CHAPTER 85: NOT LONG...

Michael and Anzu looked into each other’s eyes as they reminisced about the good old days.

Suddenly, they heard a low guttural noise.

Michael, who was in better condition than Anzu, turned his head and turned towards the noise.

They he saw a merkin with bloodshot eyes looking at them, black foam dripping out of its hideous maw. It had already seen Michael and Anzu and was walking towards them.

Michael’s face turned grim upon seeing that, if he wasn’t injured, he could kill that Merkin with a flick of his... but he was injured... too injured, actually, so he could do nothing as the merkin made its way towards them.

He gritted his teeth and looked at the merkin with cold, furious eyes.

"Don’t you dare, you bastard!" he spat viciously.

Anzu had also turned his head towards the merkin and looked at it with his cold, sharp eyes.

The merkin stooped in its tracks when Anzu looked at it, but soon its hideous face broke into a wide, amused grin.

It let out noises which could only be interpreted as snickers. Michael’s heart sank when he heard that. After all, if the merkin was snickering at them, then it probably knew that they were too badly injured to do anything.

Merkins may be weak because they only obtain the ability to breathe on land after their evolution, but they still hold some intelligence, and this particular merkin seems to have higher intelligence; otherwise, it couldn’t have broken free from the hex of a Pseudo-Adept star beast, not even after Anzu’s cry.

Michael was falling deeper in dread, but he didn’t surrender his life to a mere beast; he moved his injured arms and legs... they hurt so.. so bad... but he gritted his teeth through the pain and tried to stand up. But no matter how much he tried, he just couldn’t get up on his feet... he was simply too injured.

Helplessness took hold of him, his face turned grimmer and grimmer with each passing moment, the merkin was just a few steps away from them.

Michael broke into slow, silent tears as he looked at Anzu and gave his friend a reassuring smile.

He closed his eyes as he waited for his fated death, but it never came.

*thud*

He heard the sound of something falling to the ground and opened his eyes with a frown.

The first thing he saw was the headless body of the merkin, and then he saw the cold crimson eyes of Neo, who stood towering over the merkin as his sword was covered in the merkin’s dark green blood.

Michael looked at Neo with wide eyes and spoke.

"...You are fine?"

Neo frowned and asked in an unpleased tone.

"What did I do for you to curse me?"

Michael blinked at his question and replied with a flustered look.

"T-that’s not what I meant."

Neo nodded at his words, but one could see that he didn’t trust Michael’s words at all.

Neo turned and looked at Anzu with a worried expression and asked.

"Did you fight the beast who performed the hex?"

Michael also looked at Anzu. He nodded and replied.

"Yes... We did."

"Awakening can’t help with stupidity, heh?" Neo commented.

Michael looked at him with displeasure and spoke.

"Can you at least help us out before voicing another remark?"

"I have to get Hanna here..." Neo said as he turned around and left to call Hanna.

Michael looked at his back with an exasperated expression as he spoke.

"That bastard.... He could at least help me stand before leaving..."

Anzu also let out a cry, presumably agreeing to his words.

Michael let out a sigh.

Moments later, Neo returned with Hanna, and she began healing them.

As both Michael and Anzu were higher-ranked than her, it took her quite some time to heal them. Still, her healing capabilities were much superior to most healers of Ignited rank, let alone those of the same rank.

Michael, amazed by her healing ability, spoke what was on his mind.

"Miss Hanna... You should join the Night Tower."

Neo, who stood beside Hanna, gave him a distasteful look and commented.

"How shameless can you be?"

Michael smiled wryly and lowered his head.

Neo shook his head and asked in a grave tone.

"How long do you think that Pseudo-Adept star beast is going to wait at the southern end?"

Both Michael’s and Hanna’s expressions turned dark.

"Not long..." Michael added in a low tone.

Anna stood before the horde of hexed islanders and star beasts as she weaved her threads in a net to block them from stepping forward.

However, that was becoming harder with each passing movement.

The Pseudo-Adept beast probably guessed that someone or something was blocking the path of his presumably children, so it had commanded them to hurry, and that command riled them up, causing them to no longer care about each other.

Anieal’s forehead was covered in sweat, and she had a grimace plastered on her face.

After all, the harder they tried, the more star essence she would need to keep them trapped... she was exhausted, but she didn’t let go.

She wasn’t doing this out of the goodness of her heart; instead, she was doing it for herself... for her people... for Elise.

If she can save all of these people, her request for the divination of the cure would have no obstacles from the members of the Night Tower.

Not for a single moment did she think that the Night Seer would help her just because she had helped her before; on the contrary, instead, she was ready to pay twice the price.

Suddenly, the island shook like something heavy had sat its foot on it.

Anna looked towards the southern end of the island, and there she saw an enormous, shadowy black monster. Its appearance was similar to a squid, but it had only two tentacles with pulsing green lines all over its body.

She looked at the star beast in dread as she mumbled.

"I hope I was right..."