I'm Here

Let's hope none of us die on the way. Even from a distance of just tens of meters, the energy blasts from Sarah have already formed deep recesses in the road and nearly split Armon in two.

Fortunately, Sky quickly pulled him back. Otherwise, the Scattered Brains group would have lost one member.

Another energy blast flew towards us, moving fast, which I then tried to block using my mana shield. The strong impact made me cough uncontrollably, as if I had been struck by a massive sledgehammer.

Celine approached and cast a healing spell on me.

I could feel the pain in my chest slowly dissipating, and eventually, I felt refreshed again.

"Thank you," I moved closer to her face and whispered, "My love."

Celine blushed instantly, froze in place, and made Sheila suspicious.

She would have asked me about it, but I had already run ahead because Sarah's attacks were becoming more ferocious.

On top of the Mech, Sarah's body was already halfway submerged, indicating that the middle part of the Mech's body had been severely damaged. I jumped up, creating a wide force field hoping it would protect me from each terrifying energy blast.

However, as soon as I reached the midpoint, I was thrown backward, crashing hard into the wall of a building, and ended up inside it.

Thick dust filled the air, making it difficult to breathe. I got up, observing the force field with significant cracks. One more time hit by the energy blast, I was certain that my body would bear a deep gash.

Another energy blast destroyed the room, splitting it in two. Luckily, I was on the left side. Slowly, the building started collapsing downwards with a dreadful sound of broken wooden floors and crumbling walls.

I hurriedly leaped outside, not wanting to be trapped inside. I created a Grapple Gun, shooting it towards a water tower and swinging up onto the rooftop of one of the buildings.

After rolling there, I pulled back the grapple gun, watching as Sarah sank even deeper.

I don't know why she is so obsessed, like a cat digging. The difference is, this cat is filled with anger, which somehow makes her look a bit adorable.

I shot the grappling gun over there, and it made a 'ting' sound upon impact.

Then, I remembered that I have Glory and can do anything.

I elevated the ground beneath me, penetrating into the building where I was, rising higher and higher until I was at the same level as Sarah.

Hastily, I created several force fields in front of me because there were far more energy blasts up here than down below. I could feel how with each force field shattered, made my chest feel uncomfortable.

I don't know how long I can keep creating five force fields every two seconds.

Sarah's attacks are even more terrifying up ahead. She moves so fast that her hands are creating after-images.

Wait... Are those tears?

Is Sarah crying?

I took a deep breath, preparing myself to do something that could potentially endanger my life. However, I won't let a single drop fall again.

Glory shone brightly, catching Celine's and others' attention. They wondered what crazy thing Zent would do next, especially since Glory was shining much brighter than before.

I could feel my soul being sucked out. It was so painful, so agonizing. But this was the only thing I could do to reach her, to wipe away the tears that were flowing temporarily.

As everything finally slowed down, really slowed down, moving inch by inch, I created a bridge from the now solid ground.

I walked there, avoiding the energy blasts, observing them more closely for a moment, and then leaped onto the Mech's body. I almost fell down as I saw the massive damage caused by Sarah's claws.

On the Mech's body, a large crater had formed from so many deep gashes. Small purple particles emerged from it, floating gently before eventually vanishing into the air.

Not far ahead, I could see Sarah, who was now on her knees, still swinging her arms at a normal speed. Some energy blasts were forming, moving slowly backward, creating new deep recesses.

I dodged them, walked closer to Sarah, and knelt in front, hoping that no energy blasts would be created, or I might die. I couldn't use Glory for a while, or I would truly lose my soul.

Even now, I could feel my soul slowly being drawn into Glory as a source of power.

Because of it, I pulled her close, embracing her.

Simultaneously, time returned to normal, and an energy blast was created, slicing through my body, making me grimace and try to endure the pain, although I wanted to scream.

I could feel Sarah's body tense up. Her head shook slightly, and she uttered, "Z-Zent.."

"I'm here, Sarah."

"Zent! ZENT!"

Sarah hugged me so tightly, releasing all the tears she had tried so hard to hold back. And for the first time, I could feel her heart.

It was so painful.

There was only deep sorrow, accompanied by immense regret.

I gently caressed her, trying to provide some comfort that might alleviate Sarah's suffering. Though I knew it would be hard to simply forget the wounds in her heart.

"It's okay, Sarah, I'm here, I'm here."

From below, they didn't know what had happened. Zent suddenly disappeared, and now they could hear cries that were so loud and heart-wrenching.

Without waiting any longer, Celine jumped onto a building and then leaped there, fearing that something terrible had happened to Zent. Especially after hearing Sarah calling his name so loudly.

Various grim scenarios played in her mind, imagining that Zent might be gone forever, just when they had reunited.

Tears streamed down, wetting Celine's cheeks with diminishing hope.

Once they arrived at the top, only then did Celine realize what had happened.

Zent was just calming down Sarah, who had lost control, reminding her of the times when she did the same for him.

Just as Celine was about to smile with relief, she noticed liquid flowing down from her lover's clothes, with the chest area appearing darker. Celine hurriedly approached, grabbing their attention. And without a word, she placed both palms on Zent's back, using healing magic.

As Sarah looked down, she finally noticed the blood soaking her body. When she looked at Zent, he appeared so pale that he was hard to distinguish from a lifeless body. She touched his cheek, which felt cold, and tears started flowing again.

Zent chuckled, wiping away those tears. "You're really are a crybaby, Sarah."

Reflexively, she tried to hit him, but soon softened, realizing Zent was severely injured, especially because of her actions. "Why did you come here? Don't you care about your life?" she asked softly.

"Should I let my crew member cry alone on a Mech that can no longer stand?"

Sarah was startled, looking around and even more surprised to find themselves in a large crater. "Oh.. I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?" I asked.

"Because I made you worried," she replied, full of regret.

Unable to contain the smile that now spread, my hand reached out, cupping her head and gently caressing it. "You don't need to feel guilty, Sarah. It's only natural for a Captain to look after their crew members."

"Am I just your crew member?" she asked softly, with a hopeful gaze.

Suddenly, a loud huff was heard from behind. A huff filled with jealousy.

"Are you two done yet?" Celine asked annoyed, though she forced a friendly smile to conceal her true intentions.

Sarah pulled my head closer, hugging it, and said, "What? You don't like it?"

Celine snorted in disbelief, "After I took care of you, this is what you do? Stealing my man?"

Luckily, my face was hidden. Otherwise, I wouldn't know where to hide my tomato-red face.

"Your man?" Sarah retorted sharply.

A loud rumble was heard, accompanied by strong vibrations on the ground.

We looked up, seeing behind Sarah, thick black smoke moving towards the kingdom.

Storm clouds formed above, lightning struck, and thunder roared, indicating that something bad was about to happen soon. The thick smoke merged together, forming a gigantic figure of Wendryssa, much larger than the Mech we were standing on.

Those glowing orange eyes looked in our direction, staring intensely with a wide grin.

"Z... I admit you are strong, capable of bringing us down like this. But have you forgotten?"

She raised her hand, showing three glowing bracelets on her right arm.

Oh no.

"I still have Glory."

Oh no, I completely forgot.