Chapter 45: Exit from the Gate
The smell of burning flesh was horrific, and as the smoke cleared, it revealed a chilling landscape.
Flesh and blood decorated the sand as the monster no longer moved.
The part with the mouth was sliced into numerous small pieces, with fangs sinking here and there into the sandy ground.
The other part, bombarded by Lian, was even more gruesome. The body was smoldering as the fire consumed what remained of the carcass.
"It should really be over now..." Lian murmured as he sat on the scorching sand, his face exhausted from the effort. With those last fireballs, he had squeezed out every drop of his mana, his body drained but triumphant.
Beside him, Seline observed everything with a mixed expression of disbelief and disappointment. She was disappointed in herself for being so weak... I have to get stronger. When I get out of here, I’ll use all my savings to buy pills and cultivation techniques, not food... she thought, visible pain in her eyes, a burning resolve to rise above her limitations.
Freddy wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, panting. "Okay... now someone explain that lightning." he said, pointing his sword at the clear sky as if interrogating the gods themselves.
Lian had the same doubts as he observed a clear, cloudless sky, the absence of any storm adding to the mystery.
"Maybe there’s someone else besides the three of us?" Seline asked with a soft voice. The pain she had felt earlier had subsided, but the trauma would linger for a while...
"That thing made quite a racket..." A faint voice, as if from someone just waking up, drew everyone’s attention.
Atop a dune, a figure moved slowly, as if each step required immense effort. Half-closed eyes, a black robe, and an expression torn between boredom and sleepiness.