Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 313: Free at last

Chapter 313: Free at last

"Do you see?... This is true power!... The power of a god and I have it as a backer!... So how can I lose?... How can I die?... I am undefeatable, I am..."

Dead.

Charlotte completed as she took out her sword and beheaded Hala, before going ahead to absorb every single drop of blood in her headless body.

As the ancient priestess’s life ebbed away, the sole remnants slowly dissipating with the wind, she found herself transported back to the past, the distant past when she still clung to hope.

’’You know this to be true so why do you hesitate?... We have to figure out a way to survive!’

It was a great palace, one occupied by Elven royalty.

Within the king’s chambers, Hala was faced with a being who knew very well that her worries were correct.

’’Yes, you are right... The Goddess has betrayed us but... even if she hadn’t, there is no hope.’

’No!... no, there is hope as long as we keep on fighting!’

The elven king, despite looking so young, seemed to carry a burden so great to bear as his expression revealed the sadness within.

’This is punishment above the divine we are familiar with. Accept it, Hala. Our time has passed. All we can do is hope that the next generation shall be able to find a means to survive.’

Indeed, it wasn’t an aggressive rebuttal like Hala remembered.

It was one that though sorrowful held an unmistakable truth.

And so as Charlotte stepped on her head, crushing it, Hala’s last words were... "... I’m sorry."

***

The island trembled incessantly with Alejandro straining to keep it from falling apart, several portions already turning to murk before giving way to reveal something below... something that wasn’t meant to be beheld.

Alex received feedback on Hala’s death with the others noting her demise as well which meant the only problem now was somehow getting away from the Greatest Evil.

Perhaps only then would they have to ponder on ways to head back to Eventide.

Just as Alex was about to make a suggestion, Charlotte acted.

Utilizing the blood she absorbed from Hala, she unleashed an omnidirectional wave, leading to an eerie silence engulfing the island.

The next moment, the tentacles were retracted and the island was left alone... albeit briefly.

But this was enough as Alejandro capitalized on this to immediately fashion out a portion of the island and utilize it as a springboard to float up, away from the Otherworldly below.

Before the Greatest Evil could once again unleash its terror, the group managed to flee... though how far away they’d gotten from it was still up in the air.

None dared to check to be sure in any case, for fear of losing their minds from glimpsing a 1st Class Otherworldly said to be even more powerful than Devils.

Of course, their escape only led them to the next hurdle which was finding a way out of the Abyss.

The longer they stayed, the worse it would get for them, that much was sure.

"I could try opening a path to the Spirit World but I’m not sure it would work," Victoria muttered, feeling rather inadequate.

Alex sighed. "Let’s just... let’s rest for a bit. It’s been from one battle to the next. We need a moment to cool off."

"... Though vexing, I’m inclined to agree with you," Alejandro remarked as he sat on the ground, taking deep breaths to fill his lungs.

Within seconds the group were all seated with Charlotte returning to Alex’s shadow, having done quite a splendid job.

It took almost an hour before the group reconvened to consider avenues to return.

"Apart from Evernight and the Spirit World, where else can we go?" Alex inquired, taking the initiative as had been the case so far.

Alejandro sighed. "Unfortunately, though my magma can signify destruction, I haven’t perfected the intricacies involved in destroying an esoteric concept like Space and even if I could, I don’t think it would bode well for us to travel within the void."

"He is right." Ana intoned. "At least, even though the distortion is great, time and space exist here. The void has none of that so I’d rather not take the chance."

"Hah, this is troublesome," Alex muttered, stroking the bridge of his nose to elicit some calm to his disturbed mind.

Just as silence seemed poised to reign over their gathering, Victoria remarked. "How about potential cracks?... We could try exploiting one to return to Eventide."

"..." Alex stayed silent as he glanced at Ana, seeking her input.

Ana pursed her lips, pondering the suggestion before finally replying. "Though turbulent, potential cracks can be traversed. With our combined might, it should be possible to escape unscathed for the most part but the problem remains; how do we find one?"

"So the only problem is seeking it out?" Alex inquired.

Ana nodded. "It could take days or even months, though I can’t be sure of how long considering time doesn’t work here the same as it does in Eventide."

"Regardless, as long as there is a chance, I believe we should take it," Alejandro commented with Alex nodding in agreement.

"It’s better than nothing. So let’s begin the search."

Rising to his feet, Alex remarked. "Alejandro, you are on transport duty. Once you get tired, make sure to take a break. We can’t have you breaking down on us. Ana, you are to keep us updated on how much time has passed and also check for areas where time might be distorted. Such places might have the cracks we need."

"And me, master?" Victoria inquired, already on her feet with an expectant look on her visage.

"You are on watch duty. Be on the lookout for cracks while Ana feels them out. I’ll take care of guard duty. Hopefully, we don’t come in contact with the Greatest Evil again."

"Understood." Victoria nodded with Ana and Alejandro following up with the same response.

Letting out a sigh, Alex prepared himself mentally for what was to be a most trying period for him.

***

It wasn’t a fluke what was said about the Abyss.

About how it twisted one and warped their minds, slowly leading them toward the inevitable edge of insanity.

Once there, there would be no coming back.

Perhaps it was for this reason that Alex didn’t dare to dream or think about his family on Earth.

He feared that the Abyss would use it to rip him apart, leaving him without a means to recover.

The others were in similar states with Alejandro the worst of all.

Even as he spent time underneath Eternal Night, which helped him recover to some extent, it wasn’t enough to prevent the degradation that continued with each passing hour.

With no other choice, Alex was forced to put Victoria in charge of helping Alejandro stay sane with him having to once again summon Charlotte to replace Victoria on watch duty.

According to Ana, 3 days had already passed, yet it was already this bad.

Alex had no choice but to respect Hala who managed to remain for thousands of years.

How she had done it was a mystery to everyone.

Regardless, it would seem lady luck didn’t abandon them as they finally stumbled upon a crack, one that though small, was enough to fit their needs.

Alex didn’t hesitate as he snapped without pause, with several white holes materializing around the crack.

With the last snap came a loud bang and finally... they were free.