As Ignis neared the girl, he noticed her dishevelled appearance, with her dark-blue hair in disarray and her trembling body in a state of distress.
Her dark green eyes radiated fear and pain, and he quickened his pace to reach her. But as he came face to face with her, he was at a loss for words as he saw her condition up close.
However, before he could utter a word, the girl's face lit up with a radiant smile, as if she were having the most beautiful dream of her life.
"You have finally arrived!" she exclaimed. In a moment of blissful contentment, she then shut her eyes with a graceful flourish and slumped unconsciously into Ignis's arms, her lips still curving in a serene smile.
Ignis felt the girl's body collapse against his, the trembling still rippling through her frame. But as he held her, he sensed her body gradually relaxing, as if finding comfort in his touch. The trembling gave way to a peaceful stillness.
…
Meanwhile,
"I… I-no" Dealous muttered to himself with disbelief written all over his face, his grey blood was seeping steadily from both of his severed hands, and he had also coughed up a mouthful of blood however pain didn't register in his body.
"E-Even after… going through all of the… hardships, I still lost my hands this… easily." His mind was dismayed at the realisation of how easily he tasted bitter defeat and struggled to accept it.
"N-no… no… n-no!"
"This can not happen to me; I have evolved."
"All the pain can't go to waste!" From the region where his hands were cut, suddenly the blood flow ceased abruptly, and Dealous' eyes glazed over as his pupils dilated into lifeless grey orbs.
Dang!
The moment this occurred, a heavy pressure crashed down upon the area, causing everyone to collapse onto the ground, clutching their eyes and unleashing screams. Even the dinosaurs were not exempt from the effects, except for the golden-armoured knight and Lazer, who appeared to be less impacted.
Ignis succumbed to the heavy pressure and collapsed onto his knees, still holding onto the girl. He cursed under his breath, clenching his teeth as he struggled to stay upright, but he could feel the weight of the pressure bearing down on him.
He carefully lowered the girl to the ground and then crouched on his knees, mustering all his strength to rise again.
"This damn pressure!" He forced his body to stand up, ignoring the pain, and equipped his whip while moving as quickly as he could towards Dealous, fighting against the resistance.
Soon after he lashed out with his whip towards Dealous with the intention to sever his neck, but before his whip could make contact, a hand materialized out of nowhere and firmly grasped it, pulling the whole body into view.
Ignis quickly recognized the person who appeared and, leaving the whip behind, swiftly jumped back. He had already deduced that Lazer was not as straightforward as the stats suggested.
"You really are an interesting one, my friend." Lazer fixed his gaze on Ignis with an unreadable expression on his face, but his eyes conveyed the intense anger he felt towards him.
"You too, bastard." Ignis stood protectively next to the girl, his unreadable expression belying the intensity of his focus. His katana was already unsheathed and at the ready, a clear indication of the threat he perceived in Lazer.
Both stood motionless, their eyes locked in an intense stare-down that seemed to be fighting countless battles.
After countless seconds, Lazer redirected his gaze and struck Dealous's neck, causing him to fall unconscious and the pressure on the battlefield to dissipate. With one hand, he lifted and carried Dealous while levitating off the ground.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after the pressure dissipated. However, when they saw Lazer effortlessly levitating with Dealous in his hand, shock and horror overtook them. Even the golden-armoured knight and Ignis were not spared from the dread.
"T-tier 3…" the golden knight and others muttered in hushed tones.
"Game over…"
"How... can this be possible?"
"Why would someone so powerful venture into the countryside?"
Trembling with fear, they whispered among themselves, losing all hope of survival.
Lazer scanned the faces of everyone who trembled in fear, and for a second, he wished they could feel the same pain that tormented him. But he knew that if he lingered any longer, powerful beings would sense his presence, and he would be hunted down.
His eyes then darted towards Ignis, the only person he found having a different scent, which he had never smelled in his life. He could see Ignis was still on guard, and even though Ignis could make a guess at how powerful he was, he was still holding his katana high with his only right hand.
He then smirked and thought of a gift. With a smile, as if they were old friends, he then said to Ignis, "My friend Daze, I have a parting gift for you!"
The moment Lazer spoke those words, he snapped his fingers, drew a symbol in the air, and started to disappear. As he vanished, he waved at Ignis and said in a friendly, longing voice, "If fate allows, we shall meet again."
'Fuck fate, I don't want that.' Ignis roared in his mind and appeared vigilant, as he had a bad premonition about the parting gift. As expected, his premonition turned out to be spot on.
All of a sudden, the dinosaurs were falling to the ground like ripe apples falling from trees on vacation, their bodies emitting a pulsating glow.
Everyone understood the reason for the pulsating bodies: all the dinosaurs were about to detonate.
The knight captain's gaze darted towards Ignis, and he bellowed, "Young man, escort the lady outside immediately, with haste!" Then he turned towards his underlings and commanded them to protect the young man and lady at all costs.
However, before Ignis could assist the lady, a woman wearing all black and her face covered with a black mask materialised in the jail room and lifted her into her arms. She glared at Ignis and snarled in a menacing tone, "Don't you even think about touching the young lady, you filth!"
She whirled around, her eyes blazing with anger and hatred, and fixed her gaze on the knight captain and his retinue. With a loud and menacing voice, she thundered, "Not a single one of you is allowed to move! You have all failed to protect the young lady, and as punishment, you shall suffer the consequences of this detonation. If any of you survive, consider yourselves fortunate to continue living."
Not a single sound escaped their lips, and she materialized before the golden knight. With a single nod, they vanished from the cave.
The cave fell into a deafening silence, and not one of the knights dared to raise their gaze, fully acknowledging the punishment that had been dealt to them.
Meanwhile, Ignis glared towards the spot where the black-dressed woman vanished, his eyebrows twitching furiously, and a single thought was on his mind: 'I'll make that bitch regret it if our paths cross again, and lady luck help me out on this one.'
He then surveyed his surroundings, realising that all of this occurred in less than ten seconds and that the dinosaurs were still radiating but had not exploded yet.
He glanced towards the knights and let out a sigh. Despite knowing from his previous life experience in the tower how every knight had to obey their superiors' orders, he couldn't bear the thought of any of them dying, even though they had failed in their duty.
'Ah screw it! First, I need to find a way to save myself before anyone else.'
Suddenly, he heard a familiar growling sound and turned towards the hole, where he saw Bell and Deino, his summons, rushing towards him while carrying various items in their mouths.