Chapter 264: An Order

Of course, Ned had to survive, and Katolin had to as well. So Ned grabbed Katolin midair then he flipped his body so that he would go under her and save her from landing. All these due to Ned's instinct to live and to save her.

Under them, the Evolved Kruthik screaming as it tried to grab Ned and Katolin following their fall.

Cracks after cracks, each floor of the tower was destroyed with the weight of the massive beast plummeting.

Then it crashed its body at the bottom of the tower, then Ned and Katolin rolled under its belly. It tried to grab both of them, but even a massive beast like it could not handle its body crushed by its own weight. It growled before lying still, unmoving.

Ned acquired bruises on his skin where Silk Road wasn't covering, all these as he tried to defend himself from the beast's spikes.

Above them were the holes made as they fell together with the Evolved Kruthik.

Moments after they fell, smaller Kruthiks followed them from above and went to the holes.

Some of them fell and died, followed by another, and another until the dead bodies formed a tiny hill that even if the remaining falls, they no longer died.

One of them rolled and saw Ned and Katolin on the side, it then advances toward them.

Katolin stood with the spike on her legs. Pain courses through her body along with mana. The mana then formed light on the flat of her palm and conjured Lightning. Having the proficiency of Lighting, she raised her hand and stabbed the advancing Kruthik with her Lightning arc. The Kruthik fell lifeless as Katolin fell unmoving as well.

"You had enough," Ned said grabbing Katolin behind her waist and pulled her away from the body of the Evolved Kruthik.

Around them were rubbles of stones, dead bodies of the beasts that were kept on piling as they plummet to the ground.

"But..." Katolin started, blood leaks from her mouth. "~You must at least survive, Ned."

Even at this time, she got the urge to be cheerful talking to Ned. Ned smiled, genuine as he could be, and said, " Don't worry. You had enough. Let me take care of the rest."

"I want to help," Katolin said, pulling herself as another beast fell. "I don't want to be a burden, Ned. Let me... help you. Please... use me. Without you..."

Ned tagged Katolin's shoulder and pushed her against the wall of the tower, after which, he flicked a finger over Katolin's forehead.

"You will live." Ned smiled and stood. Leaving Katolin in tears as she looked up to Ned. "Your life belongs to you. So, you must live. That is an order."

As the smaller Kruthiks descended from above, there were almost a dozen of them now. But that didn't stop them, there were more of them approaching from above.

Ned spun, summoned the broken Butterfly, and brandished it with his mana and energy forming the Fourth Form of the Vanishing Stance.

"So, " he said under his breath. His eyes bore the approaching Kruthiks. "This is an Intent."

The broken Butterfly extended with green energy that ended until it was almost half a meter in length. Bright light coils around the sword.

The feeling was like Overclock, Ned thought. But only with a sword. So this is Intent, emotion to feel something. Katolin... after all... was a part of this.

Ned looked over his shoulder and nodded as Katolin swell up in tears.

"We're leaving this hole," Ned whispered and vanished with a sharp sound of air.

Then appeared at the same spot after two of the approaching Krutik fell with their heads cut.

"Hmm, " he then said. "It feels nothing as if I cut nothing but air." And smiled. His body oozing with steam. With the help of the magical item Silk Road, his hunter clothing in black was looking new as if it were never touched. Only his black boots were visible of scrapes under the lights coming from the holes and his broken Butterfly.

[Ned.]

ICE prompted in revolt.

[You are exceeding the use of Overclock.]

[Cotinue doing this and your body will fail.]

"How long was I using Overclock?" Ned asked under his steaming breath.

"~Let me guess," Katolin asked. Her golden hair obscured some part of her eyes. "~She was telling you to stop." Her shoulders shuddered from just speaking, but she continued. "I would follow her if I were you, Ned."

[ 22 seconds, Ned.]

[That is more than the 15 seconds mark. You might not feel it, but your muscles are going into shock. Any longer than 22 seconds, it might cause your body to fail.]

Ned took a deep breath through his nose.

"This is the only way to fight them."

He then vanished again and went to cut the growing number of Kruthiks.

"23," Ned said.

With Overclock, everything around him was in slow motion.

Spikes.

Head.

Scales.

Eyes.

Neck.

Any part that Ned saw was cut, or slashed, or gouge killing the army of Kruthiks. All these to live and live he got. He smiled and said after cutting the neck of the three Kruthiks that tried to approached Katolin, "24."

Ned smiled again.

Although the base of the tower was massive with a diameter of almost 30 meters. Ned circled the tower in less than seconds. In the middle was the body of the Evolved Kruthik, to the end was Katolin, and ahead of them was a door made of iron but was blocked by the Kruthiks that kept on falling from above.

"25," Ned said. He was oozing white steam with his body turning red the longer he use Overclock.

Under his display, at the bottom right was his body in 3d model, spinning. It was all in red, indicating that he was more than at his limit and would collapse anytime soon if he continued to use Overclock.

He continued. The base of the tower was filled with screeches and screams from the Kruthiks. Unaware of their enemy.

Suddenly, Ned's display cracked of black, and his vision was cleared of any digits, his mana and energy bar were unseen. ICE's worried voice disappeared in his mind. Then, Ned stopped over the Evolved Kruthik's body, under its foot was the beast's Core throbbing in red. Around him were a pile of dead Kruhtiks, while the live ones were approaching from the holes above, and increasing.

Ned smiled and said, "I've been waiting."