Return of the Fallen Volume 8 Chapter 95
As the gap in the Miasma was shrinking evermore, Kazuki found himself with a choice. For most this would be difficult but Kazuki was a bit more practical. As he continued racing toward the single escape route, people inside the palace were steadily dying. Because of Kazuki’s intense speed, their bodies could not hold up and were being crushed under the G force.
Danny had already warned him that this would happen but as Kazuki saw their escape route shrinking rapidly, he made the decision.
Kazuki swallowed hard before sending his aura into the floating palace he was dragging behind him. Thousands of people, thousands of innocent people hanging on to a thread, a single hope of survival.
(I’m sorry.)
With a simple wave of his hand, Kazuki’s aura wrapped around all of these people in an instant, and all at once, he crushed their heads, killing them on the spot. Men and women that had done nothing wrong, Kazuki had killed them all in one fell swoop. He knew it was either he killed them here and now or they would be torn apart by his speed or far worse, they would suffer agonizing deaths by the purplish-black Miasma closing in.
Kazuki knew this was a mercy. He understood that this was for the best but the moment after he did it, Kimi, Sam, and even Asuna all gave him a strange look. None of them said anything but the look still remained. Kazuki didn’t care how Kimi or Sam saw him but Asuna’s expression pained him.
Looking away from Asuna, Kazuki grit his teeth. Now that there was no more life within the palace, Kazuki stored it inside his storage ring and increased his speed a hair more.
Without the drag of the palace, Kazuki was flying faster than lightning. The palace was well over a million tons and now with it no longer a burden, Kazuki became a stream of light with Asuna and the others in tow.
This increase in speed caused the intensity and pressure to rise dramatically on Asuna and the rest. If they were still at the fourth stage and not the 5th, this amount of pulling force on them would have torn them in half long ago. Even at the 5th stage, it was difficult for them and the only reason why they could endure right now was due to the fact that their bodies were enhanced along with entering the Core stage but that wouldn’t protect them for much longer.
The gap in the Miasam was now about 30 feet in diameter. The sky darkened as the Miasma closed in some more.
(FASTER FASTER FASTER!)
The blue flames beneath his feet burned brighter and far hotter and started becoming more of a white-blue as he pushed himself to the limit.
At the same time, Danny shouted at him.
“KAZUKI YOU MUST STOP!”
Kazuki ignored his call and kept rushing forward. The gap in the Miasma was now 15 feet in diameter and then 10.
(ALMOST! ALMOST!)
Just as Kazuki was about to dive into the tiny gap, Danny slashed him in the back.
*TZZZZT*
A bolt of lightning jumped from Danny’s saber and struck Kazuki, pausing his movements and causing him to stagger for a split moment. It was this single moment, this single delay that brought the hole in the Miasma to a final close. The dome of purplish-black power was now sealed around them entirely.
Kazuki turned back to look at Danny in shock.
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!”
Kazuki was furious as he shouted but Danny wasn’t backing down and shouted even louder.
“ME! LOOK AT ASUNA! LOOK AT KIMI AND SAM!”
Kazuki’s attention fell on Asuna and the others and they were all pale as paper. They all bled from their eyes, ears, nose and, mouths constantly. Kazuki’s eyes widened in shock. He sank his aura into them all and found that their organs were nearly falling apart and there were many deep tears scarring their bodies inside from head to toe.
They were all knocking on death’s door and were drifting between the world and the underworld. Kazuki sent out his ki to them immediately as well and used the healing from the Gordonia element to speed up their recovery.
“DAMN!”
“Does this mean your thinking rationally again or do I need to strike you again, maybe this time on the head?”
Danny asked while still pointing his blade at Kazuki and Kazuki realized how insane he must have appeared. Especially after just killing all of those innocent people in the palace.
“Sorry, I was…desperate.”
Danny shook his head.
“That’s understandable but have you already forgotten how you and I have survived everything up until now. It wasn’t from losing our cool but rather from thinking our way out of these messes. Just as you needed my mind earlier, I now need your, or rather we both need each other’s ideas if we are to get out of this with Sam and the others alive and hopefully still intact.”
Kazuki took in a deep breath and allow his ki to circulate and flow throughout his body. A calm feeling overtook him and he released all of his clouded thoughts out in a breath.
First thing first, Danny and Kazuki were far too close to the edge of the Miasma so they pulled back a few miles with Asuna and the others.
They had to remain in the air as the ground was already a river of Miasma and it was slowly rising. Even though it had seemingly come out of nowhere, the truth was it actually wasn’t moving with a great deal of speed. Even if the dome was shrinking, it could only shrink slowly.
Kazuki began to analyze the current situation.
“The fact that this Miasma could trap us even though it moves so slow, it seems as if this whole thing was done with purpose.”
Danny agreed.
“From everything we know, this Miasma has traveled above ground in the sky this entire time. However, after recent events less than thirty minutes after we deal with your sister Fera, the Miasma changes not only its path but the pattern of attack. Not to mention the Azirian’s fused in the millions and suddenly headed for the mountain base and without the protection of the Miasma, all of these things are quite suspicious.”
Danny rubbed his chin in thought.
“The culprit we know and the objective is to eliminate us but right now the that does not matter. What matters is our escape from this place. The only person who’s been able to deal with the Miasma up to this point has been Glacious. From what Triska has said, he uses the Severing Tempest with a hurricane or tornado. Apparently, this is enough to drive the Miasma away.”
Danny already had his saber at his side and Kazuki drew a long sword made from god metal out of his storage ring.
“Right, there’s no need to attack it alone. We don’t have much time to waste, let’s do it together.”
Kazuki and Danny both aimed for the exact same spot. It was the place in the Miasma where the last gap was before the Miasma fully closed. Thinking logically if that spot was the last place to close, then surely it would be the thinnest part of the dome. With this thought in mind, several inscriptions lit up on Danny’s blade and his eyes glowed with silver light. Arcs of electricity gathered and danced around his sword. At the same time, Kazuki used his aura to mimic the wind.
Their blades rose above their heads and with perfect form, they slashed out as many Severing Tempests as they could.
Kazuki’s slashes of wind rushed forward side by side with Danny’s slashes of lightning. Across the sky and across the air, these attacks traveled several miles to meet the edge of the Miasma.
*Tzztz Whoosh*
Their power drilled into the Miasma and cleaved it apart. A hole nearly 20 feet across and 40 or 50 feet deep appeared in the Miasma and it looked as if a thin vale of Miasma was left before one could reach the outside world. However, just as the two felt hopeful, the gap closed almost immediately. Even though they had destroyed some of the Miasma, there was plenty more to instantly fill up and replace it. The two had slashed out well over a thousand times each but the hole had closed before a breath of time.
Both felt disappointed but both understood the reason why they failed.
“Glacious can gather far more power in his attacks. Compared to us who are both at the 5th stage more or less, it is like the heavens above and the dirt below. Even if we combine our powers Kazuki, this way will never work.”
Danny’s words made sense but that didn’t mean they were hopeless.
To deal with the Miasma, they could not overpower it and simple magic would noyl get absorbed like a meal but who said they had to simply rely on regular magic.
“A regular Severing Tempest won’t work but haven’t you already created a new move that can deal with this? If you use that, can’t we just fly out of here.”
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