Ssuk!
David's sword drew a flash of light and cut down the first monster that rushed in. A dazzlingly beautiful swordsmanship. The trajectory drawn by the sword caught the monster's stinking snout.
Keeeeng!
Blood spurted out along with a groan. The mouth of the monster that had rushed in for Selena's back was torn long and wide.
"Oh, thank you."
Selena shook off her surprise and gave a light nod as a greeting.
"These guys seem to know how to climb trees, so watch your heads."
David warned Selena about the precautions and swung his sword again.
Kyaaang!
Another monster retreated with a scream.
'You're really skilled.'
Karina was surprised by David's swordsmanship skills. With his slender physique and gentle appearance, he didn't seem particularly strong, but his swordsmanship as he slowly cut down the monsters was surprisingly excellent.
'It's definitely different from Jeremiah's swordsmanship...'
If Jeremiah's swordsmanship was clean and practical, David's swordsmanship was flashy and dazzling. In a way, he used swordsmanship that was like dancing. The power of the blow itself was weak, but because it aimed for the vital point and dug in sharply, it was able to effectively block the monster's attacks.
'But I don't feel like I'm putting in my best effort.'
A situation where monsters rushed in from all sides. Surprisingly, David was calm even in this extremely dangerous situation. The problem was that the others were in a different situation. Among the group, only David and Hasten could deal with the monsters. And Hasten had already been attacked by the monsters in several places.
"You damn bastards! Where the hell have you been hiding? There are so many of them!"
This evil Hasten swung his thick sword like an axe. He fought bravely as if these kinds of wounds were nothing, but his whole body was covered in scratches and bites. The amount of blood that had spilled was not trivial.
"Don't worry. The search party that came to rescue us should be nearby by now. We just have to hold out a little longer."
David read Karina's dark expression and spoke in a powerful voice as if trying to reassure her.
"..."
Karina couldn't easily agree with that. Even If the search party was moving to find them, it would be difficult for them to show up here right now. It would probably take at least a few more hours for them to get here. The question was whether they could hold out until then.
'I can't hold out like this for much longer.'
Karina felt a terrible sense of helplessness and self-loathing. She tried to make a show of escaping the Cursed Forest alive, but even that kind of show of courage was of no help in this critical situation.
Selena, meanwhile, was struggling to do what she could, even while shivering. She was using her small dagger to cut off the airways of the monsters that had not yet completely died despite being cut down by Hasten. And she occasionally picked up rocks from the ground and threw them at the monsters that were attacking Hasten's blind spot.
As soon as Selena threw a rock, it hit the monster's nose or eyes, which was a great help in Hasten's fight against the monsters. On the other hand, Karina could do nothing. Karina also picked up a rock and tried to imitate Selena, but the rocks she threw didn't hit even a single monster's body properly. It looked easy, but it was definitely not easy to hit a monster that was moving around.
She was so incompetent. She couldn't stand feeling sorry for the two people who were actively protecting her and Selena from the front and back.
Kaaaang!!
At that moment, a monster that had been waiting for Hasten to stagger attacked Karina.
"Ah!"
David also had no time to swing his sword because he was busy dealing with the demon in front of him. The hideous fangs and threatening claws flew towards Karina. The monster that had come so close to her nose was too horrible for her, who was so frail, to deal with.
Gloomyness washed over her. At that moment.
Paaat!
Suddenly, a dazzling light emanated from Karina's chest.
'This is... the ring Mikhail gave me?'
A light was emanating from the ring that was strung on a silver string and hung like a necklace. When Karina was in danger, the magic on the ring was automatically activated.
'Wasn't this just supposed to keep me from freezing to death?"
No. The ring Mikhail gave her contained a desperate measure in case of an emergency. Although this one use would consume all the magical power contained in the Flame Stone, it instead contained protective magic that would absolutely protect its owner in an imminent crisis.
Swish!
With a light and cheerful sound, a bright beam of light extended from the ring and enveloped Karina like a translucent curtain.
Kwadduk!
The monster that had been rushing towards Karina fiercely collided with the curtain and made a loud noise.
Kyaaaah!
The monster tried to tear through the translucent curtain of light and bite Karina. However, Mikhail's magic was not so easy.
"This!"
Chomp.
David belatedly cut off the monster's head.
"That..."
"My escort knight gave it to me."
"Your escort knight?"
David's expression hardened when he saw the ring around Karina's neck.
"The escort knight...gave me an incredible gift."
"I guess so."
'I was disappointed because there was no response from the cave...'
Karina had no idea that this ring would save her life.
"Karina! Are you okay?"
Selena looked at Karina.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Thank goodness. That artifact looks really amazing."
Selena continued, looking around.
"As soon as they saw that magic, the monsters became calm."
As she said, the monsters that had been rushing at them terribly just a moment ago began to move differently. They stood upright as if they were startled by something and then slowly began to retreat.
"The magic effect is amazing."
Karina tilted her head at Selena's admiring words.
'The monsters suddenly get scared when they see this? That's a bit strange...'
"It can't be because of the magic coming from the artifact."
David intervened in the conversation and said to Karina.
"No matter how great the wizard's artifact is, it is not enough to subdue this many monsters in one breath."
Hearing that, her doubts grew even more.
"Then why on earth..."
"Perhaps there is no longer any reason for them to attack us..."
David continued speaking without taking his eyes off the monsters.
"Or maybe there's a reason why they shouldn't attack."
"Why shouldn't I cover it?"
That was when.
"Keeeeeeeeeeee!"
"...!"
A roar that they had heard before echoed from high in the sky. Hearing that hideous roar, Karina and David looked at each other.
"This is..."
"You're right."
David nodded. The cry was that of the giant bird monster that had kidnapped them.
"I never thought he would chase me all the way here."
David clicked his tongue with a frown. As if his fears were becoming reality, a huge shadow covered their heads as if dark clouds were gathering. Hasten, who absentmindedly looked up at the sky, couldn't close his gaping mouth.
"Oh my God, how many times more than before...?"
Compared to the monsters that had been fought so far, the number of monsters was countless and they descended upon the ground with a terrifying sense of oppression. The new monsters had a fierce aura as if they were going to tear their targets apart with their sharp claws.
"This is... going to be difficult."
Even David, who rarely lost his composure, couldn't shake off his embarrassed expression at this moment. Nevertheless, his mind was spinning quickly.
'Should I use magic?'
Even if they did, it would be difficult to deal with all the monsters here. It was obvious that these monsters would chase them to the end even if they left the Cursed Forest.
'I can't save everyone. So...'
David looked back at Karina with a determined expression.
'At least save the Grand Duchess."
If he were the original himself, he would have been most concerned about his own safety in this kind of crisis. But for some reason, right now, he felt that he had to save Karina. It was a strange thing that he couldn't understand even when he thought about it himself.
If he was going to escape with Karina, he would have to be prepared for some injuries...
David didn't hesitate. He grabbed Karina's hand without hesitation.
"Grand Duchess. Quickly..."
But Karina didn't move even when his hands grabbed her.
"Grand Duchess?"
Was she frozen in fear because she was so scared?
No. There was no fear or dread to be found in Karina's eyes as she looked up at the new monster.
'Why?'
Feeling puzzled, David raised his head. At that moment, he saw it. A black new figure was running like a ray of light through the dense and dense forest of trees. It crossed the narrow path in one breath, stepped on a rock, and jumped.
With one leap, the black new figure soared higher than the new monster was floating. It was a new figure with movements that were so fast and clear that it was hard to believe it was a human.
"That's... No way...'
David was so surprised that he couldn't finish his words.
"That's right. He came."
Karina continued in an indifferent voice.
Jeremiah. He had finally arrived.
Ssrrrrung.
He floated into the air and drew his sword. Crunch! A single, eerie, cutting sound was clearly heard.
Kieeeeeeeek!!!!
With a terrible final scream, the giant monster that had terrified the group split into two pieces.
Kuung! Thump!
The giant monster's torn body fell to the ground with a loud noise. And...
Taat!
He landed lightly on the ground beyond the monster's black blood mist.
"Jeremiah..."
His name leaked out from Karina's teeth without her knowing. At that moment, Jeremiah's eyes met hers as he looked back. The distance was definitely far and the sound was so small that it couldn't have been heard, but the timing was strange as if he had turned around after hearing Karina call him. Their eyes were tenaciously Intertwined. As if nothing existed outside of Karina and Jeremiah.
'What...Why are you looking at me like that...'
Looking into his eyes, Karina was a little embarrassed.
Worry, surprise, nervousness, relief, sadness...
Jeremiah's eyes seemed to be filled with various emotions. He approached Karina without taking his eyes off her even once. The face he met looked a little haggard.
"Karina."
Karina's body trembled at the voice filled with worry and concern.
"Ah...I..."
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
While Karina was mumbling and unable to answer properly, David answered instead.
"The Grand Duchess is safe. If I had been with her the whole time, there is no way I would have let her be in danger."
David's voice was cheerful as he spoke with a smile. On the other hand, Jeremiah's face hardened for a moment.
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