Chapter 1709: Staying Alive: Part-2
Chapter 1709: Staying Alive: Part-2
Young Aether ran as fast as possible while carrying the broken mech-suit over his shoulder. Sweat dripped down his face as rubble crunched beneath his boots.
*Fuck!*
The curse escaped his lips when he sensed a murderous presence descending upon him.
A double-edged axe tore through the air and came crashing straight toward him with overwhelming force. Young Aether kicked off the ground and threw himself sideways in the nick of time.
CRACK!
The earth shattered where the axe landed, sending jagged cracks racing across the ground. A cloud of dust erupted into the air, obscuring everything for a brief moment.
Then, from within the swirling dust, the skull-headed monster emerged instantly. Its movements were frighteningly fast as the axe swept toward Young Aether’s neck almost immediately, leaving him barely any time to react.
Ccchkkk~
Several strands of black hair drifted into the air as he bent backwards at an impossible angle, narrowly escaping immediate death. Gritting his teeth, he twisted his body and slammed his foot into the monster’s wrist.
Thud!
The monster’s arm jerked violently, causing the double-edged axe to fly from its grasp. Seizing the opening, Young Aether spun and drove a powerful kick straight into its stomach.
Thud!
The skull monster barely slid back an inch. Empty eye sockets stared at him before its skeletal jaw slowly widened into an eerie grin.
"Not bad," it said with a raspy chuckle. "For a human, your reflexes are surprisingly sharp."
It casually raised one hand, and the flying double-edged axe instantly appeared back firmly into its grip.
Young Aether clicked his tongue and stepped backwards without hesitation. He had known the moment he chose to intervene that his chances of escaping had plummeted to nearly zero, yet he had done it anyway.
His gaze shifted toward the unconscious man resting on his shoulder.
The closer he looked, the more familiar the face became. Memories surfaced one after another, and with every passing second, his certainty grew.
This was his friend.
"You..."
The skull-headed monster suddenly frowned.
Its hollow gaze narrowed as it studied him more carefully.
"Why do you possess power?" it asked, tilting its head slightly.
"And... why do you look familiar? You remind me of someone I despise."
Young Aether’s lips twitched.
The monster eventually shook its head.
"Whatever. It makes no difference. Both of you will die for disturbing my sleep."
Young Aether silently clenched his fist.
If he were alone, he might have been able to struggle for a little longer. Carrying an unconscious person while facing a monster of this level, however, made survival almost impossible.
No matter how he calculated it, he could not see a path out of this situation.
"I tried my best, darling," he muttered with a faint smile. "Looks like this is where I die."
His voice carried an almost amused tone, as though he had already accepted the outcome. The only reason he had continued avoiding death until now was because of Nyx’s wish.
Yet standing before this monster, reality was impossible to ignore.
He had no chance of escaping.
Still, he knew several things about this world that could have helped him survive. Given enough time, he might have even reunited with the only living friend he had managed to find.
What a shame~ He needed to do everything again... yet a wicked grin appeared, just wanting to do it all over again~
Slowly closing his eyes, Young Aether prepared himself for the end.
The dual-edged axe sliced through the air toward him.
Then suddenly,
PEEESSSSSSSS!!
A violent launching sound echoed across the area.
BOOOMMMMM!!!
A crimson beam of energy descended from the heavens and slammed directly into the skull-headed monster. The impact exploded like a pebble meteor strike, blasting dust, debris, and shattered stone in every direction.
The monster staggered as its hollow gaze snapped upward.
The remaining mech-suit that had been assigned to guard the portal was descending from the sky.
Worried by the sudden activation of the energy reactor and the complete silence from his squad, the mech-suit pilot rushed toward the location at maximum speed.
As he approached the battlefield, his sensors immediately detected two figures engaged in combat amidst the destruction. One was the skull-headed monster, while the other was a young boy carrying a damaged mech-suit.
The mech-suit wasn’t entirely certain about the boy’s identity, but the boy appeared human and was wearing human clothing. For a brief moment, he wondered whether the boy was some miraculous survivor who had somehow escaped the slaughter.
However, as the mech-suit descended closer, the pilot’s attention shifted toward the broken machine resting on the boy’s shoulder. His eyes narrowed when he noticed the shattered shoulder plate and the partially destroyed identification markings still attached to the armour.
The damaged mech-suit belonged to his commander!!
The unconscious figure being carried by the boy was undoubtedly the person he had been desperately trying to contact.
Rage instantly consumed him.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY COMMANDER, YOU MONSTER?!"
The mech-suit pilot’s furious roar echoed across the area as every available weapon system activated simultaneously.
Warning lights flashed throughout the cockpit while missile bays unfolded and energy capacitors surged beyond normal operating levels.
Without hesitation, he opened fire.
BOOOMMMM!
BOOOMMMM!
BOOOM!!!
Crimson energy beams tore through the battlefield while streams of armour-piercing rounds and explosive shells rained relentlessly upon the skull-headed monster. One explosion followed another without pause, transforming the entire area into a storm of fire, smoke, and shattered earth.
The bombardment continued for several seconds until nothing remained visible beneath the thick cloud of smoke.
Inside the visor, scanners immediately began searching for signs of life.
Multiple targeting systems swept across the area, attempting to determine whether the monster had finally been destroyed.
The mech-suit focused entirely on the scan results.
That was his mistake.
A sudden warning signal flashed across the visor only moments before the smoke parted.
The skull-headed monster emerged completely unharmed.
Its skeletal jaw stretched into a horrifying grin as its hollow eye sockets locked onto the mech-suit.
Before the mech-suit could react, the monster vanished from its position.
The next moment, it appeared directly in front of the mech-suit and swung its massive double-edged axe with terrifying speed.
THUD!
The axe struck the visor with overwhelming force and split through the reinforced armour as though it were paper. Layers of metal shattered instantly, and the person’s head was cleaved apart inside the suit before he could even register what had happened.
Every system inside the mech-suit immediately went dark and began falling from the sky.
BAM!
The mech-suit crashed heavily into the ground, sending dirt and broken stone flying in every direction. Crimson energy particles leaked from the shattered visor and drifted through the air like dying sparks.
The skull-headed monster landed beside the wreckage and calmly pulled its axe free from the cleaved helmet. Dark blood dripped from the blade before splattering onto the broken armour below.
Having dealt with the annoyance, the monster turned toward the location where Young Aether had been standing moments earlier.
Its grin slowly disappeared.
The spot was empty.
The monster stared for several seconds before scanning the area. Its hollow eye sockets moved left and right while searching through the shadows, ruined terrain, and nearby forest.
There was nothing.
Young Aether had completely vanished.
Rather than remaining behind and gambling his life on the arrival of a potential saviour, he had seized the opportunity the instant it appeared and escaped without looking back.
Realising this, the skull-headed monster’s expression twisted with fury.
"ARRHHHHHHH!!!!"
The monstrous roar echoed across the wilderness with such intensity that nearby creatures froze in terror.
Meanwhile, the person responsible for that rage was already far away.
Young Aether sprinted through the forest as fast as his exhausted body could carry him. Branches whipped against his arms while loose stones shifted beneath his feet, but he ignored every obstacle in his path and continued moving forward.
He leapt over fallen trees, slid down steep slopes, crossed rocky terrain, and pushed through dense vegetation without slowing down.
Every instinct in his body urged him to increase the distance between himself and the skull-headed monster as quickly as possible.
Young Aether knew exactly what that creature was capable of.
If the monster discovered his location, it could likely teleport directly to him and kill him within moments.
"Hah... looks like my luck isn’t completely terrible today."
Despite the danger, an amused smile appeared on his face as he continued running through the wilderness.
Several minutes later, another forest gradually opened before him and revealed a mountain waterfall cascading down a rocky cliff. Crystal-clear water flowed into a river below, creating a peaceful sight.
Young Aether finally slowed his pace.
Turning around, he looked toward the distant horizon where massive mushroom-shaped clouds still lingered above the battlefield. The smoke was slowly dispersing into the sky, but traces of destruction remained clearly visible even from this distance.
"Maybe this should be far enough."
He muttered quietly while observing the distant clouds for several more seconds.
After confirming that nothing appeared to be pursuing him, Young Aether walked toward the riverbank and lowered the unconscious man from his shoulder, crouching beside him and checking his pulse.
His fingers rested against the man’s neck for several seconds before he nodded in satisfaction.
"Hmm... he’s still alive."
His gaze shifted toward the broken mech-suit covering the commander’s body. The damaged armour had already begun falling apart, with shattered metal plates separating from the frame and dropping onto the ground one after another.
It resembled a broken glass sculpture collapsing under its own weight!
Young Aether slowly removed the remaining pieces until the commander’s actual condition was finally revealed.
The sight made him raise an eyebrow.
The man’s skin was covered with countless cracks and wrinkles, as though his body had been pushed far beyond its limits. Several limbs were twisted into unnatural angles, while portions of his muscles appeared torn beneath the damaged flesh.
Honestly, the fact that this man was still alive could only be described as a miracle.
Especially considering he was human.
Without wasting any time, Young Aether reached into his storage and retrieved one of the healing potions his wives had prepared before his journey.
Carefully supporting the commander’s head, Young Aether poured the potion into his mouth.
Ssshh~
The effect was immediate.
The cracked skin visibly began repairing itself while damaged flesh regenerated at a speed visible to the naked eye. Twisted bones slowly shifted back into place, producing a series of faint popping sounds as the limbs returned to their proper positions.
Young Aether watched the process with narrowed eyes.
"Hah... his body heals faster than mine."
His lips twitched with annoyance.
Three days had passed since his own injuries, yet several parts of his body were still recovering.
Meanwhile, this human was repairing severe damage at a speed that honestly felt unfair.
As the wounds continued healing, Young Aether studied the commander’s appearance more carefully.
"He looks a little different..."
The man possessed indigo-black hair and a muscular frame that looked nothing like the image stored in Young Aether’s memories.
The face was familiar enough, but everything else seemed strangely altered.
Leaning forward, he lightly slapped the commander’s cheek several times.
"Oi, wake up, asshole."
The commander remained completely motionless.
Young Aether waited a few more seconds before giving up.
"Let’s wait, then."
Releasing a tired sigh, he stood up and looked around the surrounding area.
Several monsters were lurking in the distance between the trees. Glowing eyes stared toward him while predatory instincts practically radiated from their bodies.
"Tsk."
Young Aether clicked his tongue in irritation.
Since remaining exposed was a terrible idea, he grabbed the commander’s arm and dragged him toward a nearby cave.
Judging by the claw marks and scent lingering around the entrance, the location clearly belonged to some kind of beast.
Inside, countless skulls and bones were scattered across the floor.
Most of them appeared disturbingly human.
"Hmm... that’s a lot of bodies."
Young Aether muttered while examining the remains.
Fortunately, the owner seemed absent.
After making sure the cave was safe enough, he gathered firewood, prepared a small campfire, and organised several supplies while the commander remained unconscious.
Hours passed quietly.
Crack.
Crackle.
The smell of roasted meat gradually spread through the air.
Eventually, the commander’s ears twitched.
His consciousness slowly surfaced as the warmth of the fire and the sound of burning wood reached him. His eyelids fluttered before finally opening, revealing a pair of groggy violet eyes.
For several seconds, he simply stared at the unfamiliar stone ceiling above him.
Then his military instincts kicked in.
The confusion instantly vanished from his face.
The commander sat upright in one swift motion as years of training forced his body into a state of alertness.
"Urgh..."
Pain exploded through his head.
He grabbed his forehead while feeling a sharp headache and an uncomfortable dryness in his throat.
’I... I was certain that the monster killed me.’
His memories remained perfectly clear.
He remembered the battlefield.
He remembered the skull-headed monster.
Most importantly, he remembered dying.
’Or at least I should have died.’
The commander frowned in confusion.
The monster had been overwhelmingly powerful. He was absolutely certain his neck had been snapped during the battle.
So why was he still alive?
’Is this some kind of afterlife?’
His violet eyes slowly scanned the cave.
The place resembled a beast’s den. Bones littered the floor while shadows danced along the rocky walls under the light of a small campfire.
Then his gaze landed on a figure sitting beside the flames.
Only the person’s back was visible.
Immediately, the commander grabbed a nearby stone and tightened his grip.
He had no idea who this stranger was.
However, before he could act, an amused voice reached his ears.
"If I were you, I’d put down that so-called weapon, asshole."
The figure casually spoke without even turning around, as though he had known exactly when the commander woke up.
The moment he heard that voice and its familiar teasing tone, the commander’s entire body froze.
His violet eyes widened as though he had just witnessed something impossible. The stone slipped from his fingers without him even realising it, falling onto the cave floor with a dull thud as his attention became completely focused on the figure sitting beside the campfire.
For several long seconds, he could only stare.
His breathing became uneven while his mind struggled to process what his ears had just heard.
That voice was impossible to forget.
He had heard it countless times during missions, arguments, celebrations, and late-night conversations. Even after all these years, he could recognise it instantly among thousands of others.
"That’s more like it."
Young Aether chuckled as he turned away from the campfire and looked directly at him. The flickering flames cast shifting shadows across his face while the familiar smile resting on his lips looked exactly as it had in the past.
The commander’s heart nearly stopped.
Every muscle in his body tensed as disbelief and confusion crashed into him simultaneously.
He had prepared himself to see many things after waking up in an unfamiliar location, but seeing this person sitting casually before him had never crossed his mind.
"A-A-A-Aether...?"
The name escaped his lips almost involuntarily.
His voice trembled so badly that even he barely recognised it.
The commander leaned forward slightly while staring at the young man before him, desperately searching for any sign that this was a misunderstanding, hallucination, or some cruel trick played by his exhausted mind.
"I-Is that really you?"
Young Aether raised an eyebrow before a playful smirk spread across his face.
"Who else would it be, Jonny?" he replied casually.
His tone carried the same familiar teasing attitude that had irritated and entertained people for years.
!!!
Commander’s eyes widened even further as countless memories surfaced within his mind.