On the other side of the battlefield, Nely faced off against Nate in a brutal clash. Both were bloodied, their bodies marked by countless cuts. Nely was at her limit, her green Neba flickering weakly, and her Zeten reserves nearly drained.
Nate, however, seemed relentless. His powerful orange Zeten surged inside him, making his every move dangerous. Whenever his sword made contact with Nely, explosions erupted, sending her flying backward. She winced as the latest blast sent her crashing into a tree, her ribs aching with every breath.
"You're not going to survive this," Nate sneered, his green Neba flaring brighter. He took slow, deliberate steps toward her, his axe glowing with a dangerous light.
Nely forced herself to her feet, ignoring the pain. Her thoughts wandered, even as she raised her sword to defend herself. *Is Dune okay? He's not as strong as the others… Did he survive?* Her heart sank. *What if he just leaves me? Would he abandon me if he thought it was the easier choice? No... he wouldn't, right?*
The image of Dune's determined face flashed in her mind, and she gritted her teeth.
Nate's blade swung toward her again, but Nely dodged to the side. The sword grazed her arm, and another explosion burst from the contact, sending her spinning to the ground. She screamed, clutching her seared arm, but forced herself to stand once more.
"You're still standing? Impressive," Nate mocked, raising his axes again.
Nely tightened her grip on her scythe, her green Neba flickering faintly around it. She felt her strength fading. Her vision blurred, and her breathing grew ragged. But she couldn't give up, not yet.
"I'm going to survive," she whispered, her voice trembling but resolute. Dune's words echoed in her mind, strengthening her resolve.
"I will fight with everything I have… and get my revenge."
Nate raised an eyebrow, sensing the shift in her energy. "So, you've still got fight left in you? Good. I'll enjoy tearing it away."
Summoning her last reserves of strength, Nely unleashed her strongest attack. Green flames erupted around her, swirling with raw power. The ground beneath her feet shook violently, and the air burned with intensity.
Nate growled, realizing the danger. He formed green armor around himself, his neba manifesting into a massive battle axe. The trees around them began to smolder and burn from the sheer heat of their combined energies.
They locked eyes. Both knew this would be the final clash.
With a roar, they charged at each other. Their weapons collided with an earth-shattering force, the shockwave leveling trees around them and leaving a crater in the ground. Nate's armor cracked in several places, shards of green energy flying off as Nely's relentless flames battered him.
As Nate stumbled backward, Nely gathered every ounce of her remaining strength and launched a massive Neba attack.
"What? She knows how to unleash and even attack with Neba?… who is this girl? Is she from a Noble family?" Nate thought.
The fireball exploded against Nate, engulfing him in a violent inferno and throwing him far into the forest.
Nely fell to her knees, panting heavily. Her vision darkened, and her body trembled from exhaustion. She had used up everything, her Neba, her Zeten, and nearly all her strength. As she lost her balance and began to fall, someone caught her.
It was Dune.
"You're a mess," he said, lifting her into his arms with surprising ease.
Nely blinked weakly, barely able to make out his face. "Du…Bunny?..."
"Don't talk," he said, his voice firm but steady. "We gotta run. You're out of Neba and Zeten, right?"
"Almost..." she murmured, her voice faint.
"Good," he said bluntly. He adjusted her in his arms and began to run.
As they moved, red wolves emerged from the shadows, their glowing eyes fixed on the pair. Nely's eyes widened in fear. "Wolves… again?"
Dune glanced over his shoulder, his expression calm despite the danger. "Yeah, but don't worry. I've got a plan."
The wolves charged, their snarls echoing through the forest. Dune ran faster, dodging between trees with Nely in his arms. "Hey," he said sharply. "When we reach the explosion site, use the last bit of your Neba and zeten. Trust me."
Nely hesitated but nodded weakly. "Alright..."
When they reached the clearing, they found Nate, battered and injured. His green armor was gone, but he still clung to his Zeten axe, blood dripping from his hands.
Dune smirked, setting Nely down gently. "Now," he ordered.
With trembling hands, Nely conjured a small green fireball, nothing like the one before, but still dangerous. Her eyes and mouth bleed bit she ignored it. She hurled Neba fireball at Nate, who immediately transformed his axe into a massive shield to block the attack.
As the fireball struck, Nate braced himself, expecting another assault. But none came. Instead, red wolves emerged from the shadows, leaping toward him.
"What the hell—?!" Nate shouted, swinging his shield wildly. One wolf bit into his arm, tearing at his flesh as more swarmed him.
Dune grabbed Nely and bolted, weaving through the chaos as Nate's screams filled the air.
"Leave me," Nely whispered faintly. "I… I don't have anything left…"
"Be quiet," Dune snapped, his eyes locked on the path ahead where the wolves ran towards them.
As they ran, the wolves ignored them entirely, their focus solely on Nate. Nely watched in stunned silence as they passed through the snarling horde unscathed. "Why aren't they attacking us?"
Dune chuckled, a rare sound of amusement. "Guess he's more interesting to them than we are."
They moved deeper into the forest, the sound of Nate's struggle fading behind them. Dune didn't slow, his determination unshaken as he carried Nely to safety.
Dune sprinted with all his remaining strength, his body screaming for rest. He prayed Nate would fall to the wolves.
If Nate survived and pursued them, they stood no chance. After several grueling minutes, Dune spotted a colossal tree towering above them, its height lost in the canopy.
He halted beneath its massive trunk and turned to Nely. "Have you recovered any of your Neba? Can you create a rope with it?"
He l lowered her to the ground. She was utterly drained, barely able to lift her head. With tremendous effort, she raised her hand and conjured a thick, long rope from her Neba.
Dune used the rope to tie Nely around him, then he carried her and climbed the giant tree. She was already unconscious.
When they reached a sturdy branch that could support them, he carefully set her down. Exhausted, he collapsed beside her, succumbing to unconsciousness.
He couldn't believe they had survived against foes stronger than both him and Nely. Was he simply too lucky this time? Without the wolves, he would have likely perished.
Dune woke after a long sleep, finding himself next to Nely, her head resting on his shoulder. He looked at her face, now healed and clean. It seemed she had woken before him, left the tree to hunt, and washed off the blood.
her body fully healed, even her clothes were regenerated. Dune felt a twinge of envy; her Zeten and ability to heal so easily were incredibly useful.
Dune's healing was still better than the average person's, but it couldn't compare to hers or other Zetens.
Noticing stitches on some of his wounds. "Did she treat me while I was asleep?" he thought. He tried to stand up, managing with some effort. Though his lower body wasn't too damaged, his hands, chest, and bones ached badly.
He ate some fish left on a wooden plate, savoring the simple meal. Soon after, Nely woke up.
"You were asleep for three days," she said softly, sitting up and stretching.
"Three days?" Dune muttered under his breath, staring out into the distance. He sighed, frustration and exhaustion evident in his voice. "And the trial isn't even over yet..."
Nely, sitting nearby, glanced at him thoughtfully. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Why didn't you leave?"
Dune turned to look at her, his expression unreadable. *Yeah… why didn't I?* He tried to brush off the question, shrugging casually. "You wanted revenge, didn't you? I said I'd help. Fight next to you."
Nely raised an eyebrow, an amused smile tugging at her lips. "But I never said I wanted revenge, did I? I told you I'd think about it."
Dune froze, caught off guard by her response. He didn't have an answer, and the silence lingered between them.
Nely chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Dummy," she teased, her voice light but warm.
They soon left the tree, continuing their journey. "Where do you think we should go?"
Dune pondered for a moment before replying, "We should venture to the other side of the island and assess the situation there."
But Nely interrupted him, concern lacing her words, "huhhh? The other side? Don't you remember what they said? They will probably kill us. What makes you think they will be any different from Jake and Nate?"
Dune sighed heavily, understanding her apprehension. "You see, we have no other choice. Now that two of their people are likely dead, they have two fewer reasons to reject us. There are probably eight of them now. We must be cautious. Sooner or later, we'll have to confront them."
Nely paused, confused. "Wait what happened to being alone? You were even planning to abandon me, but now you want to join whole new crew?"
Dune glanced at her "I've changed my mind"
Nely sighed, conceding, "I trust your plans, Bunny. I'll give you that, you're smarter than me."
Then Nely's expression turned curious. "By the way, how did you manage to defeat that Zeten? How did you kill Jake? Are you crazy?"
Nely's eyes sparkled with excitement as she awaited Dune's explanation. With a sigh, Dune began recounting his tale. "You see, the wolves... they only consumed Zeten. I don't have Zeten, so the wolves didn't attack me.
While I stood there, I waited for the wolves to weaken Jake. Then, when he was depleted of Neba and Zeten, I seized the opportunity and struck, ending him. Lucky, right?"
Nely was dumbfounded. "That's it? No way."
Dune simply nodded. "Yeah, that's it."
Nely burst into laughter. "How are you so lucky? I would've died long ago if i was weak like you.
To protect himself, Dune added, "But I can still fight well. My friend Atlas and my brother Daniel taught me how to fight! If you and I fought one-on-one without powers, I'd probably win."
The atmosphere around them shifted as Nely stood with an evil smile. "Oh, so you think you'd win?" She conjured two wooden swords from her Neba and tossed one to Dune. "Come on, Shorty, let me show you a good beating."
"Shorty? We're both same height" Dune was taken aback. "Also we don't have time for this so stop."
Ignoring his protests, Nely dashed towards him without using her powers. "This girl!" Dune easily avoided her attack and kicked her on the head with the wooden sword. "You lose," he said calmly.
Nely then shouted in embarrassment, "Hey, come on, one more time, Please, my wooden sword was heavier, it reduced my speed, my hand slipped, and...!" But Dune ignored her, walking ahead with annoyed expression on his face.
More days passed as they delved deeper into the forest, encountering various creatures and battling monsters. Nely took the lead in combat while Dune provided support to the best of his ability Until…