My eyes were fixed on the two glowing lights in the darkness. Part of my mind had already sent orders to my body to flee immediately. Yet, another part was deeply curious about what lay beyond the crack in the towering wall.
A feeling of dread began to envelop my entire body, freezing me in place. Cold sweat poured down as my ears caught the sound of a low growl coming from within the crack. I wanted to flee, but both my feet seemed to be nailed down by fear, preventing me from moving. Dimas, too, was as terrified as I was. I had never seen his hands shake like this before. Normally, he wasn't afraid of anyone, even if they were Elvian soldiers.
I forced myself to break free from the grip of my subconscious, trying to move my feet little by little.
"Dimas! Dimas!" I shouted loudly, but the man didn't respond. My hand reached out to grab his shoulder and shook him violently to snap him out of it.
"Huh, what?" he responded, clearly confused, still too focused on the figure in front of us to notice anything else.
"Let's get out of here, now!"
He paused for a moment, still processing what I had said. His thoughts seemed to be miles away.
"What are you waiting for!?" I shouted, hoping to jolt him into action. His eyes finally opened to the gravity of the situation.
Dimas and I quickly began to run across the wide open ground. We rushed toward the exit at the far end of the room. Honestly, I didn't dare look back. I kept my gaze fixed on the narrow corridor we had entered from. For some reason, my legs felt heavy, and the time seemed to slow. The goal that lay ahead seemed thousands of meters away.
*DRRRR!
Suddenly, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and my spine stiffened. I still didn't dare look back, but I knew my ears weren't deceiving me. The ground beneath me rumbled as the sound of collapsing stone echoed across the room.
The ground trembled beneath my feet, causing me to stumble, nearly falling if Dimas hadn't caught me.
"Thank you," I muttered, still kneeling on the ground.
"Save that thanks until we get out of here!" Dimas pulled me to my feet, his hand gripping mine as he started running toward the exit.
The constant rumble made the ceiling above us begin to crumble. Stones and earth fell, blocking our escape route. Dimas and I had to keep looking up to avoid the falling debris. Dust and gravel rained down on our heads, forcing me to close my eyes and hold my breath to keep the particles from entering my body.
Despite the chaos, Dimas and I pushed forward, the only thing on my mind being the desperate need to escape. After struggling to navigate through the debris, the exit was finally in sight, just a few meters away. I thought I was going to make it out alive.
But my hope was shattered.
"Anggi! Look out!!!"
Suddenly, Dimas screamed from behind me. In the next blink, he grabbed my body and threw us both to the side. A loud explosion rang out beside me.
Along with the blast, dust and debris scattered everywhere, blinding me. The next thing I knew, I was being held tightly in Dimas's arms, my body pressed against the ground. My left arm ached, probably scraped when Dimas tossed us out of harm's way. Part of my body felt numb, likely from the explosion that came from nowhere.
Though I still couldn't open my eyes, I could feel that the rumbling had stopped. The ground no longer shook beneath us.
A moment later, I freed myself from Dimas's embrace and forced my eyes open through the dust and dirt swirling around us. The fine particles irritated my eyes, and I held my breath to keep them out of my lungs.
Once the dust began to settle, I could see what had happened. The exit, which had once been in front of me, was now completely destroyed, buried under rubble and stones. We had been thrown behind a large rock.
Which meant there was no way out anymore.
"Oh no! The exit!" I cried out in distress.
I turned to Dimas for the next move, but he remained frozen. He sat on the ground, his eyes wide and fixed on something above us, his face frozen in fear. I dared to look in the same direction he was staring at.
At that moment, I realized that the collapse of the exit was nothing to fear. In the middle of the open ground stood a towering monster. It was so tall that the Tardigrade monster I had faced earlier seemed insignificant in comparison. This creature stood at about thirty meters tall. Feathers around its head formed a protective circle, and its large blue eyes fixed on us. Its beak was short, curving downward. It had two pairs of wings folded against its body, which, if spread, could likely cover the entire massive room.
This form... was very similar to the owl statue at the altar.
Yes, this was no mistake. This monster was the embodiment of that statue.
"W-What do we do?" I asked in fear. My body trembled uncontrollably. "There's no way out. We can't defeat that monster."
"Anggi, use your Super Sense! Look for another way out in this room," Dimas said calmly. It seemed he had regained control of his fear, his mind now focused and clear.
"Alright."
I immediately closed my eyes and activated my Super Sense. I sent out an echo wave throughout the room to get a visual layout of the surroundings in my mind. I could see the rubble blocking the entrance, a thick pile of earth and rocks preventing any passage. The projection in my mind spread further, past the monster's feet and reached the opposite wall. I found a small hole that led up to the surface.
"There's a small hole that can take us up," I shouted to Dimas.
"Good job!" he responded, his tone upbeat.
"But there's a problem."
"What is it?"
"The hole... is too high from the ground. We'll have to climb to reach it. And also... it's on the other side, behind the monster," I explained, swallowing hard. We both fell silent for a moment.
There was an opportunity, but the obstacles were enormous. Honestly, I didn't know if this would work. If we failed... we would die here.
I had never thought I would have to fight a monster this large. The fear and terror it radiated were far greater than that of the Tardigrade or Tarantula monsters. I thought the Tardigrade was huge, but this one was something else. My legs went numb every time I looked at it. It was as if my strength drained away with every passing second. I felt as though death was inches away from me.
"How do we get past it?" I asked, my voice filled with fear.
"I'll try to distract it while you climb up there! Once you're up, protect me with your Esze while I climb," he said with a determined look. He seemed unfazed, as if he had already weighed the pros and cons of the decision and the possible outcomes.
His calmness was remarkable. He wasn't the same as he had been just moments ago. It was as if he had already thought through everything while I was still processing.
"Isn't that really dangerous? Wouldn't it be better if I took the distraction part? I could last longer with my Esze."
Dimas immediately turned to me with a frustrated look. "Are you underestimating me? You think I won't be able to last long against that monster?"
"Of course not, idiot! You'll get crushed by that monster!"
"If I go up first, I won't be able to help you when you climb up!" he shot back.
I paused for a moment, trying to think quickly. He was right! If I stayed below, Dimas wouldn't be able to help me when I climbed. It was different if the roles were reversed. I could distract the monster, even if only for a short time. Why hadn't I thought of that? He had thought of it before I did.
Even so, I couldn't help but worry about him.
"On the count of three, I'll run and distract it. You run to the opposite side and head straight for the exit. Understand?" Dimas said, his tone serious.
"Understood," I replied with a small nod.
"If all goes well, this won't take long."
"Be careful!"
"Yeah, I will. Alright, I'll start counting to three." Dimas fixed his gaze on the owl monster that had been standing still the entire time. But I knew that, in reality, it was keeping an eye on everything around it. "One... two... three!"
Dimas sprang from behind the rock, running across the open ground in the opposite direction from the exit. The owl monster's eyes immediately followed his movements. Slowly, it began to move its legs and spread its four wings. The screech it let out echoed across the room, filling the air with a deafening sound.
Even with my sharper senses, the pain in my ears was almost unbearable. My body almost collapsed. I struggled to stay on my feet. My hands gripped the rock rubble that offered some protection from the monster's gaze.
I glanced at Dimas, who had run far ahead. Not wanting to waste the chance he had created, I immediately ran toward the exit, making sure the monster's attention was fully diverted. It took a few slow steps toward Dimas. Each of its steps made the hairs on my neck stand up, imagining what would happen if it managed to overpower my friend.
I shook my head, trying to cast aside my negative thoughts and place my trust in Dimas. After a moment, I reached the base of the exit. The small hole was so high above me, probably about seven meters. Without wasting any time, I began climbing the wall, looking for a less steep route. The jutting rocks and tree roots helped me climb up. The path was difficult but not impossible. Several times, I nearly fell as the roots snapped under my weight.
*CRASH!
Suddenly, a loud crash came from the middle of the room. I immediately stopped moving and looked toward the source of the sound. Dust flew everywhere as the head of the owl monster struck the ground. At first, I thought Dimas had managed to knock the monster down, but my rational mind quickly rejected that idea. No matter how strong Dimas was, there was no way he could have knocked down a monster that was many times his size. Besides, the owl monster's feet remained planted firmly on the ground.
Moments later, the monster straightened up, its body rising from the bow. Rocks and dirt fell from its beak. Then, it spat them out in front of it. Amid the thick dust swirling around, Dimas leaped out. Both his hands were gripping the short sword that had been his loyal companion throughout our journey. With strength, he swung his weapon at the monster's left leg.
*GROOOAAR!!
The monster let out a painful roar. Its screeching cry echoed throughout the room, making my ears ring. I wanted to cover my ears, but stopped when I realized both my hands were occupied, gripping the tree roots. My ears still hurt, but I forced myself to continue climbing.
As I climbed, I stole glances at Dimas, who was fighting the monster. Agile as ever, he avoided the monster's attacks at the last second. The owl used its hard beak to strike, and if that attack hit, I couldn't imagine what would happen. It would surely destroy everything in its path. After dodging, Dimas retaliated, striking at the monster's leg.
I thought to myself that if this kept up, maybe Dimas would win. But just as quickly, that thought was shattered. The monster changed its attack pattern. It spread its wings wide, hovering in the air, flapping its wings vigorously. A fierce wind surged, throwing dust and debris around. Dimas seemed to struggle against the fierce wind, unable to make any headway.
Moments later, the thing I feared most happened. The owl monster gathered the wind into a ball within its beak. Then it released the attack forward, right toward its opponent—toward my dear friend.
"DIMAAAAAAAAAAASSSSS...!"