Chapter 173: East Anekta Crisis (12)

Several streets away, the situation was rapidly deteriorating.

Lucy struggled to keep her balance as she ran through the narrow passage between two damaged buildings. Her breathing had become increasingly ragged, and the pain in her side reminded her that she was still recovering from her previous injuries.

Vespera was running beside her.

The guide’s long black hair had become disheveled, and her usually composed expression had been replaced by one of unmistakable distress.

Behind them, the remaining members of Blue Crest continued their pursuit.

Three A-Rank Awakened followed by two B-Rank rogues.

Vespera and Lucy managed to kill the other three B-Ranks, but suffered lethal wounds in the process. Engaging the group head on would mean certain death.

"Keep moving!" Vespera shouted.

Lucy glanced behind them.

One of the rogues raised his hand, releasing a wave of Essence that tore through the pavement.

Vespera grabbed Lucy’s arm and pulled her aside. The attack struck the ground where they had been standing a moment earlier, sending chunks of concrete flying through the air.

Lucy stumbled, barely managing to remain upright.

"We can’t keep running!"

"I know!"

Vespera looked ahead.

The street opened into a small plaza surrounded by damaged storefronts. There were no civilians left in sight, and the smoke hanging over the buildings made it difficult to see very far.

They were running out of options.

Vespera suddenly stopped.

Lucy nearly collided with her.

"What are you doing?"

"Go!"

Vespera pushed her forward.

A figure emerged from the smoke.

One of the A-Ranks had circled around them.

He raised his weapon, and a concentrated burst of Essence gathered around its edge.

Lucy barely had time to react.

Vespera moved first.

She stepped between them, raising her arms as the attack descended.

The impact sent her crashing backward.

"Vespera!"

Lucy caught her before she hit the ground.

The guide’s body trembled in her arms. A deep wound had opened across her torso, and blood began spreading rapidly across her clothing.

For a moment, Lucy couldn’t understand what she was seeing.

Then the rogues approached.

"Get rid of them," one of the A-Ranks ordered.

A dark mass surged across the plaza.

It struck the first rogue before he could take another step.

His body was thrown into the side of a building, where he collapsed beneath a shower of broken concrete.

The attackers stopped.

A towering figure emerged from the darkness.

Obsidian.

The Black Knight had finally arrived.

He moved without hesitation.

His broad blade swept through the air, cutting down one of the approaching rogues before the man could raise his weapon.

The remaining attackers tried to surround him.

It made little difference.

Obsidian advanced through their formation, his blade striking with overwhelming force. One rogue was thrown across the street, another was pinned beneath a mass of Dark Matter, and a third barely managed to evade a sweeping strike that shattered the pavement beneath his feet.

The A-Ranks quickly realized that their situation had changed.

"What kind of Abyss creature is this?!"

"That’s clearly a summon, dumbass!"

"Focus on it! Don’t let it reach us!"

They attacked together.

Obsidian met them head-on.

A dark blade intercepted one strike while his other hand caught a second weapon. He twisted, redirecting the force before driving his shoulder into the attacker and sending him crashing into the ground.

The entire plaza shook.

Lucy barely noticed any of it.

She was kneeling on the pavement, holding Vespera against her chest.

"Please..."

Her hands trembled as she tried to apply pressure to the wound.

"Please, stay with me."

Vespera’s eyes struggled to remain open.

"Lucy..."

"Don’t talk. Just hold on."

Lucy pressed harder against the wound.

She had seen healers work before. She had watched people recover from injuries that should have been fatal. She knew that Awakened possessed extraordinary vitality compared to ordinary humans.

But she also knew how much blood Vespera had already lost.

"Damn it!" she shouted desperately.

Lucy turned her head to Obsidian, recognized the Knight from the disaster at the Tournament.

The Black Knight feeling her attention, turned his head.

For a brief moment, his attention shifted toward the two women.

Lucy looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Please! Help her!"

Obsidian moved.

He crushed the final rogue beneath his blade before advancing toward them, his armor scraping against the broken pavement.

But there was little he could do.

He was a Retainer, not a healer.

And even if Eden had been there, he wasn’t certain that Ferocious Evolution could save someone whose body had already lost so much blood.

Vespera coughed.

A thin line of blood escaped her lips.

Lucy immediately leaned closer.

"Don’t you dare..."

Vespera’s eyes moved toward her.

For a moment, the guide seemed to regain some of her awareness.

"You’re... safe..."

Lucy shook her head.

"No. No, I’m not. You’re going to be fine, alright? Just stay awake. Eden will come back. He’ll know what to do."

Vespera’s lips moved slightly.

"That man..."

Lucy leaned closer.

"What?"

"He really is... incredible."

Her breathing grew shallower.

"I thought... he was just..."

She didn’t finish.

Her eyes drifted toward the sky.

Lucy tightened her grip around her.

"Vespera?"

No response.

"Vespera?"

She shook her gently.

"Hey..."

The blood continued to seep between Lucy’s fingers.

"Please..."

The guide’s body became still.

For several seconds, Lucy remained frozen.

She couldn’t accept it.

Vespera had been talking to her only moments ago. She had been guiding them across the island, reassuring her that they would find a way out. She had even spoken about Eden with the same enthusiasm she had shown when they first met.

And now...

Lucy lowered her head.

A quiet, broken sob escaped her.

Obsidian stood beside them, his dark armor reflecting the faint light of the burning buildings.

He looked down at the fallen woman.

Then at Lucy.

The Black Knight had no words to offer.

Lucy slowly released Vespera’s hand.

Her fingers were trembling.

She wiped the blood from her face, but more tears followed almost immediately.

For a moment, she simply stared at the ground.

Then she looked up.

"You..."

The Retainer turned toward her.

"Take me to Eden."

Obsidian remained still.

Lucy pushed herself to her feet.

"I don’t care what happens to me. I don’t care if it’s dangerous. I need to get to him."

Her voice cracked.

"I can’t... I can’t let the same thing happen to him."

She looked toward the distant hotel skyscraper, where the enormous concentration of Essence continued to grow.

Lucy clenched her fists.

"Take me to wherever he is."

The Black Knight looked at her for another moment before turning toward the direction of the hotel.

He began walking.

Lucy followed.

Behind them, the plaza fell silent once more.

Vespera remained where she had fallen, surrounded by the ruins of the place she had tried so desperately to escape.