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In a split second of judgment, the aura wrapped around Allen's feet gave him the last bit of leverage he needed. He twisted his body mid-air, turning his back to the swarm of monsters leaping toward him, and tightly shielded Rudy and Sylphiette in his arms.
The Dragon Saint Aura concentrated on his back, its momentum unrelenting!
Then, amidst the screams of Rudy and Sylphiette, Allen shot through the dense horde of monsters like a cannonball.
The sea of monsters bulged in the middle before exploding outward, and a figure burst through the swarm.
The last remnants of the sunset in the valley cast a faint glow as blood and flesh rained down around Allen like flowing streams. The shattered fangs of the monsters shimmered in the twilight, glowing faintly.
Allen's back was torn open by the monsters' fangs, and blood-soaked strips of cloth fluttered in the air.
The Dragon Saint Aura was still only in its nascent stage. While it could enhance the strength of his protective aura, it couldn't completely shield him from injury amidst such a dense swarm of monsters.
His eyes lowered as he hung in the air.
'...Good, they're both unharmed.'
Sylphiette and Rudy peeked out from his arms, both staring at him in shock. The sudden sensation of falling had completely unnerved the inexperienced duo. The moment Allen broke through the swarm, Rudy immediately cast a wind spell downward.
A gust of wind surrounded them, slightly slowing their descent. However, after casting the spell, Rudy panicked. He looked down at the abyss below, his face pale.
"Allen! What do we do?! Think of something!!"
Rudy continued to maintain the wind spell, but their bodies merely floated like leaves in the air, barely maintaining balance but unable to stop their fall.
Meanwhile, Allen, still in the state of 'Flow Sense,' shifted his gaze away from Rudy and locked eyes with Paul and Laws, who were clinging to the edge of the broken ridge.
Their gazes intertwined.
But they were separated by more than ten meters.
Allen had successfully protected the two in his arms, but at the cost of losing his initial momentum. The twist in his posture had redirected his trajectory. Instead of leaping onto the ridge to join Paul and Laws, he was now shooting straight upward.
Allen hung in mid-air, his hair fluttering as the wind flowed through his clothes.
Behind him, the last remnants of the sunset disappeared behind the mountains, and darkness surged forward like a tide, threatening to engulf Allen and the others.
The distant shouts of Rudy, Laws, and Paul, though originating from different directions, felt incredibly far away in Allen's 'Flow Sense' state. The syllables of their voices seemed stretched and distant.
In that moment, Allen could clearly see the expressions on Laws and Paul's faces.
He narrowed his eyes, observing the two fathers, his thoughts racing.
'They're truly worried parents... What should we do now?'
A flash of insight crossed Allen's mind, and he quickly devised the best course of action for the situation.
After all, Allen was Allen. His instincts, defined by the system as 'seeking profit and avoiding harm,' were deeply ingrained in his mind. So, in this situation, what should he do?
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
'There's no way to gain leverage in mid-air. In that case, there aren't many options. Still, things aren't at their worst yet. With Paul's skills, a distance of ten meters should be manageable.'
Allen blinked, snapping out of his 'Flow Sense' state.
The sounds of the environment rushed back in—the howling wind, the wails of the monsters, and the darkness that swallowed Allen's figure.
With a swift motion, Allen hurled Sylphiette and Rudy toward Paul and Laws, who were more than ten meters away. His voice pierced through the darkness.
"Here they come, Uncle!!!"
Rudy and Sylphiette were flung through the air, their faces filled with terror.
No leverage in mid-air? Then using his arms as a springboard to launch them would have to do! If all three couldn't escape, then he'd save two first!
Too rational? Focused on efficiency? Seeking profit and avoiding harm?
Then, sacrificing one to save two—wasn't that the most efficient choice?!
Caught off guard, Rudy was thrown with precise force using the North God Style throwing technique, arcing through the air toward Paul at the edge of the cliff. But Allen, who had been reveling in the satisfaction of proving the system wrong, suddenly froze.
Because only Rudy had been thrown. As for the other person...
He felt a strong grip on his right arm and looked down in shock.
His right hand was tightly grasped by her.
"Sylphiette?!!"
In Allen's panicked, almost screaming voice, Sylphiette, her face filled with fear and tears welling in her eyes, stared resolutely at him in the darkness.
Her reddish-brown eyes glimmered in the dark.
She hadn't been thrown as Allen had expected. Instead, she had immediately realized his intention and clung even tighter to his arm!
Because she had been watching Allen all along, just as she had done every second of every day over the past year.
In the next moment, the recoil from the throw caused Sylphiette's small body to bounce slightly before she plunged back into Allen's embrace!
From afar, Laws's desperate cry echoed.
"Sylphie! Allen!!"
Sylphiette, Allen, and the monsters plummeted into the valley below.
In the darkness of the valley, countless pairs of crimson eyes glowed.
——
The avalanche had finally come.
The moment Allen and Sylphiette fell into the valley, the collapse of the mountain triggered a chain reaction. The snow on the peaks cascaded down like a black ocean in the darkness!
The ground beneath Paul and Laws's feet began to crumble. Paul, his teeth clenched, fought the urge to leap into the valley. With one hand, he grabbed the disoriented Rudy, who still hadn't fully grasped what had happened, and with the other, he used his aura to forcibly drag the wailing Laws back.
Broken trees slid past them as Paul leaped onto a trunk and slid down the ridge to the valley floor.
This saved them from being buried alive by the snow. The moment they steadied themselves, Laws lunged toward the valley like a madman. Paul simply watched his back with a grim expression.
The valley was dark. Laws hadn't taken more than a few steps before he let out a heart-wrenching cry. His usually neat golden hair was now disheveled.
Rudy, finally understanding the situation, fell to his knees, his face pale. He clutched his hair, utterly broken, unable to speak.
Before them, in the darkness, the only exit of the valley—shaped like a pouch—was completely sealed by the cascading snow.
Of the three who had fallen, only Rudy had been saved.
And that was all.
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 125 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 30 power stones I will publish the next chapter.