West stopped and turned his head slightly. "I’m trying to save your lives."

His voiced calmly before shrugging. "But if you’d rather die..."

"...be my guest."

He slapped the marshal’s hand off his shoulder and walked away.

His summons emerged behind him, phasing out from his summoner space like silent guardians.

Seraphyra stretched lazily. "I thought you said this was the safest way to travel, Master."

Gor’thala scanned the surroundings. "...This vessel is failing."

Aurethia simply observed while West scratched the back of his head.

"...Yeah but... It’s only falling because of me anyway."

Behind him the air hostess and marshal stiffened as a look of realization appeared on their faces.

"...Awakened..." sweat formed on their backs instantly.

—

West walked back down the aisle and this time, the stares he got were different.

Fear, awe and recognition flickered across their faces as his summons followed him.

"—It’s an awakened..."

"...We’re saved..."

"...Right...?"

"How naive... awakened don’t care about anyone else but themselves..."

"Let’s beg for help!"

"Fuck I don’t want to die!"

West ignored the background noise until he reached Debra and Amos again.

"Get up," he pointed at Seraphyra. "You’re riding."

Amos blinked. "...What?"

Seraphyra crouched slightly. "Get on."

Amos nodded and proceeded to climb on Seraphyra’s back without arguing.

Debra on the other hand, hesitated a bit before climbing onto Gor’thala’s back.

West turned toward the emergency exit and reached for it.

However, before he could open it, dozens of passengers came rushing in from the other compartment, begging.

"Please—!"

"Awakened sir, help us!"

"We don’t want to die!"

West stopped and turned slowly. "...Eh."

He shrugged slightly before responding; "That ship already sailed."

Their faces fell upon hearing that.

"I offered help earlier," his gaze flicked toward the air hostess and marshal. "You slapped my hand away."

The crowd murmured in confusion.

"We didn’t—!"

"Who did that?!"

The air hostess stepped forward quickly, bowing slightly.

"I—I’m sorry! We didn’t realize—please—!"

The marshal followed.

"...We apologize."

West watched them grovel and beg for some time before sighing. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"...Fine."

Hope returned instantly.

"Thank you—!"

"But," his word cut through the air. "It’ll cost you."

"How much?" someone asked.

West smiled faintly. "There’s about eighty of you."

"Two million dollars."

Gasps rang out immediately.

"That’s—!"

"We don’t have that—!"

West raised a hand.

"Divide it."

Simple.

"Otherwise..." he turned toward the exit again. "...I leave."

Panic spread as the crowd pleaded. "No—wait—!"

"You have five seconds to decide," he began counting.

"Five."

"Four—!"

"Yes! Yes! We agree!"

"Please—just save us!"

West nodded. "Good."

—

He moved quickly dividing them amongst his summons.

"Aurethia—twenty."

"Gor’thala—twenty."

"Seraphyra—twenty."

"...I’ll take twenty."

There were no arguments or hesitation.

—

West’s group sat strapped into their seats, attached to a large section of the plane.

"Don’t move."

He positioned himself at their center and pulled out his guardian sword.

Dark mist seeped out as he slashed swiftly around them.

BOOM!

The plane’s underside ruptured and the entire section detached.

They began to drop from above ten thousand feet in the air.

"AAAAHHHHHHH!"

Loud screams rang out but West remained calm all through as he stood in the center unstrapped unlike the others.

West slowly stepped forward off the ledge, grabbed it and stabilized himself beneath the falling section of the plane.

He proceeded to embed his fist into the underside of the structure as wind howled violently past them.

Meanwhile, on Aurethia’s side, she bound her group together tightly with a glowing leash and hurled them out.

They descended rapidly amidst yells while she followed.

—

Gor’thala on the other hand, summoned ten massive Pyre Behemoths.

"Hold on tight!" Gor’thala instructed as two passengers each sat on their backs before they jumped out into open air.

—

Seraphyra’s twenty were no longer twenty. Some were already sucked out by the gaps all over the plane. However, she didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.

Her eyes glowed and those who met her gaze turned to stone instantly.

After using her petrifying gaze on the ones still in the plane, she began to transform.

Her body expanded until she became monstrous in size. She turned into a colossal serpentine entity that was over two hundred feet long, causing the plane to burst apart even more, barely containing her.

She proceeded to swallowed the human statues whole and then launched herself out of the collapsing aircraft.

Her massive form coiled through the air as she caught more falling passengers, petrified them mid-air and devoured them for transport.

—

Above, the plane finally gave way, breaking apart.

Engines exploded, fire bloomed and metal ripped apart, dying the sky in trails of red.

The wind howled tearing at clothes and ripping screams from throats as West descended through the sky.

Beneath him, the ground became more visible as it drew closer.

West’s fists remained buried deep into the underside of the torn aircraft section with his entire body acting as a stabilizing anchor while twenty terrified passengers remained strapped to their seats above him, clinging to whatever sanity they had left.

Every inch of him felt like it was being crushed under the sheer force of gravity and velocity but still, he didn’t let go.

His eyes narrowed upon realizing that they weren’t dropping in the middle of nowhere.

"...Residential."

He noticed the buildings, streets, cars and people.

They were heading straight for the middle of a populated area.

The ground grew closer and closer as they fell uncontrollably.

"Brace!"

The passengers screamed as they closed in on dropping.

West on the other hand, activated Verdant Bloom over and over again.

[ Verdant Bloom Activated ]

[ Verdant Bloom Activated ]

[ Verdant Bloom Activated ]

Roots exploded outward from nothingness beneath.

He spammed it relentlessly, flooding the ground a few hundred feet beneath them with tangled vegetation. Layers upon layers of rapidly sprouting roots, vines, and thick fibrous growths filled the surroundings.

Each activation pushed more into existence, adding resistance and cushioning.

The ground was now only seconds away.

West roared under his breath. "Come on...!"

The roots thickened, spread and interlocked, forming a chaotic organic net.

And finally...

BOOOOOOM!

The entire section slammed into the street causing shockwaves to explod outward.