"THRAD!!"

It seemed as if an eternity was passing at that moment as Thrad felt his step miss its mark, sliding off the powdery layer of the ash right before he jumped and reached for the fences with his bony arms.

That was how the damned dwarf's life ended.

Or at least how it should've ended, had it not been for a sudden golden blur who dashed past him.

Ascalon and Lesha's eyes widened in utter horror as they fell and landed on the other side of the cemetery.

They had already done what was within their means, and they even thought it had been barely enough.

While they've managed to jump a second earlier and technically left their dwarven comrade at the last moment, they've left him with a good chance to survive with a few moderate to heavy injuries, perhaps a severed limb, as one of the worst that could've happened, next only to death.

Thrad would've lived had he not slipped.

Everyone in Egress had been, more or less, around for some time, and they knew that the powdery layer of the ashen ground was sometimes unreliable.

But they've also learned how to fight in it, almost instinctually now.

Nonetheless, it remained mildly unforgiving, and that unforgivingness just had to strike now.

That's all it was…bad luck.

The small mound of ash turned out to be a little bit unreliable than what Thrad's instinct expected, and thus, he slipped.

The dwarf was about to despair, drowning in bitterness…until he heard a voice, calm yet resolute and mildly encouraging:

"Don't stop."

And so, Thrad didn't. He was a bit disoriented, but he continued his pathetic-looking but admirable attempt at survival.

All was said and done.

Whoever it was that passed him and went ahead to sacrifice himself, Thrad knew he couldn't throw their resolve to the trash bin.

After all, behind him, only death awaited a wretch, and that's exactly where his benefactor was headed.

But Daru wasn't planning to die.

No.

He had a plan, even though it looked like he didn't, given that he was running straight to the wraith army.

"DARU!!" erupted Ascalon and Lesha, almost in unison, as they watched the only person who could lead them to the Surface lead himself to his own death.

It was as though the skies turned even more gray…more hopeless.

Who knows when Egress would find another Visitor?

Not to mention, one so competent and not merely a dead weight?

Such a thing mattered a lot, after all, since, if weak in combat, their "savior" could die in the middle of the final operation, though it was still unsure if Egress could even get to such a point.

Nonetheless, watching Daru's selfless action that was somehow twisted into selfishness due to their desperation cast the Damnedlings' wretched hearts deep into the abyss, seemingly damning them further.

His blonde hair swayed in the chilly winds, growing more vague as it was swallowed by the mist.

Then they momentarily saw him clearly again.

He spun mid-air, turning into a tornado that threw the wraiths into disarray, confusing their instincts for a second before a piercing clang resounded, reaching the ears of the despairing wretches outside the cemetery.

Daru's tornado slash was blocked by the Accursed Soulcatcher that he targeted.

However, this was precisely what he wanted: for his attack to be defended against, resulting in the force of the clash hurling him further to the back of the wraith army.

He was swallowed by the mist, and that was the last time the Damnedlings of Egress saw him.

At least that's what they expected to happen.

Meanwhile, Thrad fell clumsily on the other side, still greatly disoriented by a myriad of emotions mixed with fatigue.

The ones at the frontmost formation of the wraiths quickly managed to reset their priorities after a moment of confusion and resumed their malicious pursuit.

Barely…just barely, he had escaped, thanks to the split second bought for him.

But most didn't have the mental capacity to check on Thrad.

Only Aesyn approached and helped him up, as everyone's horrified eyes were still glued to the specific part of the mist their hope and savior disappeared into.

Soon, realization began to settle, and the seed of desperation and exhaustion bloomed at a maddening rate…only to be snuffed out in the same, sudden manner.

The Damnedlings of Egress were drowned in a whirlpool of indescribable emotions as they witnessed a huge azure sword descend like a meteor towards them, crashing onto the powdery layer and sending a huge cloud of ash billowing out.

The ones standing the closest to the point of impact with their mouths agape got fed a mouthful of ash mixed with the putrid black blood of the destroyed abominations.

Those few unlucky ones couldn't continue watching, erupting into nauseating retches.

On the other hand, those who were only blessed with a mix of wind and ash were able to recover quickly.

But all they found was a small crater.

Daru was gone…until they noticed a shadow moving above.

With a slash of his tachi, Daru shot a small red crescent that barely recoiled him over the fence, landing rather spectacularly in front of the Damnedlings after successfully sticking the landing.

Everything would've been perfect had his Somersault Slash actually taken a life instead of being deflected.

Daru groaned lightly, feeling a bit sore as he turned to look in the direction of the wraiths.

They weren't clawing at the fences like some mindless zombies.

Instead, they looked eerily graceful, only staring at them from the inside. It was impossible to know what they were thinking.

Well…at least the servants.

The Accursed Soulcatchers seemed more like sore losers, hissing venomously at them before running towards a certain direction in strange coordination.

They were going on a desperate pursuit.

Soon, they were swallowed by the mist, and Daru lost interest.

He turned to look at the Damnedlings.

Aside from the ones who looked as if they'd been horribly poisoned, the others were still staring at him, their eyes and mouths wide open.

Daru dusted the ashes off his armor with a frown. Soon, his curiosity got the better of him, and he asked them:

"What? Is there…something on my face?"

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