Author Note: The break was longer than I intended. Anyway, I'm positive that there won't be any more prolonged breaks before I finish this arc. After that, I plan on doing a revision on the whole thing, cutting out some of the bloated scenes and adding newer ones. For example, this whole hunting arc would work much better as a military expedition. We'll see after I finish with this.

Chapter 55: Unlikely Matchup (III)

"Where is Lady Elin?" cried Erming.

"Worry about your life first," Erling shouted back as the siblings ran.

Ember dashed ahead of them. Zea had fallen behind after he accelerated, whereas Benny had bolted past everyone. Despite the basilisk pursuing them, the high noble youth didn't turn back for another attempt at his heroics. He didn't even seem to care about Elin's whereabouts, either.

Elin had confronted the monstrosity alone. Regrettably, although she had managed to inflict a few grievous wounds, she hadn't been able to obstruct it for even a minute, much to everyone's dismay. The gashing ruptures across its form could only slow it down so much.

Moreover, the toxic breath it was releasing made breathing hazardous, especially while they were moving at such a rapid pace. Under any other circumstances, Ember would have had no trouble holding his breath for a couple of minutes. However, managing that while maintaining Blitz Steps at its very limit was a completely different matter.

"Everyone, scatter!" Benny hollered. "It will only be easier for it to hunt us if we all move in one direction."

There was some truth to what he said, but Ember didn't choose a random direction to stray from the group. For one thing, the subterranean regions only had a couple of ways out that he was aware of, and Benny had already chosen the most obvious one. Besides that, if they really were to scatter, it would only make it more difficult for their guardians to protect them whenever they decided to show up.

The others seemed to be of the same opinion, as none of them diverged from the path. Unfortunately, all that came to little avail. The great serpent was still hot in pursuit. Those with limited movement skills failed to keep up with its unrelenting pace. The massive basilisk crashed into them, flinging them aside and smashing their protective wards.

Thankfully, most of them seemed to have come out of it alive, though in a far more beaten and battered state than they'd have liked.

"Zea!" Ember shouted, his eyes darting all around in search of her silhouette.

If there was a reply, it was drowned out by the monster's piercing screech. Ember hesitated for a moment, finding nothing in the darkness. But the basilisk gave them no time. It seemingly left behind its defeated foes to strike at them with the same deranged intensity.

There was no time to dither. Blitz Steps didn't require as much mana as it did physical fortitude. Even against that Tier 5 Mirewood Toad, Ember hadn't been pushed to such a brink. He had poured everything into dodging that giant serpent's advances. On top of that, he had to restrain his breathing, which added another constraint he had no hope of maintaining.

Ember had no other choice but to breathe in the toxic air. Although it wasn't concentrated, he still felt a chilly burn through his nasal cavities, chest, and lungs as he rushed through the archway. Within two minutes, he had covered over a mile, with the Huan siblings keeping pace with him just fine, though Ember failed to notice Benny anywhere nearby.

There was no chance that the high noble, who had already reached Tier 6 in his race, had failed to keep up. Perhaps he had overtaken them by some margin, or had really gone down another path. Ember had no time to dwell on that, as the colossal basilisk was still pouncing after them relentlessly.

Hesitating for a moment, he fished out a couple of potions from his waist pouch. Two all-purpose healing potions. Ember still had more than half his mana in reserve. Aside from the unrelenting monstrosity chasing after him, his most immediate concern was the toxic air he was inhaling.

These potions might not exactly be a solution to that, but since the toxins weren't killing him even after a couple of minutes, the all-purpose healing potion might still be of some use.

Without caring about his dwindling supplies, Ember poured both potions into his mouth one after the other, just to be on the safe side.

I'll care about the losses after I come out of this ordeal.

The healing potions also had a rejuvenating effect on his body. The weariness he was feeling vanished almost instantly. With renewed vigour surging through him, Ember bolted through the gloomy passageway, bursting past everyone else.

Then something struck his chest, flinging him a dozen metres backwards. Something hard came from the side, slamming into his chest without warning. In his peripheral vision, Ember only caught a blurry silhouette before he was hurtled backwards through the air.

Airborne, Ember flipped through the air and landed on his feet, barely managing to keep his balance, when a familiar voice echoed in his ears.

"Keep it off us for a moment. We will wait for you outside."

There was a snicker in the tone, and even under such duress, Ember did not fail to recognise that it was none other than Erming.

Ember cursed at the top of his lungs, his Mindwall faltering in anger, but there was no time for that. Once again, his legs propelled him forward after them. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done.

Although Erming's attack had landed on his ward, saving him from any injury, that bastard had never intended to hurt him. He had only wanted to push Ember towards the monstrous basilisk, as even a moment bought by him would be a godsend to the siblings' survival.

Before Ember could even prepare for it, a thunderous force slammed into him. All he could manage was to strengthen his protective ward to its fullest against the disastrous impact, hoping his fate wouldn't be the same as the girl's from before.

The basilisk failed to devour him. However, the devastating collision shattered his protective shield as though it were made of fragile glass. The backlash sent him flying with tremendous force. His world tilted upside down, and soon his back crashed into the rugged wall. This time, there was no protective ward to save him from injury.

Ember's heart lurched as he crumpled to the ground, coughing hysterically as blood spilled from his mouth. Even though the ward had saved him from the full brunt of the blow, the backlash had already caused unknown injuries to his internal organs.

Unbothered by that, Ember swiftly moved away as soon as he managed to orient himself. To his utter panic, the basilisk hadn't slithered off after crashing into him.

His eyes darted all around, searching for an escape route. His mind unhinged with panic, he began scaling the walls, putting all four limbs to use. The basilisk was massive enough that it too managed to continue its pursuit, barely slowing down.

His fingertips scraped against the rugged stone as, once again, Ember attempted to form his protective ward. Yet to his utter panic, only concentrated kinetic force dispersed from his bronze bracelet, failing to coalesce into a shield.

"Just my fucking luck," he cursed, blitzing away from its yawning maw.

Thankfully, the basilisk finally seemed to have reached the limit of how far it could climb in a single launch. Ember managed to slip over the rugged pit and scramble away.

He held little hope that the great serpent would be unable to climb after him. He had managed it, and he was merely Tier 5.

As for his hope that the basilisk might chase someone else instead, it proved entirely futile. Within moments, he found himself leading the menacing basilisk once more.

Ember looked around, searching for anything he could use. If he had even a little more time, he might be able to collapse large chunks of stone onto the monstrous creature. However, even with his most potent Windblade, he wouldn't achieve much in the short term. Nevertheless, he drew his wand and kept it at the ready.

If I were to fall, I would go down fighting.

His heartbeat was already running at over three hundred beats per minute. If not for the residual potency of the healing potions mending his internal injuries, Ember would have been in no condition to keep running.

But, weary as he was, the basilisk was worse off. Elin's Skyrend had done a number on it, and the wounds were only worsening with its incessant pursuit.

Without a second thought, Ember risked casting a Windblade without slowing down. He had already seen Tier 4 and even Tier 5 spells bounce off its tough exterior. However, he aimed for the gushing wounds where Skyrend had bitten through its thick scales. With such deep wounds, he didn't believe there would be as much resistance even to a Tier 4 spell.

An open wound was more prone to deterioration. It was also why ascendants were advised and trained to attack the same spot repeatedly while fighting tough enemies.

As he had imagined, his Windblade was not entirely ineffective, judging by its raucous cries. Ember deemed it worthwhile and attempted to cast more Windblades, making certain they didn't hamper his movements.

Of course, Ember was not delusional enough to believe he could actually slay it. His intention was for the basilisk to perceive him as no easy opponent. So long as it left him be and searched for other, easier prey, he'd take it as a win.

It hadn't come to that yet. Ember only hoped it would happen sooner rather than later, as he was unsure how much longer he could keep up with this monstrosity.

He retrieved another vial from his other pouch, a mana recovery potion this time, and drank it without hesitation. His mana could still last for a few more minutes, but he didn't want to push himself into a critical situation, as the potion would take some time to take effect.

Covering another couple of hundred metres, Ember managed to strike it with a few more Windblades: one at its horrifying mouth, a couple at one of the gushing wounds, while a few were completely ineffective, either brushed off by its earth mana resistance or by the sheer distance between them. But he had a solution for that as well.

As his spells proved insufficient, he began using the goblin slingshots, firing them far more rapidly than the Windblades as he dashed away.

Over the last few days, he had gathered more than a couple of dozen goblin explosives. Although their power was not as concentrated as his Windblades, Ember found them highly effective against the maddened goliath. He fired one slingshot after another without looking back; the monstrous creature's massive bulk made it an easy target. Along with its terrifying screeches, the sound of explosions reverberated throughout the gloomy region as Ember ran.

Unfortunately, this only seemed to aggravate the creature further, as evidenced by its dreadful screeches. His Mindwall won that battle without much fanfare. Ember only felt the brush of ethereal waves surrounding him, but ultimately, all the psionic attacks had become largely ineffective.

He could probably expect to gain a level or two in that skill. If only he were in any condition to gloat over it.

Then, as he bolted away, he found no solid ground beneath his feet. Ember blinked and swiftly found himself crashing down one of the massive chasms they had discovered earlier.

"Abyss, devour me!" he cursed, only to find that even in his fall, the massive basilisk had followed him into the plunge.