"Madesol, distract it and I'll go kill it!"
"W-what do you mean!?"
Asher could no longer explain as they did have not much time.
But he doesn't need to, Madesol understood their situation.
"Alright, if you don't kill it, I'll kill you!"
Asher was taken aback. He was planning to throw her away without her consent to distract the Fallen. Now, he could throw her away with consent.
He held her two slender legs.
"Eh-!?"
[Body Strengthening: Upper Limbs]
And flung her over to the side tens of meters away.
"You hateful---!" Madesol was helplessly thrown away like a ragdoll.
The Fallen's human eyes reddened as it saw its once-in-a-lifetime food being given to it.
"Kiki--...ki!"
Its mouth mimicked human laughter as it completely ignored Asher and greedily came to Madesol's side.
The Phoenix twisted her body and didn't let herself drop face first. Her feet elegantly connected to the ground as they slid back, giving her a readied posture. Forgetting about the pain in her stomach and her grudge against Asher, she calmed herself and immediately fell into a trance.
Every tremble on the ground and movement in the air were picked up by her senses and her body swiftly reacted.
Crash*
One giant tentacle root smashed onto her spot but she swiftly dodged. After analyzing the movement pattern of the Fallen in their first interaction, Madesol could predict every attack and could move before it arrived.
"Shiiii--!"
The Fallen shrieked with annoyance. It's like having its food slip from its chopsticks many times over while it is dying from hunger.
"What movements!" Asher muttered. The feat that he could achieve using Grand-Rank Soul Skills, this Phoenix could achieve with her weak body alone.
However, he had no time to be astonished.
All Grand-Rank Movement Soul Skills were deactivated. Since Madesol was stalling quite well, Asher focused on replenishing the World Energy within him.
"Give me ten- no, five seconds!"
Asher shouted and dropped to the ground. He blocked his senses off and didn't hear Madesol cursing him. As if the entire world was turned off, he could only sense the fluctuating energy around it.
Energy can be seen everywhere and in anything. That is one of the fundamental aspects of existence.
There's the energy coming from the wind, from the ground, from the sky, from the Fallen, and then, there's from the world.
Come here!
With mighty conviction, he opened up his body and willed pure World Energy to enter it.
If Immortals could see this, they may choke on themselves. Although Asher was only able to absorb one strand out of every ten thousand, the fact that the World Energy was attracted to him even when he had yet to form his Soul Structure, let alone turn it into a Spirit, was out of this world.
No one would believe this even if they were here to witness it.
Although some time had passed inside Asher's head, only a second went by in the outside world.
"Damn you, Mortal!"
Madesol was really angry. Not only was she spanked by him like a child, but she was left alone to deal with this creepy Fallen.
However, she could no longer spare any thoughts on cursing the man. The Fallen was getting more and more aggressive as its anger rose.
More and more tentacles were coming off the ground, trying to catch or hit the Divine Being.
Three seconds have passed.
I can no longer keep up! Madesol thought as the ground was getting more and more uneven, slowing her by just a tiny percentage. But with the growing onslaught and fatigue, this tiny percentage was snowballing, and surely, by the time four seconds had passed, one tentacle swiftly connected to her torso.
Bam*
Four seconds have passed.
Madesol twisted her body once more and did not let herself fall flat on the ground. Enduring the flaring pain in her body, she retained her flow.
However, the Fallen was more cunning than it looked. The moment she landed on her feet, roots had already waited and grabbed her ankles.
Before she could react, tens of decaying and heavy root tentacles made their way onto her.
Five seconds have passed.
Epitome-Rank Soul Skill [Space Rift]
Epitome-Rank Soul Skill [White Tiger's Furious Slash]
The space between the numerous attacks and the delicate lady ripped apart. From it, Asher appeared and with a heavy wave of his hand, four overwhelming blades of energy emulating an ethereal tiger's claw came out and slashed through the tentacles with ease.
That's not all. The blades continued and exactly hit the three disgusting eyes of the Fallen.
Although it did not fully cut the monster into pieces, it was no longer able to see.
"KAAAATT--!"
The Fallen cried and its root tentacles went on a rampage. However, without its eyes, it does not have a target and randomly crashes its surroundings.
Asher almost fell on his knees. Using two Epitome-Rank Soul Skills right after another had taken a toll, not only on energy but on his body as well. If he had enough World Energy, this wouldn't happen.
But now's their chance. He turned around, stomped on the root entangling Madesol's ankle, and picked her up before running away.
Even though he was weakened, Asher was still faster than Madesol even when carrying her.
After some time, the Fallen was out of their sight and Asher dropped to his knees, letting Madesol fall to the ground.
"Haa--!"
Both of them heaved their breaths.
Later, they recovered themselves and finally relaxed.
There was no longer the rumble on the ground nor any sign of the monster in the immediate distance. For now, they are safe.
Asher found Madesol with her back facing him, as she hugged her knees.
Was she angry at me or was she just too scared back then? He thought but he didn't care enough to think of the answer.
For now, he sat down and tried to replenish small amounts of World Energy. Asher knew he was too complacent. Before reaching the mountaintop, he didn't care about anything but just looking at the state of the land.
After returning down, he naturally regained his energy through eating. After exhausting it once, Asher decided to let it recover naturally or his body wouldn't have time to adjust.
He used a shortcut and directly used World Energy under the spirit's guide. Asher couldn't let it destroy his body.
But now that they had encountered a Fallen, he had to take a slight risk. For now, he forcefully called onto the World Energy again into his body. It was slower this time than before.
His body weakly opened up and could only take one strand for every fifty thousand after forcing it earlier.
It took him five minutes this time to have enough World Energy for five Epitome-Rank Soul Skill activations. This should be enough to let them escape a Fallen with the same level as before.
He no longer forces his body as it may receive a backlash from being too rash.
Asher opened his senses to the real world once again.
Sob sob*
He turned to the Phoenix's side and saw her delicate body quietly trembling as she sobbed.
Asher stood up.
"Let's go."
"..."
But she didn't answer him and just tightened her arms around her legs.
"Hey, Phoenix."
"..." no answer again.
Asher scratched his neck as he was getting annoyed. He didn't feel any pity for this woman.
So he doesn't have patience with whatever her mood is.
He got near her, planning to pick her up.
"Don't come near me!"
She shouted.
"..." Asher stopped in his tracks before speaking with a heavier voice, "We have to go now."
"You're heartless!"
Madesol cried and complained, "In my sixteen thousand years of life, no other Divine Beings, even the Grand Elders of the Light Order, have hit me, let alone spank me like I'm a child!"
"Huh, I thought it was something serious."
Asher didn't care. If she stayed like this, he may not restrain himself to do much worse.
"You then threw me away like I'm some kind of trash! Then you left me on my own!"
"..."
"It hurts! Everything you do to me hurts!"
Madesol cried as she was being treated like a plaything. She felt worthless and that squeezed her heart.
After some time, Asher walked in front of her and crouched down.
"Hey," he said softly.
Madesol lifted her head and glared, "Even if you apologi-"
But before she could continue, her cheeks were grabbed and pulled.
"Ah--!"
Asher increased his grip and Madesol squirmed with pain. He made her face him closer and their eyes locked onto each other.
Madesol looked into his eyes and found no pity or atonement.
"Do I care?"
"H-huh?"
"Do I care if you get hurt?" Asher asked again.
Madesol didn't understand.
"H-how could you be cruel?" tears dropped from her eyes.
"Me? Cruel?" Asher wanted to laugh but no laughter came out, "Look around you. Who do you think is more cruel?"
"But it wasn't my fault! I told you, I dropped here by chance! I didn't do it intentionally! I'm a victim!"
Madesol protested.
Asher didn't reply for some time before agreeing, "Yes, assuming you're not lying, it's not your fault, isn't it?"
"Yes! Why would I come down here!? How will it benefit me!?" Madesol struggled once more, thinking that Asher accepted the fact, "Now, let me go!"
"It's not your fault that you killed a whole nation, maybe even the whole world," Asher then smashed her to the ground.
"Gah!"
He looked into her sad eyes.
"Yet, you didn't feel regret."
"..."
"I begged you and do you remember what you said?" Asher increased his grip again, "Come on, tell me...!"
Madesol's words then came back biting her. She stayed silent as she whimpered.
"Not gonna say it?"
His head slightly tilts.
"Then let me shake your memories," he repeated her words back then, word by word.
- You should feel lucky that your world died by my presence -
Madesol bit her lips as she couldn't argue back. It was still fresh in her memory. Although she said that in the heat of the moment, she still said it.
"Did you apologize, O' Divine One? Did you try to mend your mistake? Or at least promise it?"
Asher's voice turned colder and colder.
"I may be cruel but you are crueler. If I treat you like trash, it's because you are trash!"
He didn't hold back his insult.
"If not because you are hungry, if not because you are cold, you wouldn't take that Oath, am I wrong?"
Madesol couldn't deny it.
"If you were not forced, if you had recovered your energy back, you would torture then kill me and leave this place, am I wrong?"
That was her intention.
"So, who's the cruel one?" Asher lightly smiled, "I could've killed you, or at least tortured you more."
He grabbed onto one of her plump breasts, kneading it like bread.
"I could savage you right now because you're so weak!"
"That... hurts...!" she cried.
"Remember this," Asher continued as if he didn't hear her, "Until you recover your energy, you are under my mercy."
"..."
"Nod if you understand."
Madesol just cried and didn't respond to him.
Asher sighed. He can't have her fear of him paralyze her.
"Don't worry. I have no interest in you. You may have good looks but your personality turns me off so badly. I'd rather fuck a goat if I was forced to pick between you and it."
Even though it was supposed to relieve her fear, it made her mood worse. Her self-esteem fell abysmally.
"I won't hurt you either if it wouldn't be beneficial."
Asher then removed his grip from her and stood up.
"You should understand what I mean, right?"
Madesol sat up and slowly distanced herself as she looked at the ground, depressed.
Asher began walking away without looking back.
Soon, Madesol wearily stood up as her arms hugged herself and followed him.
Her lifeless eyes then rolled away from him as she muttered.
"... I hate you."
Asher could hear her as she didn't even hide it.
The feelings are mutual.