Rescue Mission Part 5

With a heavy breath, Professor Matteo Fields swung his greatsword to the incoming fiend as he cut off its head and without missing a beat, he slashed his attackers from behind.

After a standoff with the aswang in the intersection earlier, he followed the remaining aswang from the horde he just slaughtered. The remaining pack of the aswang was trying to escape him where they led him to dizzying tunnels until he reached a cavern, where to his surprise, was still packed of aswang from Level 1 to Level 2 category.

Professor Fields groaned from the sight as all red-eyes turned to him and simultaneously attacked him from all sides.

For an ordinary slayer, he or she might get overwhelmed by the sheer number of the monsters, but good thing Professor Fields was no ordinary slayer. He enjoyed the bloodshed in slaying the aswang as he repeatedly slashed his attackers. The aswang retreated from his attacking radius as he continuously swung his greatsword, then the wolf-like aswang parted and made way to the entrance of the giant level 2 aswang - three wild boar-faced giant aswang came to him.

One of them raised its giant arm to launch a punch to the professor which he quickly used his greatsword as his shield, but looking at his peripheral vision, the remaining wild boar-faced aswang also took this opportunity to crush him on his blindsides.

The professor just grinned at the incoming attack, then his greatsword pulsed. The aswang noticed also the shift of energy from the human's weapon. They could feel a tremendous energy emitting from it. All of them were trying to change their momentum so they could avoid it. Unfortunately for them, Professor Fields roared with crazy laughter and from the greatsword, it released a huge gust of wind, throwing everyone within its vicinity.

After experiencing the attack, some of the aswang tried to shake it and move forward on killing the human. But then something happened.

They couldn't move their bodies.

They were all paralyzed from head to toe.

Looking at their fallen comrade, they could see electricity hissing and constricting their bodies.

"Now, now. Let's finish this since I still have students to rescue."

To those who were still standing, they retreated in fear from the human. Some of them growled furiously at him. But it did not affect Professor Fields.

Swinging his sword again, the professor dashed to the remaining aswang, as he was thinking about how many more lower-tier aswang hidden inside this abandoned place.

*****

Lowering her bow, Sanna looked curiously at the black feline goddess who appeared beside Candace who was still unconscious and floating in mid-air by some unknown magic by the woman in black dress. She wanted to go down while the level 4 aswang was still distracted by the surprise appearance of the goddess - without being summoned by its conduit.

She found this place while Ranger chased after Yule after defeating the level 3 aswang. She was about to go along with Ranger when she noticed a small passageway hidden behind the fallen body of the wild-boar faced aswang.

Thanking her super-strength from being a slayer, she moved the giant's body and found a hole good enough to crawl with her petite body.

Then she heard a deafening sound from the entrance where Yule went to. She could feel a strong current of wind coming from it.

That was when she decided to take her chances in this hidden passageway, so she could have an element of surprise to whoever they were about to face.

'Lady Luck, please let this passageway leads me to an advantageous position, not to my death,' she prayed. Then she squeezed herself inside the hole.

She was forced to crawl since it was a narrow and tight path until she could see a light ahead of her. Sanna forced herself to rush forward and reached the end line and found herself looking below at the large room where she spotted Candace and the woman in black, while Yule was almost kneeling before the woman.

*****

Since the woman in black still looked disgruntle at the goddess, Sanna whispered to her bow. The bow transformed into a ball of light then flew outside. It slowly stretched to its animal-form and a white stag appeared.

Sanna threw her body outside also, trusting that the white stag will catch her. She felt the zero-gravity momentarily until her body started to descend from the pull. The white stag quickly caught her on his back, and they successfully landed on the ground beside Yule.

While checking his fully healed wounds, Yule was startled when a white stag descend from above and riding behind the animal was Sanna. It reminded him of how they met the first time when he was transported to this strange world.

"Are you okay?"

"Aside from the sores, yeah, I'm okay. Where's Ranger?"

She pointed to the direction where Ranger was and they saw him walking towards them. When they were united once again, they all turned their eyes at Bastet who was engaged in a staring contest with the woman in black.

"I'm glad that you're all fine now, young slayers," the feline goddess addressed them without averting her eyes at the aswang.

"Sadly, I only have limited time in this plane without the support of my contracted partner. Please be aware that this will be the last time we will see each other."

"W-What do you mean?" Yule stammered at her.

"Yes, what do you mean, kitty goddess?" The woman in black echoed Yule's question with a hint of tease in her tone. "I'm not yet done with you. So where do you think you're going?"

The black feline scoffed at her and eyed her carefully. "Unfortunately for you, your absorption process is too slow that I have now enough time to escape this plane." Then she turned her eyes at the three young slayers. "To be honest, the absorption process did by this woman has done enough damage to the bond that I have with Candace. The only merciful act I could provide to her is to leave her body and return to the Divine Realm."

"You mean to say that aswang can absorb the mythical being inside our body?" Ranger exclaimed at the goddess.

The woman in black just chuckled at Ranger, but Bastet responded to him.

"Yes," she answered grimly. "I don't know how. But they have the capability now to absorb us and use our powers from their greedy acts. If she succeeds in absorbing me earlier, I will become their servant and sadly a weapon against humankind."

"So if you're leaving Candace and the human plane, what will happen to her?" Yule asked while looking at Candace.

Bastet looked at her partner who was still unconscious and turned her head to Yule. "As I've mentioned earlier, the absorption by this wretched woman was too severe that it had done damage to our bond. She..."

All eyes were all looking expectantly at the feline goddess as her face changed to mournful expression.

"...this young and passionate kid will be a lifeless shell now."

The three of them gasped from the goddess' revelation as Sanna covered her mouth from the shock. Yule was reeling from the news as his legs started to wobble weakly.

"Either way, she will be a lifeless shell if I have finished absorbing the kitty goddess. So she's useless now." The woman in black looked satisfied then her red eyes started glowing again.

"Everyone, she will start attacking - " Ranger never finished his statement as Yule charged forward to the woman in black, gripping tightly his violet spear.

"How many times do we need to play this game?" She asked Yule when a strong gust of winds gathered around her. The woman in black blasted the approaching slayer with her wind. Expecting her move, Yule swung his spear and impaled it on the ground so he could avoid being thrown out by her power.

"Since she's useless now, I just have to dispose of that stupid child now." She raised her right hand and strong wind current gather around her hand again.

"No!!" Yule shouted.

The wind blasted forward towards the direction of Candace, slashing its way to its target. But the feline goddess quickly leaped from her position and blocked the incoming attack, dissipating the wind.

"This will be my last act of kindness for Candace." The feline goddess opened her mouth and a beautiful and enchanting song came out of her.

To the ears of Yule and his classmates, it was alluring and beyond this world song, but to the woman in black, she started cowering and wailing from pain. She covered her ears from the painful music.

While continuing her song, Bastet cocked her head to Yule's direction and talk to her through his mind.

"I have to go now, Yule. Use this chance to slay her permanently. And...." Bastet paused temporarily. "... save this world even though it's not your homeworld."

Yule uttered a shock of disbelief after knowing that Bastet was fully aware that he is not from this world.

Nodding at the goddess, he immediately moved his body and prepared his spear. The song started to diminish slowly until the physical form of the goddess was fully gone. Yule launched himself to the aswang, thrusting his spear to her body.

As his body was inching closer to her, unknown to Yule, the woman steeled her right hand and stabbed it to the center of his body.

Ranger and Sanna anguished in shock as the right hand of the woman impaled straight to the body of Yule.

Feeling light-headed, Yule was frozen after seeing the hand, penetrating his body. His spear fell and clanked on the ground while his vision started to get consumed by darkness.

Then everything went black.