(Unedited)
…
"Don't stop! We must reach the city at all cost!" shouted Melissa as she suddenly handed a small box to Vipercrown.
"Boss, you have to successfully give this to the laboratory. This is our only hope… You are the only hope for the people in the city." Melissa said as she nodded her head.
Then she opens the door of the off-road car and suddenly jumps out. She activated her power and flew through the air before she could touch the ground.
Melissa pats her pocket to make sure that the folded paper talisman that Curt gave her is still there. Feeling that familiar slight bulge she felt a bit confident. Upon reaching above the trees her gaze immediately turn towards that giant thing.
Her eyes squint as she tried to analyze what that thing is.
"This monster is not the usual monster in this area. This thing… this thing is man-made…" she muttered as she suddenly gathers energy in her staff and then threw it towards the giant.
Melissa received the recoil of the wind ball but she floated to the air then suddenly flew towards that creature following the wind ball she just released.
Meanwhile, the off-road vehicle once again rocked from side to side. But a golden light surrounds it protecting the people inside. However, from the glow of the light, it would not be able to hold on much longer.
This is because the talisman that Melissa left in the car was about to expire since it was activated yesterday.
"Go! Go! Shoot back at that thing!" Vipercrown shouted.
With his command, the rest of the people inside the car began shooting at the plant creature through the gun ports of the car.
Bratatat!
Gun blazing and the smell of gunpowder made the people inside the off-road car and those other cars following behind it felt their hearts burn with the desire to fight.
Lines of bullets could be seen from afar as it hits the thick vines on the creature's body which looks like veins of a large creature. This resulted in many sparks all over and green liquid saps slowly flow from those vines.
Meanwhile atop the head of that creature stood a woman with LEP energy around her body creating a small vortex around her. Her eyes are glowing with power and her veins are showing on her neck as if she is exerting all of her effort to use such power.
When Curt who is already rushing towards this place saw that figure, he squinted to concentrate his energy in his eyes. With the enhancement, he is able to see the top of that 20 meters creature.
"That woman… She… she is one of those women that I trapped in the garden of the small nymph." He muttered.
Curt then took out a bunch of rocks and then began jumping from tree to tree towards the direction of the main road in this forest.
As he reached near the beast he could see someone flying on the side while sending wind blades and wind blasts towards that creature. This made the creature really busy that it didn't have time to attack the off-road car and those behind it, which is also shooting the creature.
Curt immediately made his move by throwing the small rocks around the creature. Then after that, he formed some seal on his hand while activating his core. Feeling the energy in his body, the whole area was suddenly surrounded by a lightning barrier.
Enveloping him, Melissa, and the creature is a bluish light that suddenly raised high covering the creature. The person standing on its head saw what is happening. When she noticed the figure of the masked man, her expression suddenly turned ugly.
"It's you! You are the one who caused my partner to suffer. It was you who took his power from him! I will kill you with my own hands! I will kill you! I will kill you!" she suddenly shouted crazily as her eyes glow brighter.
Then the plan creature shifted its direction towards Curt's figure that is standing in the air. As it lifted its huge thick arms, the ground even began to tremor.
Curt calmly watches as the huge intertwined vines which now look like two huge arms of a 20-meters gorilla descended upon the tree he is standing at.
Taking out a talisman, he began throwing them towards the two thick arms.
The talisman suddenly flew like being control by something and then sticks to the two big arms of the vine creature.
"Explosion!" Curt muttered.
And then a huge thunderous sound erupted from those talismans followed a two big fire spreading.
Curt suddenly jumps down from his position and then ran towards the body of the beast.
Melissa who noticed this followed him while flying in the air.
"What's your plan?" she asked as she flew near him figure that is jumping from tree to tree.
"Fire is not that effective against it. We have to climb that thing and stop the woman on top of its head before it destroys the barrier." Curt replied.
"I'll give you a lift then."
Melissa suddenly hugs Curt's waist and then lifted him in the air. Although she feels a bit awkward, as a mature woman, she controlled her emotion and then drops Curt near the back of the humongous creature.
"I'll distract it, good luck!" she said as she flew away while throwing wind blades towards the head of the creature.
Synthesis, who is already enraged, suddenly lost her target. So when she saw the flying woman, she immediately concentrated her attacks on Melissa. However, the nimble movement of Melissa in the air made the giant creature's attack futile.
But she continuously brandishes the huge arms of the creature to try and swat that annoying fly.
Suddenly, her expression change then her gaze turns behind her.
"You!" Synthesis shouted.
Suddenly she concentrated and hundreds of small vines suddenly came out of the body of the creature. Curt who is running towards Synthesis saw this and immediately took out his two sharp machetes. As the vines attacked him, he would swing and cut them into pieces.
However, no matter how much he swings his machete, it seems that those vines are endless.
Curt could not help but retreat and concentrated on chopping those annoying vines.
Suddenly in the corner of his eyes, he noticed Melissa was caught by some long vine which suddenly darted towards her. Though she was able to cut most of them, she was still caught. Then before she could react, she saw the two huge fists coming towards her.
Melissa knew that if those fists connect, then she would surely die. Her eyes suddenly glowed in golden color. She has no other choice but to ignite her core so that she could escape this predicament. But of course, once she did this, she would need to recuperate for a long time.
But she has no choice.
"Don't do it!" a frantic shout coming from a familiar voice interrupted her.
Then suddenly Curt threw some stones in the air.
"These are my last stones, make it count please…" he muttered.
Those stones flew towards the vines that held Melissa. Unlike the talismans, the stones flew faster.
Ka-Boom! Rumble! Rumble!
A thunderous explosion shook the vine creature as the stones turned into lightning bolt explosion. It was so strong that even the figure of Melissa which was released was thrown a few meters away luckily evading the two colliding giant fists.
As if everyone was stunned, Curt did not hesitate and grabbed this opportunity and sneakily threw a flame talisman.
The paper talisman flew without Synthesis noticing it.
After recovering from that explosion, she did not stop and concentrated on catching Curt who is already blocked by her vines.
"You're mine… I will kill you with my own hands!" she said under gritted teeth.
Suddenly she formed a sharp spike using the vines.
"Now die!!!" she shouted turning her expression ugly.
The sharp vine rushes towards Curt who is busy cutting off the tentacle-like vines around him. Rushing like a sharp spear, the sharp vine directly shoots towards Curt's heart.
Yet before it reaches its target, a golden glow suddenly covered Curt's body.
"No!!!" shouted Synthesis in exasperation.
Suddenly, she saw the masked man pointing towards her with his index finger formed like a gun.
'Bang!' Curt gestured.
Her eyes went wide in disbelief as a dangerous premonition immediately enveloped her heart. But before she could do anything, she suddenly heard a loud explosion.
Boom! Boom!
That was the last thing that Synthesis heard before her figure was thrown off as the vines protecting her body was shattered.
Her unconscious, badly burned, and a half-naked body fell down towards the ground.
Suddenly a woman flashed and caught her before she could fall to her death.
Melissa held the woman's badly burned body as she landed on the ground. She shifted her gaze towards Curt and saw the vine creature which has started to fall apart.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of large falling vines made the ground shake. Then she saw the figure of Curt nimbly jumping from one falling vine to another until he calmly landed to the ground and the vine creature completely collapsing behind him.
"You… save her?" Curt asked with a complicated tone.
"Well… I… I can't let her die." Melissa said with an awkward expression.
Curt wanted to say something but decided to let it be. They have already defeated the enemy.
He then carefully lifted his mask as he wipes the sweat covering his face. The battle was too intense. In fact, this mission has truly drained his energy so far. Right, now what he really wanted is a nice hot shower and a warm bed.
While the two are talking they suddenly hear the roaring sound of a truck's engine. They saw the vehicle which carries the wounded and the dead which were left behind a while ago.
Curt immediately deactivated the barrier so that and the trucks were able to go near their location.
"Are you guys, alright?" the soldier driving the truck asked.
But when he saw the badly burned almost naked woman in Melissa's arms, he shifted his gaze. Sensing his reaction, Curt stood and covered the woman as the soldier threw a green blanket towards him.
The convoy did not linger and directly went towards the city.
Meanwhile, as they were traveling, in one of the trucks a young esper is currently showing a complicated expression on her face.
"My eyes are not playing tricks on me, right?" Jenny Mae muttered to herself.
The young man beside her shifted his gaze and wanted to ask her what she means? But seeing her deep thought, he didn't say anything and just sits there.
Jenny Mae saw the masked man lifting his mask from afar. But in that instant, she thought that she saw a very familiar face. But she is not sure if it is really him.
And so, she immediately decided that as soon as they arrive she would immediately go to his apartment and see for herself if her eyes are playing tricks on her.