Supreme Paragon Reborn: Humanity's Rise To Galactic Supremacy-Chapter 295: When Nothing Else Mattered

Ava’s heart pounded so violently it felt as though it might burst from her chest.

She quickly assessed Victoria’s condition. There were no visible external wounds, no blood, or harmed skin. She had been deliberately struck once, rendering her unconscious rather than causing real harm.

Michael, however, was another matter entirely.

A deep gash bled from the center of his chest, blood flowing steadily. Brutal marks streaked down his back, signs of the repeated blows he had endured when he shielded Victoria. By now he had lost too much blood. His skin had gone ghostly pale, and his body was colder by the minute.

But the most alarming part wasn’t the blood loss.

Ava couldn’t sense even the faintest trace of his spiritual energy.

That energy... That life force, which should have responded instinctively and aided his body’s recovery when pushed to the brink of death... Was nowhere to be seen. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Whatever Michael had endured when separated from the crew remained unknown to her. But judging by his critical condition, one thing became certain.

The calculating nature that had always defined him was replaced by a terrifying stillness. Now, Ava was the only one who could pull him back from the brink of death. His life was in her hands. If she failed, there wouldn’t be going back.

"Oh, God!" Ava whispered.

Gritting her teeth, she grabbed every remaining emergency healing syringe she carried and drove them into Michael, one after another. The most important thing was to stop the bleeding. Otherwise, everything else she did would be meaningless.

Of course, while Michael had been dealing with Malice, the rest of the crew had been fighting as well. Ava herself was exhausted, her body marked with heavy wounds, her strength nearly spent. Yet she didn’t hesitate. Not once did she consider using a single syringe on herself. Every dose going into Michael, instead.

Once the final dose of healing liquid coursed through his bloodstream, the worst of his injuries began to close.

"Michael? MICHAEL?!" Ava shouted, shaking him desperately, but to no avail.

"Like hell I will let you die!"

Shifting her petite body over his large frame, Ava placed her hands firmly on his chest, ready to begin CPR.

"One, two, three..."

As she counted, her eyes scanned the surroundings. Thankfully, the Ro’trah’s minions had thinned out significantly, and the few that remained were focused on battling the soldiers. At least she didn’t have to worry about being attacked from behind.

"Thirty..."

She muttered, barely above a whisper, her pink eyes drifting to his lips.

"Honestly, I’ve dreamed of this moment for so long... yet not a single one of those dreams looked like this."

Without hesitation, she leaned down. Pinching his nose, she gently pressed her lips against his.

For a brief moment, Ava was caught off guard by the firmness of his lips when compared to hers.

But she didn’t slow down, breathing two steady breaths into his lungs, both to force air into his chest and to share a part of her own spiritual energy with him.

As their lips parted, Ava quickly pressed her ear against his chest, searching for the faintest heartbeat.

With no response, her brow furrowed. She started a second cycle of CPR, her movements more urgent now.

"You are not dying on my watch." She declared with determination.

Their lips met once more, during the second cycle.

Fortunately, every soldier had to go through mandatory first aid lessons, with death often found at the front line. So Ava was proficient in the emergency medical procedures.

"You are in safe hands..."

Fifth cycle... Tenth cycle... Fifteenth cycle...

"I can’t let you die!"

Gradually, her vision became blurry as exhaustion set in. When it came to CPR, it was generally advised that if the rescuer started to feel tired, they should stop. Ava, however, didn’t seem willing to do that.

"Why can’t I do anything right?"

She murmured softly.

"I am not like Victoria, nor like Claire. They’re stronger than me, taller, with better-developed bodies, more elegant... What do I even have going for me with my petite frame? Maybe a cute face, but that’s about it."

She swallowed dryly.

"Even Ruby, who started cultivating much later than I did, is more talented and soon to surpass me. She’s athletic and flexible... Hell, even her saliva has healing properties."

The edges of Ava’s eyes began to tear up.

"As for me? I’m nothing. If it weren’t for you, I probably would have died on some mission back on Triton. Everything I own is thanks to you, and yet I still haven’t repaid you."

She paused briefly.

"I don’t deserve anything. Even if you think otherwise, I’ve always had this feeling that I’m a nuisance... always slowing you down. Being stronger than Enzo, Amelia, and Leo doesn’t make up for it! Please, I can’t lose you. Not you. Everyone else, everybody else, but not you! This is the one thing I won’t be able to endure!"

As the sounds of the relentless fighting echoed across the warship’s hull, the precious minutes passed one after another. Ava continued, pushing through cycle after cycle. Her limbs trembled, her mind clouded, strength and rationally fading, and fatigue slowly consuming her.

Finally, when all hope seemed lost, a faint groan escaped Michael’s mouth. His lungs expanded on their own. His heart began to beat again.

He was alive.

"Ah..." Ava’s consciousness began to fade. "So, even I... managed to do one thing right after all."

Just as Michael’s mind regained alertness, he noticed unresponsive Ava, her head collapsed over his chest, her breathing ragged.

Although rare, there were cases where people rendered unconscious to the point of needing CPR could still perceive the world through their hearing. Especially Michael, thanks to his Legendary technique, Perfect Senses.

"You think you’re a... nuisance? Is that how you’ve viewed yourself all this time?" He exclaimed, his gaze shifting from the now helpless woman resting on his chest to the aliens fighting against the soldiers aboard, a crimson trail running from his lower lip.

Michael was beyond furious.