Time took a standstill even though Aggros and the others were already running back to their pod. They watched as the Caixian Tribe stopped their chase and only stared at the Yggdrassil that took the brunt of the plasma beam. A huge chunk of its trunk exploded, adding to the damage earlier. Then it started collapsing, catching on fire while energy continued pouring forth from the Plasma Gun, worsening the state of the Tree.
"Quick! Get in!" Aggros was reduced to commanding with simple sentences since it took every ounce of his being just to keep his balance. As soon as he got inside, he immediately activated the pod, ignoring the fact that most of his team were still outside.
The pod started closing just when Erina jumped in, then Seidrich with Ion soon followed. As for Lev, his luck ran out and the entrance to the pod completely closed just when he was about to reach out his hands. Because of his momentum, he hit the door to the pod and left a dent.
Swishh!
A steady rumble could be heard from the pod as it shot upward. In one desperate attempt, Lev leaped upwards and grabbed hold to one of the railways of the pod.
Tug!
He felt the jolt all over his body but he still clung on. For some odd reason, he felt as if his body was much heavier than normal. 'Well, my body was much heavier than when I was still alive, but why does it feel different? It's as if someone handcuffed a ball of chain to my leg.' He said.
No sooner had he looked down, he felt something soft press against his legs. "Oi, what are you doing?!" Lev exclaimed but the girl who was clinging on to his leg for dear life didn't hear what he said. "You'll die if you don't— oh wait, we're already too high up. We'll die either way."
Lev found it ironic that he'll experience death in a dream after dying in real life. But after having experienced death first-hand, he didn't feel panicked at all. Such is the inevitability of life, if you've been chosen to die today, then it's your time to die— was what Lev thought.
"That son of a— " Ion gruntled, punching the sides of the of space pod. "That traitor, he deserves to die."
"Yeah, let's not send a rescue ship to him. It's not like the Caixians will leave him alone anyways." Seidrich muttered.
"What on earth happened?" Aggros couldn't help but ask.
"They caused unnecessary bloodshed, is all. And now they're blaming Lev for their wrong decisions. Seriously, our leader's health should've been our priority, not blowing the murderous Caixians. You should've bought time instead of riling them up out of nowhere. I know we all harbor grudges at them but in emergencies such as a moment ago, you should've focused more on our priorities. Lev completely understood that, and yet you blamed him and wreaked havoc on a completely fine planet. You're more than savages compared to the Caixians." Erina clicked her tongue in annoyance.
A rebuttal didn't come out of Ion and Seidrich's mouths since the truth was like knives digging deeper into their heart. Erina was right, but they didn't want to admit that they were in the wrong. Even after laying it out before them with as much clarity as crystal, they still didn't offer an apology or two towards Aggros, their expedition leader.
"What's done is done. Right now, what we have to do is try to appeal to the captain about our slip-up. Sigh~ this is why I hate going to unknown planets." Aggros scratched his head before continuing on to massage his legs.
...
Meanwhile,
The Caixians rent their clothes and screamed in agony as the life force of the planet dwindled. The Yggdrasil was what supported all life on the planet and with it gone, it's only a matter of time before a majority of the living would fall from existence. Of course, it's not like the planet will completely die, but it will take at most a hundred years before another Yggdrassil would appear on the planet.
Once again, the Caixians were forced to live underground. After all, once the Yggdrasil is expired, the atmosphere would be too unstable to support life. And so, there's a huge chance that the Caixians would die if they ever venture into the surface again.
And they say Caixians have noticeably ivory-white skin. Who would've thought that was the underlying reason for their unmistakable constitution?
...
"We're veering off course! Something's stuck outside!" Aggros announced, causing the others to look out from the windows. As usual, the windows on their space pod provided limited view so they couldn't really see what was going on outside.
Fortunately, though, Erina saw something below the window prompted on the only door in and out of the space pod. "Captain! Open the entrance door! Hurry!"
"What are you saying, are you crazy? We're approaching space, do you want us to freeze to death?"
"It's Lev! He's holding onto the railings. If we don't act now, our course will be way off and we'll be stranded in space!"
Say no more.
Aggros pressed a button and the doorway to the space pod opened. In an instant, Lev climbed up and panted in relief. Something was stuck on his leg.
Shut.
"A Caixian! You!" Ion gritted his teeth, charging an energy ball on hand.
Smash!
Before Ion could do anything else, Aggros gave him a good blow to the head, making him collapse on the ground, unconscious. "You fool, you already destroyed a planet, do you want to dig our own graves as well?!" Aggros called out in annoyance before giving Ion a kick to the stomach, sending him skittering to the corner of the space pod.
"Hey, recruit, are you all right? That was some intense grip you got there. I would've mistaken you as someone from the Carnage Class if it weren't for your height." Aggros patted him on the back.
"Leader, what do we do with that... that girl..." Erina cut herself short, almost calling the Caixian stuck on Lev's leg a murderer.
"For now, we go back to the Space Cruise, and then we'll talk there," Aggros responded.
Bloop~!
As soon as they left the atmosphere of the planet, a rewarding silence encompassed them. From a distance, they watched as the planet slowly decayed. Who knows how long it'd take for it to recover? Certainly more than a hundred years minimum, all thanks to a certain Plasma-Class human who went into overdrive.