Time passed, as the raining leaves stopped once more. Crimson had managed to block all the leaves from hitting them, leaving Mia in wow since she hadn't seen such a display of pinpoint accuracy and strength.
"Haaa, haaa."
Crimson panted, as beads of sweat formed on his face, showcasing his level of exhaustion.
"I don't think I can hold this for much longer,"
Crimson thought as his body felt as if it would collapse at any second.
"I need to rest."
He paced onward as he looked at the tree branches above him as they regrew their leaves.
"Mia, we have to move,"
he said, turning to Mai and revealing an exhausted expression.
"Ok,"
Mia hesitated before replying, as she was shocked and worried, realizing the strain the power put on Crimson's body.
As she moved towards Crimson, aiming to give him support, the sound of movement echoed from the trees that hadn't lost their leaves in the distance.
Mia instantly halted, raising her guard and pulling out her sword.
Several arrows shot out of the leaves but weren't a problem as she deflected them instantly.
"There's someone there."
"Show yourself,"
Mia exclaimed.
Before she could take in another breath, a figure appeared beside her. It flashed, lasting about a mere millisecond, as it vanished once more.
She didn't even have the chance to sense its presence as it moved too fast for her senses, but as she turned around, she saw Crimson lying on the ground beside her.
"Crim, what happened?"
she said, suddenly feeling a sharp pain in her torso as she pressed her hand on it reflexively.
"What the?..."
she muttered as she felt blood oozing out of her. The first thing that came to her mind was her protection, as she checked if it was still activated by looking at her aura.
Seeing it was intact, a feeling of dread washed over her body as she fell to her knees, feeling an instant pain in her legs.
She checked, seeing blood gush out of her legs as well even though they weren't cleaved off.
As the two strikes landed, a third followed. In less than the blink of an eye, she saw Crimson standing beside her, blocking an attack from what seemed to be an angel with black wings.
With all his efforts in his state, he couldn't slice through the wings as it seemed like they were evenly matched.
After processing the scene, she realized that the attack Crimson was blocking was aimed for her head,
putting her mind in a dilemma as she almost lost it. She didn't speak or react, as she couldn't. She suddenly felt a flood of insignificance wash over her as she couldn't even see the attack.
"Mia, stand up,"
Crimson said, as he coughed a mouthful of blood, still standing in a firm position and blocking the attack.
"I can't hold it much longer,"
he paced on. His words gave Mai the little strength she needed to join the battle as she stood up, calling upon the power of the goddess of gifts and throwing a head-on attack on the angel.
It retreated, giving Mia a glimpse of its features as it moved back into the trees.
Crimson held his ribs, losing the strength to stand as he fell to his knees.
"That bastard. He was testing us,"
he said, vomiting tons of blood as he lost consciousness.
Mia supported him before he could fall, raising him up and carrying him on her back as they started to move since the leaves were done growing and were preparing for another rain.
They managed to avoid it on time, falling into the other parts of the woods that were seemingly safe.
"What's happening?"
Mia muttered before chanting a healing spell on her wounds. Her clothes had been drenched in blood, her skin and hair in a miserable state as she looked like someone who had emerged out of a war zone.
After she had completely healed herself, being immersed in thought during the entire process as she tried to comprehend what was happening, including why they saw that angel with demonic features.
Within all recorded texts, there was nothing as such. The angels were divine creatures whose power was close to that of gods. If one was able to call upon the power of an angel, then it was considered a great feat. Demons, on the other hand, were nothing in comparison to them.
"Heal, heal, heal,"
she used her healing spell to awaken Crimson. That's when she noticed the brutal damage Crimson's ribs had taken, as she inquired,
"What happened?"
With weak yet rhythmic breaths, he replied.
"All the attacks were aimed for your head, but I managed to block them. Then he crushed my ribs and merely wounded you."
"Seriously, I didn't even see you move,"
she muttered, disappointed in her level of power.
"The only way I managed to survive was because of my mana adaptation skill and this state. If not for that, we would have been dead by now."
Mia lowered her head in shame, clenching a fist as she crushed several leaves and twigs in her hand, throwing them aside and hitting a tree with a sideways punch.
The loud sound of her punch echoed through the forest, as the tree fell to the ground, crashing on the soil behind them.
Tears dripped on the dry leaves that lay on the ground, but not even a sound escaped Mia's lips. She was as silent as she would have been if not for Crimson.
"I need to get stronger."
"I have to get stronger,"
she said, raising her head and looking at Crimson with tears in her eyes.
"You're right,"
Crimson replied as his aura dimmed, reverting back to his emotionless self.
"If not for this power, I would have been dead too. It's just by luck it was still activated while I was unconscious, or else..."
He paced on, standing up and holding Mai's hands, lifting her to her feet and embracing her with a hug.
"You're not supposed to stop in this state,"
she said, surprised by Crimson's sudden action.
"If I let such minor wounds keep me down, then how can I protect you?"
Crimson said, with an emotionless tone, his words carrying deep affection as he tightened his embrace.
Mia finally calmed, returning his gesture and wrapping her arms around him, as the two stayed in their affectionate moment.
"Now, we need to discuss how we can get stronger," Crimson said as he looked into Mia's eyes with his void-like gaze.