A Desperate Rescue

“Screech—”

A piercing shriek erupted from the monstrous bird as a lengthy gash, ripped open by a stone spike, tore across its abdomen. It instantly lost balance and plummeted into the forest.

“Ugh—”

The air grew thick with a sickening stench of blood and an indescribable foulness. Having just expended her magic, South Creek felt the world spin violently around her. A powerful wave of nausea swept over her, compounded by the repulsive smell, churning her stomach until she collapsed to the ground and vomited.

“Ha—I—Ha—Ugh—”

Having not eaten for a long time, South Creek brought up nothing but a mixture of tears, snot, saliva, and stomach acid. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably, and her vision was consumed by an oppressive darkness.

“South Creek—”

Hearing the colossal crash from within the forest, the other two had rushed to the scene. Upon their arrival, however, they found only a near-fainting South Creek and the monstrous bird thrashing desperately nearby.

“Are you alright?” Fanny quickly helped her friend up, and the two of them swiftly supported her, moving deeper into the forest.

“Screech————!”

Before they could take more than two steps, a deafening shriek erupted violently from behind them. Unbeknownst to them, the monstrous bird had somehow staggered back to its feet, the wound on its abdomen no longer bleeding. It turned out that while the wound had appeared terrifying, it was merely superficial, having never penetrated the monster’s vital organs. The creature’s formidable regenerative powers were now on full display; its injury healed at an astonishing pace, and in just a few moments, the bird had fully recovered.

[We’re doomed…]

“Quickly, run faster!”

Desperately, they sprinted deeper into the forest, but with South Creek on their backs, their speed was agonizingly slow. The monstrous bird did not pursue them directly. Instead, it flapped its wings once more, unleashing a furious gale that swept towards the trio.

“Woah!”

Nearly lifted off their feet again, Jack this time clung tightly to a tree trunk. Fanny, meanwhile, held Jack with one arm and gripped South Creek with the other, her face mottled with exertion, clearly summoning every ounce of her strength. The howling gale was weakened by the dense forest, yet it still possessed the immense power to effortlessly hurl the small figures away. Moreover, the monstrous bird continued to advance, flapping its wings, and with every step it took, the wind intensified.

“I… I can’t hold on much longer…”

Fanny’s small frame simply couldn’t contain much energy. No matter how much she strained, not an iota more would surface. Her hands felt as though they were about to be torn off, and she was clearly at her breaking point.

“Keep going… don’t let go!” Jack roared, trying to bolster Fanny’s spirits, though he himself was nearly spent. In the face of such an absolute disparity in strength, words of encouragement felt utterly futile.

The next moment, the trio were flung away like kites with severed strings.

“Ah—”

This time, no miraculous spell could protect them.

Thump—

Fanny felt her body collide with something. She clutched South Creek tightly, and it was a long moment before she managed to open her eyes. Her body felt as though it were coming apart, her head swimming, yet surprisingly, Fanny felt no intense pain.

“Ugh…”

“Ja… Jack…”

Her hand was smeared with something sticky and slick. A faint groan reached her ears, and Fanny turned her head to see Jack lying behind her, blood slowly seeping from his lower abdomen. In that critical moment, the small boy had used his own body to shield them.

“No… no, please…”

Both her body and her heart trembled. Fanny knew that if things continued this way, Jack would soon perish.

“……Mmh.”

“Screech!”

Seeing its prey finally lose the ability to resist, the monstrous bird advanced with a satisfied air. Its colossal body seemed to mock the trio’s weakness, swelling even larger.

“Ah…………”

Fear, rage, terror, despair… a maelstrom of emotions surged within Fanny, rendering her utterly speechless. Suddenly, however, she felt a lightness spread through her body. The pain was no longer so intense, and even her wounds began to slowly heal.

“Run… ah…” Even as her consciousness frayed, South Creek managed to cast one last spell, her most practiced one: a healing art.

“…”

Watching South Creek fully succumb to unconsciousness, Fanny’s gaze shifted to the monster now looming directly before them. In the world reflected in her pupils, terrifying claws slowly began to rise…

“Die, you beast—”

“Screech—”

Then, a scorching meteor, whistling through the air, pierced straight through the monster’s body.

“South Creek, Fanny, Jack!”

Clearly still reeling from the sudden turn of events, Fanny sat stunned, only then hearing a familiar and comforting call. In that desperate moment, Elise finally arrived. With a furious shout, she summoned a blazing meteor, which pierced the body of the arrogant monster. With a final shriek, the bird hadn’t even fully registered its assailant’s presence before its vision was completely enveloped by a blinding, white-hot light. A pure white beam then pierced its skull, definitively ending the monster’s life.

“Are you all right?”

“Pastor Elise… I—”

Elise turned her head and spotted Jack and South Creek lying unconscious on the ground. She quickly knelt to examine their condition.

“Overuse of spiritual power, moderate depletion of internal spiritual energy… And this! So many fractures all over the body, and this wound…”

After checking South Creek and finding no severe injuries, Elise turned to examine Jack. At first glance, she was startled: multiple fractures and abrasions covered his body, and the wound on his left abdomen was particularly alarming, with blood continuously gushing from it, revealing glimpses of his internal organs.

“There’s no time to take him back; he needs immediate treatment.”

Given Jack’s current state, he would likely perish within the next fifteen minutes without intervention. After assessing the urgency, Elise gently laid Jack flat on the ground and began emergency treatment.

“Pastor Elise, they…”

“They’ll be fine, trust me, alright?”

With a subtle shift of her will, a stream of pristine water began to form in Elise’s hands. Under her control, the water gently glided over the wound, cleansing it of impurities. Simultaneously, a pure light radiated from her left hand, infusing the injury and prompting it to slowly begin healing.

“This is…”

Witnessing the scene unfolding before her, Fanny recalled the spell South Creek had used on her earlier. This seemed somewhat different, yet one thing was certain: Jack, who had been on the brink of death moments ago, now had a chance to escape the Reaper’s scythe.

“Pastor Elise, are you all right?”

Disordered footsteps approached. Reed appeared, leading a large group of men who rushed forward, all armed with weapons, seemingly prepared for a major battle.