Cold sweat fell down my forehead as I started to let my brain run in overdrive. Our current situation is extremely dangerous, no matter how you look at it.

Fortunately, the Void Beast was still not moving, but if it moved, then our death would almost be a certainty. To avoid that, we need to get out of here fast!

I quickly double-checked the barrier around us, but as expected, there was no gap. It’s like a semispherical zone, about ten kilometers in diameter. Any method that bypasses space was interrupted.

“Right, what about the Spatial Storage?!”

If that was sealed too, then we’re doomed. I quickly activated the skill, and, although unstable, like a flimsy film that would snap at any moment, I could properly use it.

Just in case, before the portal closed, I took out my sword, my backup sword, and the sword that Ember made. With this, even if my weapon broke midway and the spatial sealing became more powerful, I wouldn’t be troubled with weapons!

“… Though I doubt if I could even injure that thing.”

“Master! Watch out!”

As I was lost in thought, Ember’s voice made me turn around. And as soon as I did, a large hand was looming right above my head.

“Shi—!”

I raised my arms, crossing them before my face, but such a defensive pose doesn’t mean a thing when your enemy is as large as a building.

“Move, you d*ckhead!”

Suddenly, a powerful kick hit me from the side and sent me flying out of the giant’s range. When I turned to where I was before, Namia was there, with fire-red beams firing constantly against the Void Beast’s hand.

“Namia!”

She… Did she just save me? “That” Namia, who felt like she’d kill me when given a chance? Although I was wondering if I was in a dream or something, Ember quickly dragged me further away from the two.

Namia’s power was roughly midway from god-level to beyond-god-level. In short, she could handle herself well enough against the Void Beast, but not to the point of being able to hurt it.

The Void Beast was, after all, a beyond-god-level existence too, in terms of power!

As if irritated by Namia’s interference, the Void Beast was throwing one attack after another toward her, endlessly. Namia was slowly retreating as she redirected or dodged the attacks; she knew that her strength wasn’t enough to completely block even a casual punch from it.

“Master, what should we do?” .

Ember looked like she was calm, but I could tell from our connection that she was also panicking. To the point that she couldn’t think of anything else but to figure out a way to escape from this place.

I quickly straightened up and began to think. Namia wouldn’t last that long against the Void Beast, so we only have enough time until her defenses fail. I placed a hand on my chest, trying to calm my wildly beating heart from fear and anxiety.

“…?”

But then, my finger touched something hard. I quickly opened the neck part of my shirt, and there I saw…

“Azrael’s necklace!”

I quickly grabbed it and held it in my hand, trying to recall how to activate it. Last time, when the idiotic prince of the Empire used it, he simply poured a ton of energy inside it. Although it was simple, it was extremely time-consuming!

Still, with this, we gained a little bit of hope. Azrael did say that he’s weaker than the Void Beast, but since we have Namia here, adding to the fact that the Void Beast was alone, we should have even a little bit of a winning chance. It’s infinitesimally small, but at least not zero.

“Ember, leave me here and go help Namia! Buy me some time!”

With a plan in mind, I quickly told Ember what she needed to do. In an instant, her anxiety faded, replaced by a strong belief in me. Although I’m happy she trusts me this much, she should at least harbor some doubts about my words.

Without delay, Ember rushed to Namia’s side and activated her domain. Their task wasn’t to injure the Void Beast, but rather to delay it!

“Absolute Zero Field!”

With a shortened chant, the entire space around Ember froze over. Only the place where Namia was standing hadn’t turned into a giant block of ice.

The Void Beast wasn’t damaged by the attack, but the thick ice at least managed to seal it in for a few seconds. With that much time, the two could move outside of the enemy’s range and take a breather.

“Blood Spear!”

Namia continued to attack, however, making sure that the Void Beast was focused on her. I’m still confused as to why she’s so desperate to help us…

Could it be related to the System? Did the woman who can’t be named tell her to protect me? 𝑖𝘦.𝑐𝘰𝘮

As my mind was escaping reality, I continued pouring energy into the necklace. With the rate at which I’m going, it should be over in under a minute. However, against the Void Beast, one minute might be a little too long.

The Void Beast broke through Ember’s frozen domain in just five seconds and quickly opened its mouth, firing a powerful beam of energy against the two. Ember opened a portal, with its other end right above the Void Beast, and let his attack “boomerang” and land on its own body.

“…!”

I almost wanted to cheer, seeing that Ember successfully redirected the attack. Space manipulation still works if it’s within the barrier! That’s a great boon for us right now!

The Void Beast didn’t stop firing its beam, even if its body was bathed in the constant stream of its own attack. Its shell was able to prevent damage even from its own attack!

Furthermore, the Portal that Ember created was starting to crack and was about to give out. Before it was shattered, the two of them quickly retreated, moving out of the way.

*CRACK!*

And when the portal was destroyed, the powerful energy beam swept across the entire field. Right, the “entire” field.

“Sh*t!”

I cursed as I kicked off the ground, heading up while dodging the beam.

However, as if waiting for me to be airborne, the beam curved and chased after me. The red beam of energy approached my eyes, carrying a heavy sense of despair along with it.

This content is taken from 𝘳𝑎.𝒸ℴ