God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.-Chapter 872: Arrival at the Dome of Fire (2).
Falling to his knees, Cain shivered.
Throwing up a mouthful of blood, he wretchd before falling to the ground z shivering even more.
"Cain!" Julio exclaimed as he tried freeing himself from the Steel Herald's grip.
However, the elemental's hold was stronger than steel.
Julio's eyes widened,
"Let go of me, you rust bucket! Can't you see he's dying?!"
Enoch tilted his head,
"He is dying. But if you approach him, you will die as well."
Julio's face darkened,
"What the hell are you saying? Let go of me!"
The Steel Herald's didn't let go. Instead, it seemed to glance at Cain,
"His mana is unstable. If you disturb him now, the consequences could be disastrous and claim both your lives."
Julio sneered,
"Like you care! You probably want to see us dead anyway."
The Steel Herald calmly shook his head,
"I have no interest in your life, or your death. However, it is in my best interest not to see that human die. Not until I can claim his soul."
Julio's face paled.
Then he clicked his tongue,
"Creepy bastard!"
He sighed and stopped resisting,
"So? What are we going to do now?"
He turned and glanced in the direction they had run from.
After slaying the {Greater Flame Devil, Arnach} with a single swing, they had continued running. The horde of rampaging {Turtle Golems} continued stomping in what was left of the small Devil army.
Once they had let out all their rage, they had turned around, slowly trudging their way back into the Stone Forest.
It has been a horrific sight.
Even now, Julio could still see the flames devouring the remnants of the battlefield.
He shivered.
Then he turned back to Cain.
His face was pale, with streaks of blood flowing from his eyes and mouth.
"Not only does his mana seem unstable, his Ki is also the same." Julio muttered to himself.
He turned to the Steel Herald,
'in any case, we are out of danger for now. But we need to keep moving."
The Steel Herald tilted his head,
"In that case, I will carry him while you lead the way."
Julio's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
In the end, he could only click his tongue in annoyance.
"Fine."
***
Wiping the sweat from his temple, Julio slowly walked forward.
He had been through many things in his life.
As a man over thirty years old, he had experienced a lot of joy and pain equally.
He had loved and he had hated.
After the world had gone to shit, his experiences had turned even more bizarre and strange. However, the experiences had remained the same in their own way.
However, it was not up until recently that he had learned what true excitement felt like.
The thrill of an adventure.
Itw as not the same as methodically slaying beasts and Devils.
Or just running and evading for dear life.
No, this was different.
He glanced to his side.
Cain was still unconscious, hanging from the Steel Herald's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
'Looks like I'll have to figure something out in my own.'
He stopped behind what was left of a broken crossroad.
"Going down that path will take us right to the Dome of Fire. I can sneak my way through hell itself. You guys on the other hand..." Julio muttered.
He sighed then asked, freēwēbnovel.com
"How is he?"
"The unstable mana flow patterns readings seem to have calmed down, but his vital energy still seems unstable." The Steel Herald said.
Julio grimaced as he neared them.
Cain's face was still pale, but he wasn't bleeding from his orifices any more.
"Thank goodness." Julio breathed a sigh of relief.
He couldn't help but think to himself,
'This guy doesn't die easily, does he...'
He glanced to his side.
Just leaning over his shoulder was a strange looking creature.
Its face, which was hidden by a strange mask was inverted, and while its head seemed solid, the rest of its body was a black, swimming shadowy fog.
Despite the creature's strange appearance, Julio didn't seem shocked or appalled in the slightest. Almost like he was used to gazing upon such strange visages.
This things wasn't any ordinary creature too.
It was a spirit.
A spirit that had made its way to the physical realm.
It was also the spirit that had given him the skill, {Cursed Spirit Sight} and {Spirit Contract}, both of which allowed him to see and interact with spirits as well as make temporary agreements with them.
Julio grimaced,
"I need your help."
The smiling mask on the face of the spirit seemed rather sinister at the moment. Still, Julio didn't mind for now.
His expression turned dark but serious.
"I'll give you want you want."
The head of the spirit twisted at an unnatural angle.
Julio sighed in relief. It had agreed.
He turned to the Steel Herald, "Come closer."
Then he stretched his arms forward. From the orb he had pulled out of his inventory, a bright green aurora bled forth, encasing both Cain and the Steel Herald in its glow for a moment before vanishing.
Julio glanced at the spirit once more.
The eerie thing seemed to snicker before it slowly faded away.
Julio smiled wryly,
"How terrifying..."
Then he sucked in a deep breath,
"Let's go."
Rising to his feet, Julio began walking forward.
The Steel Herald followed suit.
In a few minutes, they had arrived on the dirt road that led towards the Dome of Fire.
Upon sighting, the Dome, Julio's ears and eyes were immediately greeted with the sound and sight of thousands upon thousands of Devils and {Zombies} laying siege to the Dome.
Countless cracks already covered the surface of the flaming red aegis.
His expression steeled. He turned around and said coldly,
"Do not attack. The moment you do, the enchantment surrounding you and Cain will break and you will be swarmed. I don't care if you are turned into scrap metal, but Cain must not be harmed."
The Steel Herald remained silent.
Like the sentient lump of of metal it was.
Taking its silence for agreement, Julio nodded.
Filling his lungs with the cold Evernight wind, he suppressed the exhaustion gnawing at his bones and rushed forward.
Towards the Dome of Fire, Divine Territory of the Heavenly Beast of the Forge...
