Chương 81: Chapter 82: The Sea of Bitterness (IV)

The confirmation seemed to take forever. In that time, Ember advanced a couple more steps. The icy coldness of the abyssal water tightened its grip on his mana veins, gnawing at his Will and mana with every passing step. [Skill Acquired: Will Enforcement (Silver) +1] [+1, 000 EPs.] A secondary current convulsed through his body. His mind sharpened, and with the awakening of a new skill, he momentarily repelled the bitter suction.

That single moment was enough for him to traverse another dozen metres, cutting the distance between him and Dawn a little more. But then more of the abyssal water splashed on him. Ember held the sapphire manathemas in both palms. Although they deflected the currents, they could not entirely prevent the water from reaching him. The abyssal water had already drained more than half of his mana.

His new silver skill had managed to seize hold of a dozen breaths of mana, bringing it under its control and preventing it from being forcibly siphoned away. With them, he tried to cast Force Shield. Ember managed to use it to deflect some of the water, but it was barely effective for a single instance, as the devouring water easily ate through his shield. Thankfully, Ember merely had to maintain a stronger hold on his mana to prevent the dark water from threatening his mana foundation.

With the new skill, he didn't find it too difficult. Even if he did lose more than half of his breadth of mana earlier, it was merely a temporary loss. The skill allowed him to maintain a single-minded focus over his mana as he pressed on, each step carrying him a couple of metres, still hampered by the water. It was as though he was moving through knee-high mud, its confining hold and chilling, biting presence making it all the more troublesome to traverse.

Ember decided to free himself from its hold, casting Kinetic Push, forcing all its power against the icy, bitter water. Sadly, it brought him no relief. The rising tide only compounded the difficulty. At first, he thought applying his mana through Kinetic Push would suffice. He had survived the basilisk that way. He thought he'd have little trouble building the force required to lift his whole weight a few metres into the air.

The problem was that, just as he released the thrust of kinetic force, the devouring force of the abyssal water negated all its power. He had no other choice but to abandon spellcasting and push more of his will into Mana Augmentation for his lower body. It certainly took more effort. Physically and metaphorically, he was going against the currents, and the toll it took was more than he had ever imagined. Half of his willpower was invested in keeping his mana from being siphoned off.

The other half adjusted thin strands of mana, weaving them through both of his legs, strengthening them as he attempted to move forward with Blitz Steps. The good thing was that neither mana augmentation nor Blitz Steps cost a great deal of mana. They did, however, burn a lot of stamina and Will, but such a loss was negligible considering his circumstances. He would forgo all his endurance and stamina if it meant he could reach Dawn in that very instant. Ember was sprinting swiftly again.

He had not managed to escape the confining liquid, but he was making progress. Then, finally, the tide seemed to have run out of abyssal waters. The waves still hampered his movement, but more importantly, Ember could finally see her silhouette, burning with a golden radiance. His eyesight wasn't completely clear, considering everything he was tasked with, but he did manage to discern the silhouette of a haloed figure crouched on a platform where the cascading dark wall had been a moment ago. And she was not alone.

A towering figure of twelve feet stood before her, radiating a similarly luminous brilliance. Three pairs of wide, feathery wings unfurled from the figure's back, fighting off the abyssal lightning striking down at them. In his struggle, Ember failed to see whether it was a humanoid figure or some kind of bird. Dawn was not safe from the lightning, despite that massive angelic form defending her against most of the currents.

While the abyssal water had stopped showering down upon them, making it easier, it also made it far easier for the red lightning to land upon them. Crimson abyssal currents snaked down to strike at her forlorn figure. The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Ember would have believed she had enough capabilities to escape from the onslaught, but gleaming chains of dark rune scripts coiled around their forms, keeping her confined to the platform.

"Dawn!" He shouted, surging more mana into his lower body to force himself forward. She did not answer. Even if she heard him, her entire concentration was spent battling the abyssal lances of lightning striking down at her. Both of her palms held the two sapphire stones, deflecting any currents that were coming toward them. Unfortunately, there was simply too much lightning, and enough of it was already finding purchase on her back despite the stones.

"Dawn!" He cried again.

"Just hold on a second. I'm coming!" Her form stirred slightly, her neck gingerly turning his way, her visage alight in the golden radiance, only to be fractured by flashes of abyssal currents.

"You shouldn't have come," she cried.

"Go back. I can—" A scourge of red lightning struck her, causing her form to recoil as blood bubbled up from the corner of her lips. Her gown was already threadbare, constantly singed by the currents. The flesh beneath was terribly charred, burnt beyond recognition, but her superior healing factor was swiftly restoring it to its former state. There was no respite from the wrathful lances of lightning or the agony. Although she didn't even let out a groan, he could only imagine what kind of torment she was enduring.

The angelic figure had even tilted its body above Dawn, its radiant wings folding protectively around her after the red lightning had almost rendered her unconscious. As he grew closer, it appeared more like a construct than a living being—likely something Dawn had employed for her protection. More significantly, it seemed to be at its last gasp, golden light dispersing from its wings as the unrelenting lightning continued its assault. Thankfully, it had not withered away by the time he reached the platform.

Barely a trace of the abyssal water remained as he climbed over to the radiant construct. He didn't ceremoniously examine its form, but decided to force his way through. Ember expected a tough objection, believing Dawn, in her dilemma, couldn't allow him in. Yet, as he moved towards the construct, carefully avoiding the lightning, he seemed to phase through it completely, coming before her seated figure. Was it because of the Mirrorstones? Were those shrouding wings entirely illusory?

I'll debate all that when we're safe, he cursed his curiosity for wasting time. With the crimson charges of lightning piercing through the construct, he had no time to dither.

"I told you to run away," Dawn almost growled, forcibly opening one eyelid. Her face was a mask of grim concentration.

"I'll protect your back." Saying that, he swiftly rounded her, holding the sapphire mirrorstones in both palms. With the construct shielding them, not much lightning was able to penetrate, but it could only hold for so long. Before it withered away, he would need to figure out a way to cover more ground with the sapphires. He held two manathemas in both palms, another clenched between his teeth, as he stood protectively behind her, his back touching hers.

Initially, he thought carrying one anywhere near his face would be a bad idea, but considering the deflated currents wouldn't simply make a U-turn, it was saner to at least keep his head intact. Now, for the remaining two manathemas, he would have to figure out something more magical. His thoughts raced as a dozen ideas struck him. The first was to rummage through his bag for mana recovery potions.

But they wouldn't be useful for manipulating the sapphires, so he swiftly dismissed it in favour of the next best option. Ember had seen Dawn manipulate those mirrorstones telekinetically with her sheer will with ease. Of course, it might be more intense than what met the eye, but with his new silver skill, he should be more than capable of succeeding. He needed to succeed, or else he was toast. At least he would no longer have to worry about the dark water, although much of it had infected his channels.

Thankfully, it wasn't an immediate danger. For now, he needed to invest all his Will in the task at hand. Dawn had not yet taught him the exercise to exert his will without mana. But with the silver skill, he found that manipulating his Will became almost as easy as casting kinetic force. Of course, he couldn't quite concentrate it into fine threads, as she had done. However, he managed to radiate his will like an invisible aura out of his being, carrying two of those mirror stones away to cover all directions.

This should suffice, he thought, clenching his jaw. He just had to figure out a way to keep his Will steady while carrying the gems. Then, with a sudden crash, a hole appeared above his head as red lightning came crashing down before he had a firm hold over his Will. Ember had no choice but to bite the bullet and lurched his right arm upwards to deflect the lightning. Blinded by the flash of light, he could not even see if he had managed to make it in time when an icy, burning agony lanced through his palm.

Ember set his jaw, muffling the roar of pain that was about to escape his lips, while more abyssal currents rained down through the hole, striking towards Dawn. Dawn's figure stiffened. He could feel a terrible force surging through her. He knew nothing of what had happened before he reached her, but the force seemed distinct from the one descending upon them, hell-bent on destroying them. The radiant core, was she already absorbing it? He had no time to ponder.

"Donk worry. I goc you," he said, as firm as he could make himself sound, despite the sapphire wedged between his teeth.

"You stupid, boneheaded fool! You're going to kill yourself!" she cried. Ember strengthened his Will over the mirror stones, attempting to divide them in two directions, so he could keep the lightning as far away from them as possible.

"Then I guess I'll have to tabol you to heal me."