World's Last Hope-Chapter 49: Throw

"So, you’re sure it’s in that direction, right? Because we haven’t placed your cathedral on the map," Aria asked, glancing at Olivia.

"Of course! I remember that it was east of your cathedral," Olivia replied as she pointed at the sun.

"The cathedrals and the sun are the only two things that never change their position, so by using the sun as a point of reference, I know where to go."

Aria hummed, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

Then her body froze as she felt a sense of danger.

Not a second later, Olivia followed her example.

Eric bumped into Aria, not watching where he was going. Given the situation, she didn’t complain, especially with the terrifying presence closing in...

At an overwhelming speed.

There wasn’t much need for words as everyone dashed in the opposite direction of the creature targeting them.

Aria instinctively shot forward, leaving Olivia and Eric in the dust, but a second later, realization hit her that she was now a Grandmaster.

She slowed down enough to match the pace of her companions.

"SHIT!" Eric cursed under his breath as he sprinted with full force.

His expression darkened as he glanced to the side.

[850m...]

[800m...]

The thing chasing him was still coming closer despite Eric running with everything he had. The closer the mysterious creature got to Eric, the faster it seemed to become.

"Think! Think!" he muttered, pushing his legs to their limit, but nothing came to him.

Just from looking at the terrified expressions of Olivia and Aria, he could immediately tell that there was no way they could fight against something like this and live to tell the tale.

His breathing grew more ragged, and his heartbeat raced. It felt like his whole body was on fire as he experienced the most primal emotion of all,

Fear.

[750m...]

[700m...]

’There has to be a way! Come on, think! Think, for fuck’s sake!’

The air around them was becoming harder to breathe, and Eric sensed that the corners of his vision were beginning to darken.

And then, he felt something wet on his cheek. Raising his hand, he touched it. His eyes widened in horror the next second.

’I’m bleeding... from my eyes? Just being in the presence of that thing hunting me is enough to make me bleed?’

His body suddenly shivered as the gravity of the situation finally settled in.

Not being able to think of anything, he turned his head to his companions and asked between the ragged breaths he took, "Any ideas?!"

Olivia was too preoccupied with running for her life to even hear his question.

But Aria did. She shifted her gaze to him as she spoke.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes, I do!" he shouted immediately. His eyes were beginning to burn, and it felt like he was suffocating despite being on dry land.

[600m...]

[500m...]

"Okay then..." Aria immediately dug her foot into the ground, instantly killing her momentum.

As a Grandmaster, her speed had gone beyond what Eric was able to perceive, so all he saw was a blur.

One moment, he was running forward with all he had, and the next, he was in the embrace of Aria’s hands.

"We’ll meet up at the cathedral then," she said as she flexed her muscles.

Eric’s eyes widened in disbelief. ’No, wait, she’s not going to do what I think she will, right?’

"Have a safe flight," Aria whispered quietly.

The next portion of the second, Eric found himself about two kilometers high in the sky as Aria used her enhanced strength to throw him toward the cathedral and over the being that was following him.

Aria and Olivia were left on the ground as Eric soared high into the air.

"Let’s see if it really only hunts Eric," Aria muttered, summoning her sword and taking a battle stance.

Waiting for the entity hidden in the trees, she held her breath and tightened her grip on the sword.

Her heartbeat quickened, anticipating the possibility that she might have to face the entity in a fight.

Suddenly, the wind died down completely, and the world seemed to freeze.

Olivia fell to her knees, vomiting blood. Her body couldn’t withstand the oppressive pressure of being near the overwhelming entity.

A low, menacing roar echoed across the field, and then, gradually, the suffocating pressure Aria and Olivia felt began to fade until it vanished entirely.

Collapsing to the ground, Aria gasped desperately for air.

Extending her right arm, she touched Olivia, and in the next moment, Olivia’s bleeding seemed to disappear.

"What the fuck was that?" Olivia asked, trembling too violently to get up.

Aria chuckled quietly as she answered, "I have no idea."

Still on edge, Olivia glanced at the sky. "It’s good you came up with such a quick plan, but was there really no alternative to throwing Eric high into the air?"

Aria sighed. "No, nothing else came to mind."

"So, what do we do now?"

Rising to her feet, Aria extended her arm, offering Olivia support. "We regroup with Eric and liberate the second cathedral, of course."

Grasping her hand, Olivia sighed. "Can he survive long enough alone in the Death Zone, though?"

"Yes," Aria answered without hesitation.

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so certain?"

Aria smirked slightly as she replied, "Just a feeling, I guess."

*****

"Okay! I admit it—her plan seems to have saved me from that thing that was seconds away from killing me."

Flying through the air was certainly a surreal experience. Eric’s hair was whipped to the side by the violent winds, and his eyes struggled to focus in the high altitude.

Yet, he couldn’t help but stare in awe at the beautiful scenery.

Up here, the Death Zone almost didn’t seem hostile—it looked breathtakingly beautiful.

Of course, Eric knew that illusion was false. Every meter of that scenery was deadlier than the last.

"At least I’m safe from that thing, though..." Eric sighed, massaging his tired eyes.

"There’s just one problem," he muttered under his breath.

"How the hell do I survive the landing?"