Extra's Guide to Surviving a Dark Fantasy World-Chapter 77: Breaking Through

"HOLD THE LINE!" Aria shouted from the side. "DO NOT LET A SINGLE ONE OF THEM GET THROUGH!"

Another scream cut through the chaos, and I turned just in time to see an archer crushed under a glym’s claws. Her bow fell to the ground, splintering into pieces.

Aria stumbled forward, ice barely forming in her hands as exhaustion crept into her movements. Her spells weren’t hitting as hard, and the glyms closed in on her. Seylith’s light flickered, his sword slightly trembling with every slash. Another student near him fell, their lifeless body hitting the dirt with a sickening thud.

Our morale had shattered, and the group had began to falter. Fear choked the air as students screamed. Some turned to run, only to be hunted down by the relentless monsters.

"Damn it." At my side, I could hear Soren curse loudly, his blood magic faltering as exhaustion caught up with him. He panted heavily, his spear barely keeping a glym at bay.

I clenched my fists, my flames flickering as doubt crept in. We were losing—badly.

Another glym lunged at me, and I swung my blade weakly, the fire barely scratching its thick hide. I couldn’t take it anymore.

I didn’t know what was happening here, but the way things were going, I was sure to die if I kept holding back.

I had no other choice; even if I couldn’t summon the revenants or use Shroud and Static Timefall in front of Aria, I could still use one other thing. The thing she had seen so less of that it would never be recognizable.

Taking a deep breath, I parried the Glym’s claws and leaped away from it, my body falling into a familiar stance.

I had to be careful with this; even if I was going to use it, there was still a limit on how much I could show.

And there goes my plan for staying low key. I mumbled.

The first Glym dashed towards me with its claws stretched outwards.

This was it. My sword slashed down like a crescent moon, impossibly maneuvering around the beast’s outstretched arm before meeting its neck.

SPLASH.

Blood splattered as the Glym’s figure collapsed to the ground in a single strike, but I didn’t stop there. Like a snake, I slithered through the battlefield, meeting my new opponent mid-lunge.

Once again, my sword struck, expertly guiding itself toward the creature’s heart, piercing it in one fell swoop.

Not too far from me, I could see Soren’s eyes widen slightly in surprise before narrowing down in seriousness.

He slammed his spear into the ground, and his blood magic exploded outward. Crimson tendrils ripped through the glyms, tearing into their bodies with a ferocity I had never seen before.

His spear shone under the faint sunlight, piercing the battlefield as he stabbed the head of one Glym before moving to another and then another.

I recognized those movements, or at least I had read about them. That was Soren’s Salhira, powered by his determination to survive. Right now, at this moment

This was it; right now, on this battlefield, at the back of the formation, he was perhaps the only person who could have my back, and from the looks of it, he seemed to have come to the same conclusion as well.

Our eyes met, and there were no words exchanged, but we understood what the other was trying to say, so we began moving.

Slaughtering through our enemies while passing one student after another, we met in the center.

We moved together, my sword flashing along his spear, cutting through the glyms like a storm. My flames burned hotter than ever, slicing through the beasts’ thick hides while Soren’s magic tore them apart. His spear became a blur as blood-red energy lashed out, ripping through wave after wave of monsters.

Around me, I could hear the other students freeze, stunned by the sudden shift, their eyes locked on to the both of us. But we didn’t stop. They kept coming—only now, they were falling faster.

One glym, larger than the rest, leaped for me. I swung my blade, flames carving through its chest as it collapsed in a smoking heap. Soren roared beside me, driving his spear through three glyms at once, his blood magic coiling around their bodies like chains.

We were unstoppable, but I could feel the toll of using my salhira. My chest started to ache, and my vision blurred, and deep down, I knew we couldn’t keep this up for much longer.

"BREAK THROUGH THE FORMATION!!!" I shouted, bringing the students to their senses. We were currently surrounded by Glyms from all sides; we needed to break through in a spearhead formation if we wanted to have any chance of survival.

"Breakthrough!" I shouted once again, my voice raw and desperate. I didn’t care who followed—if we stayed here, we’d all die.

Soren nodded, blood still dripping from his hands as he charged forward alongside me to the front of the formation, his spear cleaving through two Glyms in his way. Aria hesitated, her eyes flicking to the students around her, but then she saw me. Flames surged around my body as I cut through another Glym without looking back. Tightening her grip on her blade, she followed.

Seylith cursed, a strange, creepy smile covering his face as he slashed wildly at the Glyms near him. "It has been a while since I last saw you Valdrin."

Was he serious?

"Now is not the time for small talks," I snapped, flames roaring as I blasted through another beast. If they couldn’t keep up, that wasn’t my problem.

More students fell, their screams barely registering in my mind. A Glym tore through one mage’s barrier, ripping her apart, but I kept moving. I couldn’t let myself slow down.

The fog pressed in, the beasts using it to their advantage. Every second, it felt like there were more of them, claws and teeth flashing in the mist. Aria’s ice surged, freezing a Glym in midair as it leaped for her, but even her movements were slower now. Her gaze flicked to me, silent surprise in her expression.

Soren was relentless, his spear a blur as crimson tendrils lashed out, pulling the Glyms apart. "Keep moving!" he roared, not sparing anyone a glance.

Another Glym lunged at me, but I twisted, my blade carving through its chest. Flames erupted, searing it to ash before it could even hit the ground.

"There!" I pointed, spotting a gap in the circle. The Glyms were still coming, but if we moved now, we could break through.

The students followed, some stumbling, others dragging wounded comrades. Every few seconds, another scream signaled someone else didn’t make it.

"Move faster!" I growled, the frustration boiling over. Their hesitation would get us all killed.

Aria slashed through another Glym, her ice trailing behind her blade. She glanced at me again, her lips pressed into a thin line. She didn’t say anything, but I could tell she was wondering how I was holding up.

Soren was the first to break through, his spear splitting another Glym’s skull. Blood and fog swirled around him as he called back, "Let’s go!"

I followed, my flames cutting a path behind him. For a moment, I didn’t look back. Survival was all that mattered.

The fog thinned, and suddenly we were through. We kept running, the forest a blur as the sound of claws tearing through the earth echoed behind us. The Glyms had been relentless, their growls sharp and guttural, like death breathing down our necks.

"Don’t stop!" Soren shouted, his voice strained as he swung his spear, cutting down a smaller Glym that had leaped from the shadows.

Aria spun, her blade glowing with frost as she cast a glacial barrier behind us. It shattered almost instantly under the weight of the pursuing monsters.

I panted, flames sputtering weakly around my sword. My body felt heavy, exhaustion settling in, but I forced myself to keep moving.

Then the ground shook, a low rumble making us all stumble. Trees cracked and fell as something massive pushed through the fog.

A Glym emerged, towering above us, its height dwarfing everything around it. Its massive claws gleamed in the faint light, and its glowing eyes burned with predatory hunger.

"What the hell is that?!" Soren yelled, his spear shaking in his hands as the beast roared—a sound so loud it made my bones ache.

The students froze, their fear palpable. I clenched my teeth. Freezing meant dying.

The giant Glym charged, its steps thunderous as it barreled toward us. I barely had time to react, flames surging as I slashed at a smaller Glym that had lunged into my path.

"Focus on the big one!" Soren growled, his spear glowing crimson as he hurled it at the giant Glym. It struck its shoulder, but the beast barely flinched, swiping the weapon away like a twig.

Aria cast a barrage of ice spears, but they shattered harmlessly against the monster’s thick hide. "It’s too strong!" she gasped, her voice laced with panic.