Ten minutes earlier…

"Gah! Dammit! There are too many of them, Ino!" Dion yelled, spinning his spear before driving the tip into the ground. "Push!"

Then, as if a silent, massive shockwave had detonated from his core, the numerous ghouls surrounding him were violently hurled backward, clearing a momentary sphere of space.

Dion leaned against his spear panting heavily in exhaustion. Then he tiredly whipped his head around toward the direction Cedric and Celeste were.

However, no matter how he strained, all he could see were countless ghouls rushing him. A solid wall of monsters was closing in where his allies should have been.

"Are they dead?" He muttered in feverish desperation after he couldn't find them, hoping that was not the case.

But right then, Ino's panicked voice yelled in his head. 'What does it matter if they are dead?! We cannot afford to think of anyone else besides us right now, so focus, and let's keep going north!'~~

"Have you forgotten the deal, Ino? We cannot leave him. If we do, we'll die."

'If we stay here, we'll die anyway! Plus, I think those guys are already dead!'~~

Dion gritted his teeth, then looked to the ground where two bottles of alcohol remained, then his eyes darted to the ghouls already upon him.

"Draw them in, Ino!"

Suddenly, the monsters that were rushing towards him from the front froze, their charging momentum violently arrested by an invisible, paralyzing force.

Dion then picked up the two bottles of alcohol that were on the ground. He slammed one against his chest, cradling it, then tore the cork from the other and began frantically chugging it down.

A few feet from him, Evelyn picked up a discarded bone spear. She held it with both hands, whipping it around in wide, shaky arcs, her eyes wide with frantic fear.

Dion quickly turned to her. Though they were in the same class, they had never spoken to each other before. But he had heard that she possessed a decent bond, which was why he couldn't help but feel sorry for her now that her bond was gone.

"Uh… Evelyn, right?"

She quickly turned to him, then nodded.

"Stay close to me. We need to keep moving north."

Evelyn nodded again and quickly walked closer to him just as he began moving.

Then Ino's voice echoed again: 'I don't mean to be rude, but do you not think that this girl will just end up being a burden?'~~

Dion frowned. 'Don't say that, Ino!'~

By now, the ghouls sedated by the alcohol had already slumped into unconscious heaps on the ground. However, their places were instantly filled by a fresh wave of monsters rushing at him.

Dion pointed his spear at the numerous horde in front of him, then he yelled in desperation. "Lock!"

The multitude directly ahead of him stiffened, halted mid-stride. Dion then yelled, sweeping his spear in a wide, tight arc until the tip pointed directly at the encroaching horde at his back. "Pull!"

An instant later, the frozen ghouls immediately slid sideways, dragged by an unseen, violent force in a tight circle around Dion. They smashed violently into the ranks of monsters advancing behind them, creating a chaotic, churning barrier of bone and crushed flesh.

But just as he was done, Dion swayed suddenly feeling lightheaded, but this time, it was not because he was drunk, but rather, he was running low on mana.

To be honest, it was a surprise that an air-element dominant like him had lasted this long.

Evelyn seeing him suddenly clutch his spear for support broke down in tears and asked, "Are we really going to be able to make it out of here?"

Dion looked at her and immediately tried to hide his exhaustion. He forced a wide smile then lied, "Yes… yes, of course… we'll make it."

Using her bone spear to support her shaky self, Evelyn cried. "I don't… I don't want to die, Dion."

Dion bit his lip forcing back his tears because he knew very well that some people are not a burden because they chose to be. They just do not have any other choice than to rely on someone else. As someone who had been called a burden more times than he could count, even from his own family, he loathed that word, and that made him even want to protect Evelyn even more.

"I won't let you die. I promise you, I won't let you die."

Dion then immediately began chugging as much alcohol as he could. Now that he was low on mana, his only saving grace was his bonded ability.

While he was doing so, Ino had begun to cry as she knew that even Dion was going to die here.

Dion threw the empty bottle away and immediately uncorked the second bottle. 'Hey, don't cry, Ino. I said we'll make it out, didn't I?'~

He could no longer hold back his tears and began drinking the second bottle. Then he immediately reached out and grabbed Evelyn's hand and began pulling her into a sprint.

"Let's run."

They both began running desperately, both with hope to make it out.

There were now only a few ghouls behind and even few in front of them.

As the few ghouls in front of them were almost upon them, Dion yelled in desperation. "Drag them in, Ino!"

The ghouls in front of them immediately dissolved into a reeling state of intoxication and began to collapse. Their charge instantly wobbled and fractured as they stumbled into each other.

"Keep moving!"

Dion yelled as he dragged Evelyn past the collapsing and swaying ghouls.

Then he let out a small choked smile as It seemed that there was no more ghoul in front of them.

They both risked a quick glance back and saw that the chasing ghouls seemed to be a few hundred meters behind giving them a sliver of hope.

However, just then, Ino's panicked scream caused Dion to snap his head forward.

A ghoul, hiding in ambush behind one of the nearby huts, was already mid-lunge, its spear aimed precisely at Evelyn.

Panicked, Dion tried to violently yank them out of the path, but...

He was too late.

Just before he could pull Evelyn clear, the spear ran clean through her side.

Both of them tumbled violently to the ground, landing in a bloody heap with Evelyn atop Dion.

For a moment, Dion felt as if the world had gone silent around him.

"No, no, no, no, no…" he muttered frantically as he rolled Evelyn to the side. He then saw her gurgling dark blood with her teary eyes wide and locked on his, full of fear.

She looked like she was trying to speak.

"It's okay… it's okay… shhh… it's…." Dion whispered shakily, grabbing her limp hand, and then… the light went out of her eyes.

The attacking ghoul didn't pause for the sight; it immediately withdrew its spear and raised it high to finish Dion as he knelt in despair.

At the very instant the ghoul raised its arm, the spear Dion had dropped when he fell began to vibrate violently. It suddenly dissolved into a concentrated surge of swirling air and translucent vapor, which coalesced instantly into the form of a slim, distraught young girl.

"No!" she yelled as she activated her bonded ability, and the last vestiges of intoxication left in Dion instantly surged into the ghoul. The creature lurched and swayed momentarily, but that small, sudden dose was insufficient to bring it down. Since the ghoul was already fully committed to killing Dion, it slammed its spear down with brutal force.

However, that brief momentary pause allowed Dion to roll away, but unfortunately for him, the spear still caught his flank, tearing a deep gash before slamming into the ground.

Grabbing his wounded side, Dion expended the last of his mana and yelled, "Push!"

Before the ghoul could even register the change and withdraw its spear, a sudden, violent invisible force slammed into its chest, sending it careening through the air and crashing violently into a few nearby huts.

Ino quickly scrambled to Dion, tears streaming down her face as she dropped by his side. She placed one hand over the hand Dion was clutching against his bloody flank.

Dion turned to face her, his dull gray eyes fixed on hers, pooling with tears. He muttered hoarsely, "I'm sorry, Ino. I've… also been a burden to you, haven't I?"

Ino rested her head on his. "No, no… don't say that."

"I'm sorry… we couldn't make it out."

Ino drew him into a fierce hug and sobbed uncontrollably. "It's okay… you tried."

At that devastating moment, the pack of ghouls chasing them finally closed the distance…

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