Chapter 419 - 419: Pushed Over The Edge
The shockwave of a powerful explosion echoed behind Michael as he neared his objective.
He bit his lower lip so hard it drew blood.
Michael was well aware of what Cyberfang had chosen to do, and he had no means to do anything about it.
"Thank you." He whispered, his last means of paying his respects to his AI companion.
Left with no other choice, he dispelled any sense of sorrow brewing in his mind and focused on the task at hand.
Emotions could only slow him down at this point.
Carried by the inertia of Cyberfang's masterful throw, Michael neared the two Royal Champions, silent bloodlust oozing from his eyes.
Ruby, who was being carried head down, constantly tried to pry herself free. Yet with both of her legs secured in the golden ants' grasp, it seemed her end was inevitable.
Until a third party entered the occasion.
When Michael took hold of the Royal Champion on the left, the altitude of the two ants dipped slightly.
"Michael!" Ruby's eyes narrowed the moment she saw him, relief washing over her.
Michael could not afford to exchange greetings with the Monarch dangerously close.
Gritting his bloodied teeth, he drove Devil into the back of the golden ant, right at the point where its wings connected to the body, cutting them off.
Whoosh!
The Royal Champion lost its ability to fly, yet its grip on Ruby's leg remained firm.
With the added weight, the other ant holding them all was unable to keep everyone airborne, barely managing to stay aloft as they started to fall toward the ground.
"Let go!"
Michael's body tensed to the limit, constantly weakened by the Hreh'tar spawn writhing beneath his skin.
Knowing that he needed to lessen the load, his two hands gripped the limb with which the falling Royal Champion held Ruby and began to pull in two opposing directions.
The bestial roar that escaped his maw drowned out the fracturing echoes of the ant's exoskeleton.
Unable to match his raw power, the limb gave in.
At last, the ant's limb was torn apart. Clear blood splashed across Michael's body and limbs as the creature toppled toward the ground.
The flight of the other Royal Champion stabilized with the reduced weight. However, it showed no reaction to losing its partner.
Obeying the Monarch's command, the little capacity the ant once had for thought had been completely suppressed.
"Ruby, hold on just a little longer!" Michael shouted, focusing on the other ant. "We are going back to your brethren! We are going home!"
In response, Ruby's lips parted, but due to the force of the wind, even Michael's Perfect Senses weren't able to catch what she said.
His fingers turned white as they pressed against the hardened exoskeleton of the ant, Devil buried in a shallow wound.
"Assuming your other form would come in handy right about now!" Michael glared at his soul weapon.
But due to the lingering effects of Eleanora's soul weapon, Devil wasn't able to respond, much less take his true form.
Just as Michael thought that he was alone, Ruby's body arched. With only one leg being kept in suspension, she managed to bend her body until her claws pierced the ant.
"Don't stop!" Michael ordered, more to himself than anyone else, raising Devil and driving the sword into the ant's body in quick succession.
Finally, the flapping of the Royal Champion's wings slowed down. With its exoskeleton ruptured and too much blood lost, its movements began to weaken.
Letting go of Ruby's ankle, the creature began to head toward the ground while she climbed onto its back, drawing closer to Michael.
"Ruby!" Extending a hand, Michael pulled her into his embrace for a moment.
"We are—"
Before he could finish, Ruby interrupted him, her eyes narrowing in horror.
"Michael, ahead!"
Alarmed, he looked forward, realizing that the distance between them and the Monarch had lessened to less than a kilometer.
The grotesque form of the alien rejoiced, seemingly smiling at their approach.
Michael gazed at the Monarch.
The Monarch gazed back.
"Soul attack!" Michael realized.
For someone to challenge his soul, it usually ended in their demise. However, at the moment his spirit was still unstable.
A sharp gasp escaped his lips, blood oozing from his eye sockets and mouth.
Suddenly, one of the tentacles of the Hreh'tar swept upward, striking the Royal Champion Michael and Ruby were riding on.
A ringing sound assaulted his ears for a moment.
The majority of Michael's bones had been broken at this point. Even breathing took almost everything he had left in him.
When Michael came to his senses, he realized they had gone even higher. The Monarch now stood directly below them, its colossal maw open and ready to devour them.
Michael focused on Ruby, who was falling slightly below him.
Teleporting with Riftstep wouldn't work. He didn't have enough spiritual energy. The same was true for Lightning Surge.
Cultivating with Spirit Radiance to recover his strength was impossible due to his spirit instability and lack of time.
That left Michael with only one option.
Summoning Heaven's Judgment, he used the hook of the shotgun to send it toward Ruby.
It missed initially, the chain extending to the limit.
But thankfully, with the chain going to the side, it wrapped around Ruby's waist, allowing Michael to pull himself closer.
"Ruby!"
Michael stretched out his hand toward hers.
His grip never faltered.
But their arms were bloodied.
She slipped past his grasp.
"NO!"
Reaching out again, he applied even more force.
This time she didn't slip.
Pulling her toward his chest, Michael held her like their life depended on it.
Because it did.
He looked down.
Seconds away from falling into the Monarch's stomach.
"Come on!"
In desperation, Michael fired the hook of the shotgun, attempting to latch onto something to pull them out of their predicament.
The hook ignored its intended trajectory and veered downward.
"How?!"
Only then did Michael realize the Monarch wasn't simply waiting with its jaws wide open.
The monster was actively sucking in the air, increasing the speed of their fall and redirecting the hook of Heaven's Judgment in an unforgiving pull.
Even with that option gone, Michael's mind raced.
"Where is Robert?"
Looking into the far distance, he barely managed to make out Robert, who was moments away from being overwhelmed by Eleanora.
He couldn't help them.
Suddenly, he felt Ruby tugging in his embrace, trying to catch his attention.
"Ruby?"
Michael focused on her. Perhaps she had a plan.
Ruby met his stare.
"I love you." She declared.
Michael was baffled. "What are—"
"Forgive me." Ruby interpreted.
Planting both feet firmly on his chest, she pushed off and kicked him away with all the strength she could muster.
Taken by surprise, the force launched Michael upward and away, out of the Monarch's maw's range, while simultaneously propelling her downward.
Ruby knew the fault ultimately lay with her for allowing herself to be captured so easily.
She would rather die than drag Michael down due to her own foolishness.
"Please, don't do this to me…"
The little color in Michael's face drained in a flash as he watched Ruby falling.
A heartbeat later, the jaws of the Monarch clamped shut.
"RUBY!" Michael screamed, blood streaming down his throat as he descended toward the ground.