World's Last Hope-Chapter 61: Found You

"Traversing the death zone like this is really convenient," Olivia admitted as she glanced around, taking in the breathtaking sight.

Shifting her gaze to Aria, who was firmly holding onto the reins, she asked, "Why haven’t we done this more often?"

Aria sighed before answering, "Because before, I was just a Master, so my control over the monsters was questionable at best. The only reason I can so confidently fly high into the sky now is because I trust my power more as a Grandmaster."

"That’s the benefit of being a Grandmaster," Olivia muttered, returning to appreciating the sight.

"Plus," Aria added,

"You know that being in the sky means—"

"That we’re much easier to spot," Olivia finished Aria’s thought as she resumed scanning their surroundings for any potential monsters that might attack them.

Aria glanced at the area ahead, her expression grim. "These trees look very tall—and they’re getting taller the closer we get to the cathedral. Eric has most likely encountered colossal creatures by now."

"He’ll be fine. Didn’t you say so yourself?" Olivia replied.

A moment later, her eyes froze as she summoned a bow into her hand.

"Never mind that—we’ve got company."

A massive butterfly was flying toward them at staggering speed.

Reluctant to let it get any closer, Olivia took a deep breath, drew the string of her bow back, and materialized a black arrow from thin air.

As she took aim, she released the string.

The arrow broke through the sound barrier, colliding with the butterfly’s head. The monster let out a low roar but didn’t slow its ascent toward them in the slightest.

Of course, Olivia wasn’t done either. She began firing rapidly, aiming at different spots on the butterfly.

In truth, she could have killed it much more easily, but she was doing something more important,

Searching for its weak spot.

"Found it," Olivia muttered with a smile as one of her arrows struck exactly between the butterfly’s wings, causing it to lose control and plummet to its death.

"Okay, I think I’ve got the gist of it now. Let’s continue the plan," she said, shifting her gaze toward Aria.

Aria nodded slightly, stretching out her hand. A beautiful lantern appeared in it.

Attaching it to the side of the monster, Aria took a deep breath and activated it.

In the next moment, the lantern began to shine brightly, like a beacon, as they flew above the gigantic forest.

This would no doubt attract the attention of countless monsters in the area, but it was a sacrifice they were willing to make.

After all, if the monsters in the area could spot them, there was no way it wasn’t the same for Eric.

*****

Seeing the battle unfolding below him, Eric muttered, "It’s more like a war than a battle," as he began climbing the tree higher.

It was clear he was going to be stuck here for a long time, so he decided to use his time productively.

"Considering how tall this tree is, I should be able to get a better look at my surroundings," he said as his hands and feet moved steadily, as he climbed.

One thing he had not taken into account was how strong and cold the wind was this high up in the tree. But that was only natural—he was probably half a kilometer above the ground, if not more.

He didn’t have much of a choice, so he gritted his teeth and kept climbing.

The surroundings began to dim, but he didn’t stop. He wanted to reach the top.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he made it.

Looking around, Eric’s eyes widened in awe, and he couldn’t stop himself from gasping.

But the gasp wasn’t due to the beautiful scenery—it was because he had realized something.

Now that he was so high up, he could see a path he could cross by using the branches of the nearby trees. Many of the trees were close enough for him to potentially jump across.

"But the smallest jump I’d have to make is at least 15 meters," he muttered with hesitation.

Should he wait for the war raging below him to calm down and then climb down?

He had no idea how much time it would take for things to settle. By then, he could be so hungry and dehydrated that he wouldn’t even be able to move.

Or should he attempt to jump across the large gaps between the branches of the trees?

Despite being much stronger now than before, he seriously doubted he could achieve such a large jump. And if he failed...

Eric glanced down.

A fall of several hundred meters awaited him.

He let out a sigh, massaging his tired eyes. It felt hopeless—no matter which option he chose, the downsides seemed much worse than the upsides.

But his thoughts were interrupted as something caught his attention.

There was a monster flying high into the sky. Not only that, but the creature was glowing with a light Eric recognized immediately.

"Don’t tell me..." he muttered, focusing his gaze on the distant figure.

Suddenly, his face lit up, and a smile appeared.

"Aria and Olivia! They came!"

His happiness almost overshadowed the problem he now faced,

How was he supposed to signal his position to them?

He didn’t have much time to think, as they were flying quickly through the air and would soon pass by without noticing him.

"Let’s try this, I guess," he muttered as he summoned his sword and immediately sent it flying into the air above his head.

Once the sword reached its peak and began descending, Eric desummoned it, making it reappear in his right hand—only to throw it again the very next moment.

*****

"How are you feeling?" Aria spoke, throwing a quick glance at Olivia.

Olivia’s breathing was ragged, and her hair was messy, but even so, she smirked as she replied.

"Well, killing all these things that were attracted to us has certainly done a number on me... but otherwise, I’m fine."

But Aria wasn’t listening to her friend anymore. Something moving in her peripheral vision had caught her attention.

There was something rising erratically into the air, only to disappear and reappear again.

Following Aria’s gaze, Olivia squinted her eyes, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. Moments later, she raised an eyebrow.

"Is that a sword?" she asked, a realization hitting her a second later.

"No," Aria answered immediately, turning off her lantern and commanding the monster she was controlling to change course.

"Its Eric,"

It seemed they had managed to locate him.