Flee!

"We gotta go now!"

"What about Akiol?!"

Kan'na outstretched her hand, "Let me see the core."

Nimin quickly handed it over. As she inspected it another blast was shot from the Hydra, eviscerating the Fourth Star.

Wrock looked at Kan'na with an urgent face, "We kinda need to go-!"

Kan'na chucked the core, stunning them both silent. As the core flew it landed directly on top the pile of slime. She watched it and said, "Whether or not he's alive will be found out later. We need to regroup and get everyone out."

They nodded and the three ran towards the Castle's perimeter walls. Everyone had stopped fighting, the arising of the old Calamity was enough to put a stop to the fighting. Many were already fleeing.

Kan'na surveyed the area, "Good, it seems like everyone already had the right idea. Let's regroup with the others and devise a plan."

Wrock pointed towards a location, "Yielya's over there. I don't know about the others though."

"Right, let's move!"

~~~

Para stumbled across the rubble. The ground was constantly quaking now. She had fully intended to meet up with Nimin to assist, but the constant destruction the castle underwent made her get lost.

The notifications from the system gave her an idea of what was going on. Yet her priority was finding Nimin.

'You! Please help!'

She paused, a voice had entered her head and was pleading for assistance. Looking around she tried to find the source of the voice, a subconscious action.

'I'm outside! You were just barely in my range, Akiol needs a bit of assistance!'

"Who are you?"

'Don't worry about that! Just please help! If Akiol dies here I don't know what will happen to Givale.'

Para frowned, she remember Givale being the little girl who wielded quite the destructive power. Although she wasn't completely sure what Akiol's life had to do with that, she wasn't going to turn down a plead for help.

As she ran she found the path of destruction created by Perina, granting a path outside. Stumbling outside she looked up to see a blood red Hydra, beams of energy causing destruction everywhere.

'To your left!'

She looked over to see a sword in its sheath lying on the ground, "Wait, it's you?!"

'Yes it's me! The Link is messing with my ability to move, bring me over to Akiol.'

Para picked up Stars and looked around, "I-I don't see him!"

'He's that gray puddle over there.'

Para soon spotted the gray puddle. She frowned in confusion, but ran towards it. Placing Stars next to the puddle she asked, "What do I do now?"

'His core is struggling to stay alive right now. It stayed too long out of contact. I need you to cast a few healing spells onto it and push it inside the puddle.'

Para did as she was told. The core glowing faintly under the effects of her healing. It slowly sunk into the slime, yet nothing moved.

"It's not working!"

'You did plenty, it's up to Akiol now.'

~~~

Akiol's eyes opened, the area he found himself in was almost endlessly white. His being felt fuzzy as sluggish, his vision blurry.

A voice entered his head, "You- again? Why have you returned to this realm?"

Akiol tried to respond, but his body wasn't responding to any commands.

The voice sighed, "No matter, you cannot continue to exist in this Land of Between. I shall send you off."

Akiol waited patiently, but nothing occurred.

The voice grew interested, "No, perhaps you are here for a reason. I cannot send you off despite my authority. Currently your existence is perfect for this realm. A being dead, yet still alive."

Still unable to respond, Akiol floated.

The voice urged on, "While you may fulfill the right conditions, I cannot recommend you stay here. Your circumstances outside are looking less than pleasant. So leave."

Sighing in his heart, he continued to be unable to respond.

"Fight young one, the only way to leave this place is to will yourself an exit. Use your determination to leave."

Akiol attempted to use the voice's advice. But nothing occurred. Silence was all that was left, and time ticked on.

He wasn't sure how much time passed. He lost count a while ago. Yet he still couldn't exit the strange place.

'Akiol!'

A faint echo entered his head. It sounded familiar.

'Akiol!'

He frowned, no it was very familiar.

'Get up!'

There was another voice, yet still so familiar.

'Everyone is in danger!'

These voices. . . it was Givale and Stars! Everyone was in danger? Only he was the one who died right. . . ?

Wait, the Link! If he died here, what would happen to Givale?!

His eyes snapped open and he found himself in battlefield next to the castle. Looking around he found Stars, Givale, and Para next to him.

Givale grabbed his arm, "You're alive!"

"What's going on-?"

A deafening roar filled his eardrums. Alarmed he looked towards the source.

Stars answered, 'That's the problem! We have to leave!'

Akiol leapt upwards, but then his body fell into a puddle. As he slowly reformed back into a human he said, "My body isn't fully functional. Givale, I'm going to need you to fly us out of here."

Givale paused, "I don't know if I can!"

Throughout the training they had spent, Givale had attempted multiple times to fly. Her progress was. . . slow. It didn't help Akiol had very limited knowledge on Dragons.

Still, the danger he felt from the Hydra was no joke. This feeling was something he rarely felt. It was on par with his first meeting with the Slime King. It approached the level he felt when he first met the Demon Lord in his previous world.

With such a danger present, his mind went into overdrive. He didn't doubt something similar happened to his Party.

Akiol grabbed Givale's shoulders and looked her in the eye, "Givale, you must not doubt yourself. That is the one thing keeping you from conquering the skies. You are a Dragon, prove it to the world!"

Givale's face turned complicated. She nodded and her body rapidly transformed. Spreading her wings she roared in defiance to the Hydra.

Perhaps with another Apex creature being nearby, the Hydra paused. Staring at Givale two heads began to open their jaws.

It sensed the next dangerous thing, and was aiming an attack towards Givale!