Multiversal Ascension

Chapter 107 - 107: A Dangerous Trek

Then, without warning, a blur shot out from the bushes to their right, lunging straight at Amelia. It had chosen her as its target—the one who seemed like the easiest prey. Despite her efforts to scan her surroundings and stay on guard, it was clear that she was often lost in her thoughts.

Amelia saw a black blur rushing toward her and instinctively raised her bow, putting it between herself and the incoming threat. However, just before impact, two swords slashed forward, intercepting the blur.

"Clank!"

Metal clashed against claws. At the moment of impact, when the swords and the blur were locked against each other, the creature finally became visible. It was a black panther—except far larger than a normal one. A typical panther would barely reach Mikael's waist, but this one stood nearly as tall as him and stretched over four meters in length. Its claws and teeth gleamed, sharp enough to tear through steel with ease.

"Argh," Mikael grunted as he planted his feet into the ground, stabilizing himself before pushing forward with more strength, slowly forcing the panther backward.

Unfortunately for the beast, this wasn't a duel. Just as its fierce eyes locked onto Mikael, an aura-infused arrow shot toward it. The panther barely managed to tilt its head, avoiding what would have been a fatal hit to the eye. Still, the arrow grazed its head, embedding itself into its flesh.

"ROARR!"

Its pained roar was cut short as a water sphere struck its flank, sending it flying. The panther crashed into a tree, the force of the impact snapping the trunk in half. It tumbled further, colliding with another tree—this one sturdier—finally stopping its momentum.

"Are you okay?" Lyra asked with concern, hurrying toward them with worry etched on her face.

Mikael gave her a nod, his gaze fixed on where the panther had landed, knowing better than to let his guard down. Amelia, however, didn't respond. Instead, she raised her bow and fired multiple aura-infused arrows at the bloodied, struggling beast.

The arrows struck their target without fail. The panther attempted to rise, but as more arrows pierced its body, it collapsed, taking its final breath. Blood pooled around its lifeless form.

Yet even as the beast lay clearly dead, Amelia didn't stop. She continued firing, arrow after arrow, until the panther's corpse resembled a grotesque porcupine. The fire in her eyes burned with unrelenting rage.

Just as she reached for another arrow from her quiver, preparing to nock it onto her bow, a firm hand grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"Uhh?" She let out a small sound, snapped out of her 'attack frenzy' by the sudden restraint.

"It's already dead. You can stop," Mikael said, his grip firm yet steady.

"Oh... you're right," she muttered. Without another word, she slipped out of Mikael's grasp and approached the panther's body. With almost mechanical precision, she began retrieving the embedded arrows, placing them back into her quiver one by one.

Mikael and Lyra exchanged a brief, worried glance. It wasn't hard to see that Amelia was emotionally unstable—her relentless assault on the panther had been far more violent than necessary.

Still, apart from their silent exchange, neither of them said anything. They understood that, given everything she had been through recently, she wasn't in the best state of mind. If venting her frustration on a magical beast helped her release some of that pent-up emotion, then so be it.

Not long after, Amelia returned, her quiver once again filled with steel arrows. Without a word, the trio resumed their journey, continuing their path away from civilization.

As they moved, they were occasionally attacked by magical beasts. Most of the time, they managed to detect these creatures either through their senses or by using detection spells.

Beasts like the black panther they had fought earlier—ones capable of hiding even from detection magic—were rare. While they encountered attacks, they were seldom caught off guard, and the majority of their battles ended swiftly in their favor.

What stood out, however, was the complete absence of Nexoria entities. Not once during their trek had they encountered any creatures from that dimension. No, it was only magical beasts. This realization reassured them, confirming that they were still ahead of the Nexoria propagation and, for now, 'safe.'

They pressed on, moving deeper and deeper into the wilderness without pause, traversing the dense forest while fending off magical beasts. Eventually, they arrived at the base of a relatively large hill.

After a brief discussion, they decided to climb it, hoping that an elevated vantage point would allow them to scan their surroundings and determine whether they could see any signs of the Nexoria invasion—and if they were truly in the clear.

A short climb later, the trio reached the hilltop. From there, they scanned the horizon, searching for anything unusual. However, even after some time, they saw nothing.

"Let me get a better look from a higher vantage point," Mikael declared before activating Weightless Wind-Explosive Style. With a series of controlled explosions beneath his feet, he propelled himself high into the air. In just a few moments, he was hundreds of meters above the hilltop.

The cold wind bit at him due to the altitude, but thanks to his reinforced body, he felt no discomfort. Ignoring the chill, he focused on scanning the landscape.

He first looked back in the direction they had come from. Far on the horizon, he spotted it.

The edge of the forest they had passed through just hours earlier had changed—it had taken on a reddish hue. Mikael's sharp eyes picked up the grotesque mutations twisting the trees, their forms now unnatural and warped. And, of course, the red mist was there, creeping forward like a deadly poison.

Wherever the mist touched, the landscape was altered, turning red and mutating at an alarming rate.

'It's spreading everywhere...' he thought, a frown forming on his face. 'We need to keep moving! The red mist might be survivable if we use our aura to protect ourselves, but the creatures that will undoubtedly come with it... I'm not so sure.'

His thoughts raced as he turned, scanning the surroundings to determine whether the Nexoria spread was advancing from multiple directions.

'It's coming from the south and the west! Logically, we should keep moving away from the south, like we've been doing, but we also need to avoid the west. A northeast route is the safest choice.'

Once he finished his reconnaissance, he ceased the small explosions keeping him airborne and let himself drop toward the ground.

"Swish"

The wind howled past him as he plummeted, Amelia and Lyra growing larger in his vision. Just before impact, a controlled explosion ignited beneath him, breaking his fall and allowing him to land smoothly with a small thud.

"What's the situation?" Lyra asked anxiously as she approached.

"The red mist is spreading, but from where we are, we should still be several hours ahead of it," Mikael replied. "It's coming from the south and the west, so if we want to stay safe, we need to move northeast."

With that, the trio wasted no time. They immediately descended the hill and resumed their journey, heading deeper into the forest toward the northeast.

Hours passed in this manner until only twelve hours remained before they could finally leave this world.

During this time, Mikael and Lyra made efforts to lift Amelia's spirits, though with mixed results. Given everything she had lost in the last few hours, her sorrow was only natural. Still, she seemed a little less withdrawn, and while she didn't speak much, it was an improvement.

But that wasn't the only change.

As they ventured deeper into the wilderness, the magical beasts they encountered grew noticeably stronger.

The increase in difficulty was clear, as the creatures they faced were significantly tougher. The battles became more intense, but they were still manageable—especially for Mikael. When utilizing his Weightless Wind-Explosive Style, he moved at such extreme speeds that he could dispatch enemies before they even posed a real threat.

After a grueling twelve-hour trek filled with relentless battles, exhaustion weighed heavily on them. Every step had been a test of endurance, especially for Lyra. Despite her superior rank and the reinforcement given by it, her lack of physical training as a mage left her body ill-prepared for such prolonged exertion. Compared to Amelia, let alone Mikael, her stamina was severely lacking.

Their journey eventually brought them to a chain of mountains blocking their path to the northeast, leaving them no choice but to climb. Rather than attempting to scale the larger peaks, they opted for one of the smaller mountains, knowing they needed to conserve their strength.

By the time they reached a suitable resting spot near the summit, Lyra was barely holding herself together. She collapsed onto the nearest rock, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she sucked in deep, ragged breaths. Sweat clung to her forehead, and she weakly wrapped her arms around her knees, as if bracing herself from collapsing entirely.

Amelia, though clearly fatigued, fared far better. She dropped onto a rock with a heavy sigh, rolling her shoulders to ease the tension in her muscles. The climb had been tough, and the battles before it had taken their toll, but she could still manage.

Mikael, on the other hand, felt only mild fatigue. His muscles ached slightly, and his limbs felt heavier than usual, but it was nothing that truly hindered him. Seeing the state of the others, he exhaled softly and raised his hand, activating a spell he had learned some time ago.

A faint golden glow surrounded his palm as he inwardly thought 'Revitalization Surge.'

Soft waves of light pulsed outward, washing over Amelia and Lyra like a soothing current. It wasn't a perfect solution—true exhaustion couldn't simply be erased—but it helped. Their breathing steadied, and some of the fatigue weighing them down eased, allowing their bodies to recover faster.

Lyra let out a relieved sigh, her trembling lessening. "That... helped a lot," she murmured, still leaning back against the rock.

Amelia slowly stretched her arms, testing her body. After a brief pause, she muttered, "...Better." Her voice was quiet, lacking its usual cool calmness, as if the weight of her sorrow still clung to her.

Mikael gave a small nod before sitting down on a nearby rock himself. "We'll rest a little longer. The spell helps, but it won't replace actual recovery."

And so, for the first time in hours, they allowed themselves a real break. The cool mountain air swept over them as they sat in relative silence, the only sound being the occasional rustling of wind through the sparse trees and rocks. From their vantage point, they could see amidst the darkness of the night, a reddish hue staining the horizon where the Nexoria corruption continued to spread. But for now, they pushed it from their minds.

After about half an hour, Mikael stood up, stretching lightly. "That should be enough. We need to keep moving."

Lyra groaned in protest but forced herself upright, feeling much better than before. Amelia, now more energized, adjusted her quiver and took a deep breath.

With that, they began their descent—this time on the opposite side of the mountain, continuing their journey northeast.

The trek down was far easier than the climb, but the rough terrain still demanded caution. Loose rocks shifted beneath their boots, and the occasional gust of wind sent small pebbles tumbling down the slope. Despite their brief rest, fatigue still lingered in their limbs, though Mikael remained the least affected.

As they neared the base, Amelia, who had been silent for most of the descent, suddenly stiffened. Her green eyes narrowed as she focused on something below.

"...What is that?" she muttered, her voice low but tinged with something sharp.

Her words immediately drew Mikael and Lyra's attention. They followed her gaze, scanning the forest at the mountain's foot. While the darkness impaired their view, their eyesight was far beyond that of a normal human. Combined with their elevated position, they had a clear vantage point, and after a moment, they spotted what had caught Amelia's eye.

Author Note:

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