to mention the power hidden within. Oh God, Rachel had never experienced such a thing before. At least, not physically.
A small sphere of pulsing flesh appeared directly before Kael, and as she felt the world slow down around her, she could almost see the look of realization, followed by guilt, and anguish that flashed on Kael's face.
She didn't know why, but she felt like a lot of things happened within that short window. It was a weird feeling to have, considering her body was already becoming numb from fear.
'Too late...'
That was the last thought she had before the world went white, and her body was thrown around like a ragdoll. A loud ringing sound filled all her senses, and as she succumbed to the darkness, she felt like she could hear a voice calling to her.
[...wake...]
[...up...]
[WAKE UP GIRL!]
Rachel gasped awake and sat up, the small action sending jolts of pain that made her groan.
Even as a ringing sound filled her ears, her blurry eyes took in the sight around her.
Destruction.
That was the only word that came to mind.
Bodies of humans and monsters were strewn around like discarded corpses, yet even through her blurry vision, three things immediately caught her attention.
First, was the streak of red lightning that fell from the skies far in the distance. And if she remembered correctly, that direction was the academy they had all but escaped from.
A pained roar suddenly smashed into her ears, piercing through the ringing sound that filled her senses and causing her to cover them in pain. Only when she did, did she realize her hands were covered in blood.
Yet, even through the pained roar, she turned in another direction, where she saw two blue lights flashing through the skies, as a figure fled into the distance.
Finally, the last sight was of the afterimage of a towering veiled figure of light looking into the distance where the other figure had fled.
That was the last thing she saw before she fell down unconscious once again.
_______
A searing pain flashed through Rachel's soul, jolting her awake once again.
"ARGH!"
Even as she cried in pain, that voice she was starting to despise rang in her mind once more.
[I had no choice but to wake you in such a manner. You need to move now if you want to survive. It has barely been a minute since the attack came.]
Even with the surprise she felt at the words, Rachel wasn't in the state of mind to respond. And it seemed even the presence understood so, as she didn't hear from them for a moment.
'It hurts... everything hurts.'
Not only did she feel like she had broken some bones, she now also felt a stinging sensation deep within her soul. But she had gone through so much this past month, especially her recent awakening, and it didn't take her long to force herself to endure the pain.
Struggling to her feet, what she saw stunned her on the spot.
For several kilometers, the tall grasses had been eviscerated, as if they never existed in the first place. Long and deep fissures marred the ground. And strewn across the now massive clearing were countless bodies.
Before she knew it, tears streamed down her face.
"No, no, no..."
Rachel took shaky steps as she started checking on the bodies one by one, hoping somebody had survived.