To the Depth of Abyss
Chapter 54: Price of Loyalty

Another kilometer to the border of the Giant Leaf Woods. There are still two hours left for the Gondola to go up from the 2nd Floor to the 1st Floor.

The 1st Floor Abyssal Hunter group that could still stand up, continued to fight until the death.

The young Gold Hunter once again raised two of his swords - "[Beast Claw: Double-twin Slash]!" - stopped Evolved Father Tree's AOE attack to protect his comrades. However, the moment after he made that charge attack— "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" - the pain is getting worse.

Randi collapsed, he could not bear the pain he felt.

A member of the western Abyssal Hunter picked up Randi and took the young Gold Hunter out of the battle area.

"Lucas, bad news, this kid's down!"

"Now we will all die!"

Lucas was ready to die, but he did not expect their deaths to be such a tense moment.

Not long, Randi woke up, he didn't realize that before he fell unconscious.

"Put me down," he said weakly.

"Lucas, good news, this kid is awake!"

"Good, bring him back!"

Randi got brought to the back first. Then given to the Priest in charge of taking care of him, Elisa.

"Hurry, Elisa, I have to get back to the front."

After hearing Randi's request, Elisa stopped her healing.

"Elisa?"

"Isn't that enough?"

Elisa's question was ambiguous, Randi couldn't guess what the girl was thinking.

However, if the girl did not have the strength to recover him more, Randi would not insist. He will rise with the strength that still left in him.

"Why?" asked Elisa suddenly.

"What's wrong?" asked Randi back, "You can go to the back group if you can't continue fighting."

No, that's not what Elisa asked. "Why are you trying so hard like that?"

Elisa's question made Randi pensive.

Randi took a moment to breathe, and thought, what exact answer should he give to the priest girl.

"I'm not playing hero. It's just that this is Ars's responsibility, and as his substitute, I have to fight so that no lives lost because of his greed. This is also an effort to return my debt to him."

"But that will make you die."

Randi stopped walking. He didn't think of that possible until Elisa told him.

But that doesn't make him afraid. He even gives Elisa a gentle smile before departing.

"If that's the price of my loyalty, then I won't hesitate to do it."

Randi returned to the battle area, leaving Elisa, sit in silent.

"He did it out of responsibility. But I..."

Everyone is doing the best they can. Meanwhile, Elisa can only heal Randi, while she can do more. However, something in her heart stopped her from doing that.

'Don't give other people too much, or you will hurt yourself,' said someone's voice in her head.

That voice always haunted Elisa, blocking her heart to do more than she could do.

'If you are in trouble, seek help from a strong person.' That message reminded Elisa of someone.

"Ars."

Only that man can help them. But unfortunately, that man got trapped on the 2nd Floor. He couldn't help them when he wasn't there.

"Incoming!"

Evolved Father Tree will once again launch an attack.

Randi is ready with two swords. His two hands were still shaking violently, but if he endured the shaking and focused on doing Ulterior Phantasm, he could definitely stop the giant tree monster's attack.

Randi will do his charge attack again. If he did, his body could not withstand the Abyssal Radiation flowing within his body. It would literally bring him death, and Elisa didn't want that.

Elisa could not hold back her emotions. She clasped her hands together, and began to pray.

"Ars, someone. Please save them, please save him. "

"Randi! Ready!"

Randi will really do it. Even though he did it to protect his comrades, but it would kill him. Elisa will also become the cause of the death of the young Gold Hunter, her Party Leader, the first man who invited her to go on an adventure.

Evolved Father Tree raised its right hand up, ready to attack. Likewise, with Randi.

'Her body wouldn't last, only death awaits her.; The voice inside her head made Elisa's whole body tremble.

A certain past memory made her tremble in fear of losing someone she loves.

"Ngoooooooohh!" shouted Evolved Father Tree.

"Haaaaaaaaa!" shouted Randi, not wanting to lose.

Time seemed to have stopped. There is nothing else they can do but accept fate. However, if that fate could still be changed, Elisa still wanted to believe.

"Aaaaaaaaaarrss!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, Evolved Father Tree's right hand got hit by three consecutive bomb attacks. The attack shattered Evolved Father Tree's right hand.

"[Beast Claw: Double-twi -]!"

"Dude, you don't need to do that more!"

They stopped Randi just before he launched his attack. The moment after that, he fell unconscious; he was at his limit.

"Get him out of here!" ordered Lucas.

The attack just now signaled that reinforcements had arrived, a powerful one.

__________

"He finally came."

"What!?"

Jeff heard that there were several explosions going on inside the Giant Leaf Woods. If that related to Hwang's muttering, then it meant — "You want to say that the explosion came from your brat who should be on the 2nd Floor!?"

"Who else?" Hwang asked proudly.

Jeff stared, not wanting to believe the facts. "You - but, he had to climb Adam Tree to get here! Nobody can do crazy shit like that!"

"Except for the proud Sword Saint, and Ars becomes the second person to do it."

"That's ... bullshit."

Jeff still half believed it. However, if that is true, he will no doubt give his acknowledgement to that insolent brat.

___________

"Jordan, they're all turning around!"

The entire Killer Bee, Queen Bull Hornet, Bear Beast pack, and Bull Hornet turned around. From their eastward destination, return to Giant Leaf Woods heading west.

Jordan's men begin to fuss about the cause of the trouble.

"So, the bastard that responsible for all this chaos finally climbed onto this Floor."

"But its still 1pm! There is still 1 hour 54 minutes for Gondola to going up!"

"What?! Then you want to say he climbed Adam Tree and made his way here?!"

Jordan didn't want to believe that. Because if that catastrophic event indeed caused by [Catastrophe Omen] being held by someone from the 2nd Floor, that means that person really climbed the Adam Tree, which is higher than the distance from the 1st Floor to the Surface.

The only person Jordan could think of someone able to do that is - "Is that you, Satria?"

______________________

"Evolved Father Tree turns around!"

"No, he's looking north!"

For some reason, from the western Abyssal Hunter view, the Evolved Father Tree was facing an indeterminate direction. The giant tree monster seemed to look at something flying around the top area of ​​the Giant Leaf Woods.

"That's impossible, right?" Shawn asked the wind. "When the phantasm sun is at its peak, the gas emission from Abyssal Radiation is traveling like an invisible cloud. Can you see those deadly clouds?"

Shawn didn't know who is flying above, and how is that person flying? One thing is for sure, that person must be a powerful person.

"Look at that!"

Someone pointed at something flying above the sky.

"Is that a human?"

"No, it's a flying sword!"

"You idiot, it's a Hunter who flies on a sword!"

"A person flies on a flying sword?"

Lucas only knew of one powerful person who possessed the power associated with swords.

"Is that, the Sword Saint?"

"You mean, the legendary Sword Saint!?"

Shawn wanted to confirm whether that is really the Legend or not. "[Eagle Eye]!" Shawn began to identify that someone who is flying above. "Red-glowing-flying Broadsword, King Bear Mantle, and a smug young face."

That person wasn't the legenday Sword Saint.

"So, who is he?"

While everyone was still wondering who had come, Elisa, hugging the unconscious Randi, was very grateful. "Thank you, thank you for coming at the right time."