Shaan’s head felt hotter and hotter as he found himself in a situation where he had to make a quick decision. Damn. He never expected to be in a situation . Now, he had to make a decision as quickly as possible, or he would lose both of them.
"Argh, damn it. If this is the case, I have to help her."
Soon, Shaan ran toward Chelsie and grabbed her hand just before she let go. With all his strength, Shaan pulled Chelsie’s body until he finally managed to get her back onto the bridge.
"Chelsie, are you okay?"
"Shaan, Li-lira is in danger!" Chelsie panicked. "Hurry, Shaan. We have to help her now!"
"Robin Hood, use your Explosive Quiver skill on Doppleshade right now!"
Robin Hood shot his arrow at Doppleshade and managed to blow off its hand. The creature let out a scream of pain, and Nalira finally broke free from its terrifying grip.
"Lira, are you okay?" Chelsie asked anxiously.
"I-I’m okay." Nalira nodded her head. "This is bad. I never expected Doppleshade to chase us all the way here."
Just seconds later, the severed stump on the Doppleshade’s arm began to shift. Shaan stood frozen as he watched the exposed muscle fibers twitch and pulse, then slowly knit together, forming a new hand in a matter of moments. No way... It’s regenerating, faster than the last one.
"Wh—what should we do?" Chelsie’s lips trembled uncontrollably. "We won’t be able to escape this bridge if this terrifying creature is still alive. We-we will gonna die."
"Chelsie, calm down." Shaan patted Chelsie’s tense shoulder. "I’m sure we can get out of this situation."
"You two, leave the bridge quickly," Nalira said, drawing her sword and preparing to attack. "I’ll hold this creature off as long as I can. Hurry!"
"No. I’ll help you, Nalira," Shaan said, gathering his courage. "I’m sure we can defeat this damn creature if we work together."
"Uhm... then I’ll stay too." Chelsie gripped the staff tightly in her hand. "I-I can’t possibly leave you two on this bridge."
"No, Elsie." Nalira shook her head. "You have to leave this bridge. This place is extremely dangerous, and you need to get away from here as quickly as possible."
"Chelsie, you have to protect Mr. Courier. He needs someone to watch over him, and the two of us can only rely on you."
Chelsie paused for a moment, then slowly nodded her head. "Alright. I’ll protect Mr. Courier. You two, please stay alive."
"We promise," said Shaan and Nalira in unison.
Chelsie quickly picked up her pace until she finally reunited with Mr. Courier. Good, at least Chelsie and Mr. Courier’s positions were secure, and they could focus on defeating Doppleshade.
"Nalira, I have an idea to defeat it," Shaan said. "Can you use your fire skill while I try to distract this creature?"
"... Of course, that’s easy for me. But why?"
"We’ll push this damn creature into the ravine."
As Doppleshade began to launch another attack toward the two of them, Shaan ordered Robin Hood to shoot his arrow at the creature’s head. However, the creature managed to block the explosive attack with its hands. Instantly, a cloud of smoke appeared around the creature.
’Good, now’s my chance.’
Using his dash skill, Shaan darted into the smoke and avoided Doppleshade’s blind attacks. He quickly slashed at the creature’s legs, causing it to lose its balance.
"Satan, Flame Burst!"
[As you command, little princess.]
Satan directly bursts hot flames toward Doppleshade, causing the creature to catch fire. Its entire body is immediately engulfed in flames, forcing it to try to extinguish the fire on its body until it finally rolls backward and falls into the ravine.
"Ah, fortunately, the plan worked." Shaan immediately sits down and sighs deeply. "I’m sure that creature won’t be able to catch up to us now. Good teamwork. At least we can rest for a moment."
"There’s no time to relax, Shaan," Nalira said, continuing to walk across the bridge. "Our position isn’t safe yet, and Elsie and the courier are waiting for us. Hurry up."
’Goodness, this woman is truly someone who can’t be relaxed with.’
"Alright, I understand." Shaan quickly stood up and followed Nalira, who was a few steps ahead of him.
"Shaan! Lira! You guys did it!" Chelsie shouted from the end of the bridge in excitement. "Hurry up, cross this bridge as quickly as possible."
However, as they were about to leave the bridge, an odd tremor suddenly occurred again, and this time it felt even stronger. They immediately turned their heads and were shocked to discover something they had never anticipated before.
"Oh no... the ropes—" Shaan’s voice cracked. "The ropes are snapping!"
"Shaan, we need to run. Now!" Nalira shouted.
Without lingering, they quickly ran with all of their strength, but sadly, the bridge swayed more and more, making it very difficult for them to cross. To make matters worse, Shaan lost his balance and fell backwards.
"Oh no! Shaan!" Chelsie shouted in panic.
Luckily, Shaan immediately grabbed one of the handrails on the bridge, preventing him from falling into the ravine. Good, now he had to climb up before the bridge completely broke.
"Ugh, dammit! That was close."
"Shaan, hold my hand." Nalira immediately reached her hand down. "Hurry up."
"I...I can’t!" Shaan tried to grab Nalira’s hand. "I’m still too far from you, and I need to climb a little higher."
With all his strength, Shaan pulled his body upward. He could feel every muscle in his arms tensing up, as his hands had been supporting his body weight for quite some time. However, he had to endure the pain if he wanted to survive.
’No. I have to hold on. I have to make it.’
Slowly but surely, his body grew closer to Nalira’s hand. Good, at least the distance wasn’t as great as before. He strained with all his might to reach the tip of Nalira’s hand.
’Come on.... Just a little more.... Just a little more....’
Unfortunately, just as he was about to grab Nalira’s hand, the rope holding his body suddenly broke. Nalira tried to grab Shaan’s hand, but she... she was too late. Shaan instantly fell into the ravine and disappeared into the darkness.