C192 - Worry
Ilman's feelings bordered what humans would define as madness, but they were real. His gaze moved on Liiza as soon as the dark-green light of the lightning bolt filled the area. It was as if he could instinctively sense that she was in danger.
The lightning bolt pierced the Aduns' chest and released what remained of its power on the other side. Liiza couldn't do anything as the attack hit her right shoulder and flung her out of her ride.
The Aduns and Liiza started to fall as the Lysixi stretched its massive body forward to reach its prey. Similar scenes happened everywhere in the area as other giant monsters came out of the mountains and gorge. They all appeared as mutated versions of the lizard that the envoys had seen in the underground tunnels, but Ilman didn't care. His full attention was on the woman he loved falling toward the darkness.
The gorge was vast. Even his best leap couldn't cover all of it. However, Ilman believed to be fast enough to catch Liiza mid-air and reach the opposite wall before touching the bottom of the crack.
A suicidal plan quickly formed in his mind as chaos unfolded. Everything went in slow-motion in his eyes as he came up with a desperate idea to save Liiza's life.
Ilman wouldn't be able to control his fall, but Liiza might have the chance to climb back to the surface if he brought her on the opposite wall. That alone wouldn't save her life and would most likely kill him due to the speed reached before the impact, but it could create some hope for her.
Determination appeared in Ilman's eyes as his muscles tensed up. He was ready to sacrifice his life if that gave Liiza a slim chance to survive. He felt no hesitation as he bent himself forward to muster his strength, but a shadow crossed his vision before he could sprint ahead.
Strong winds followed the passage of the shadow. Ilman hair fluttered and his robe almost opened due to the intensity of those gales. His gaze left Liiza's falling figure for the first time since the beginning of that chaotic event, and reassurance spread inside him when he managed to identify the boy who had moved before him.
Khan had gone through everything that Ilman had experienced, but his emotions had been far stronger. His resolve to risk his life to save Liiza had also been more intense, but he could actually back it up with some confidence.
Khan had been a first-level warrior for a week already. Hunts had followed his breakthrough, but he had always held back during them to avoid arousing suspicion. However, everything had disappeared after the lightning bolt hit Liiza.
Giant monsters capable of eating Khan with a single bite were coming out from every surface of the valley, but he didn't feel any fear. His immediate reaction could make others wonder about his relationship with Liiza, but those worries didn't exist in his mind either.
A deafening urge resounded Khan's mind and made it impossible for him to think about anything else. He had to save his loved one. All the worries, fears, and consequences had to wait for when Liiza was safe.
Khan reached an unfathomable speed when he called upon the entire power that his body could unleash. The air transformed into a dense membrane that tried to slow him down as he shot ahead, but his eyes managed to see everything clearly.
The gorge was too vast, even for Khan. He couldn't cross it in a single jump, but the Lysixi coming out of the walls had created multiple footholds that he could use.
The giant lizards coming out of the walls and the boulders flying in the gorge allowed Khan to see a path. His experience in the Lightning-demon style told him that he could cross the opening thanks to the new power that filled his body.
Khan generated winds as he moved forward, but his steps didn't release any sound. The edges of the gorge were falling apart, but the tiny boulders created a path that led him directly to the back of the lizard.
The monster was stretching its giant body toward the center of the crack in a desperate attempt to catch the falling Aduns. The creature had become almost seven meters long after the mutations. It was even using its tail to reach deeper parts of the canyon, and Khan didn't hesitate to use it as a bridge to get closer to Liiza.
The mutated Lysixi didn't notice Khan's arrival. His steps on the dark-green scales were too faint, but his pace changed when he reached the tip of the creature's mouth.
Khan almost stopped once he stepped on the mouth's tip. The Lysixi noticed him at that point, and its claws tried to converge in his position, but a massive force suddenly flung its head downward.
A rumbling noise spread among the canyon as Khan jumped using all the strength that his legs could muster. The central parts of the canyon didn't have debris, so he couldn't commit any mistake. Yet, his feelings made his mind reach levels of concentration that he had never experienced before. His leap was perfect.
Khan flew as his body slowly spun. He went so fast that even the improved skin obtained after the breakthrough burned in some spots. A direct clash with Liiza would only kill her, but he had calculated his rotation perfectly.
Liiza had almost lost consciousness after the lightning bolt pierced her shoulder. Her worry for her Aduns and her pain had kept her vaguely awake, but seeing Khan flying toward her made her eyes widen in surprise and concern.
Liiza immediately realized where she was, so seeing Khan flying in the middle of the gorge made her fear for his life. Still, everything happened too quickly for her to do anything. Khan reached her before she recalled what had happened.
Khan didn't hit her directly. He continued to rotate with the same momentum generated during his jump and grabbed her gently before continuing to shoot ahead.
The impact remained hard to endure for Liiza even if Khan had done his best to make it easy for her. Moreover, the speed that she reached wasn't something that her body could endure. Her bare skin started to burn as Khan held her close to his chest and gazed at the path ahead.
Khan was far faster than Ilman, but he couldn't reach the other side of the gorge even after using the Lysixi. Grabbing Liiza had made him slow down and descend toward the wall, but that area had a path that he could walk.
Many monsters had come out of the wall and had filled that area with falling boulders. Khan continued to descend diagonally until he reached those cracked rocks, and one of them eventually appeared in front of him.
"[Hold still]," Khan whispered as his eyes remained on that boulder.
Liiza instinctively wrapped her arms around his chest, allowing him to focus the entirety of his attention on the issue at hand. Khan's side slammed on the falling boulder and pushed it away, but he used his free hand to keep it close.
The boulder continued to fall, but Khan nimbly jumped on it. His eyes went on the sky now that he had finally gained a foothold. Many rocks and giant lizards filled his vision, but he didn't consider them as potential threats. They were his path toward the surface.
Liiza tightened her grip on Khan's chest when he jumped upward. His faint steps landed on multiple cavities on the wall as he pushed himself closer to the surface.
Khan climbed until he exhausted the viable cavities, but he turned toward the falling rocks at that point. A suitable boulder was right above him, and he didn't hesitate to jump there.
The new spot opened new paths. Khan saw other cavities and boulders, and he quickly jumped again by following a simple tactic. He had to prioritize the boulders since they would end at some point. Instead, the wall would still be there once they fell past him.
Khan climbed until the surface reappeared in his vision. A Lysixi had come out from a spot above him and had created a large cavity that could lead him back on the valley with a single jump. Yet, the creature was still there, and it had noticed his arrival.
That monster was smaller than the lizard seen on the other side of the canyon, but fuming claws grew from its eight legs. They appeared able to melt everything they touched, including the rocky cavity that allowed it to stand next to the surface.
A single touch from those claws would cleave Khan in half, but he didn't feel any fear while jumping away from the wall to reach a falling boulder behind him. The second foothold allowed him to leap back toward a higher spot of the wall that was quite close to the cavity occupied by the mutated Lysixi.
The creature couldn't follow his movements, but the instant that Khan spent on the second foothold told it that the prey was coming. The Lysixi started to stretch its claws forward even if Khan disappeared from its vision.
The claws aimed for Khan even after he jumped off the boulder, but he didn't panic. He had never intended to reach the mutated Lysixi in a straight line. A small rock stood between him and those fuming talons, and that was enough to make him change direction mid-air.
The small rock shattered as Khan performed a quick jump that led him next to the lizard's head. The creature remained stunned, but Khan vanished right after. He climbed the small wall behind the monster until his feet stepped on the dark-grey grass of the valley.
Khan didn't stop there. The monster was behind him, but other mutated Lysixi were coming out in the distance. The safest spot appeared to be the center of that side of the valley, and he reached it in no time.
"[Khan]," Liiza sobbed when Khan placed her on the ground.
Liiza had hidden her face on his chest, but burns had appeared on her hands, forearms, legs, and neck. Her shoulder had never stopped bleeding either, and Khan's speed had only worsened her injury.
Still, the pain felt during the flight had awakened her completely. Liiza had recalled everything that had happened, and tears inevitably fell from her eyes.
Khan didn't need to question her to understand the source of her sorrow. Liiza had just lost the friend that had accompanied her throughout the long years as an outcast. Her Aduns had been her only trusted companion before Khan's arrival, and its corpse was somewhere in the depths of the gorge now.
"[I couldn't save Zama]," Khan explained while holding her hand. "[I'm sorry]."
Liiza tried to stand up and go toward the gorge, but Khan hugged her before she could stand up. The girl struggled to escape his grasp and shouted the Aduns' name, but she eventually hid her face in Khan's neck to cry.
Khan studied Liiza's injuries while she wrapped her arms around his neck to hide her face even more. The burns weren't an issue, but blood still flowed out of the hole in her right shoulder. He had to patch that wound before it became too severe.
A powerful presence entered Khan's range while he was busy tearing apart a piece of his robe. His hand immediately went on his sheath and drew the first-grade knife as he turned toward the source of that sensation, but his eyes widened when he noticed Yeza.
Dark blood had tainted the woman's revealing dress and hair, but she didn't seem to care. Yeza's face was cold, but evident worry filled her eyes as they moved between Khan and Liiza.
Khan wanted to relax his face, but he noticed that his muscles didn't reply to his thoughts. His grip on the knife remained firm, his eyes continued to express coldness, and his feet had instinctively prepared another sprint.
The dangerous situation and the injured Liiza crying in his arms had made Khan focus the entirety of his power on protecting her. Of course, that was an irrational desire in front of her mother, and Khan slowly managed to lower his knife, but his expression remained cold and wary.
To be continued