Herrscher of Reason's Arknights

There wasn't even time for Yelena to activate her Originium Arts again to fill the cracks, because the ice layer instantly shattered, and the scattered ice crystals mixed with the rushing sea creatures, like a leaky ship, as the surging black tide crashed towards the three of them!

At the same time, the man detonated the Originium bombs scattered around him, and the surging flames collided violently with the black tide.

···········

P.S.: I made a mistake in the previous update, it was before the braised pork intestines [scratching head]. Mainly, while updating, my head got a little foggy, and I'm numb from writing [collapses].

Chapter 308 [The Final Order]

"I've become a burden myself."

In the narrow cave, Ace limped along, a deep, gruesome wound ripped open on his right leg. Although it had been simply bandaged, the wound would inevitably hinder his movements.

The three, who had narrowly escaped death, managed to break free from the monster tide through sheer courage and luck.

However, they all got injured, with Skadi being the most seriously injured.

The warm blood made it difficult for her to open one eye, but it didn't matter, as she didn't rely entirely on sight to locate enemies.

However, that's not the important thing. The important thing is that she's bleeding.

Ace was also somewhat incredulous that the woman in front of her could be injured.

As the leader of an elite operator team, Ace is often on missions, so he doesn't have much interaction with Skadi, having only met her a few times.

However, the legends that Skadi left behind on Rhodes Island are deeply ingrained in people's minds.

A monster depicted as a calamity of humanity, capable of leveling an entire city with a single sword, an invincible woman with a body of steel.

It must be admitted that the hunter named Skadi truly deserves these legends.

If it weren't for her, he and Yelena might both be buried under the rubble.

Skadi forcefully cleaved through the obstructing rocks, creating a path to safety, and then threw Ace and Yelena out.

It can be said that it was stronger than Ace had imagined.

It's hard to imagine that such a thin woman could possess such explosive power. Ace himself admitted that he couldn't have achieved the same level of strength in that situation.

Yet, even such a woman, shrouded in terrifying legends and remarkably silent, was injured.

He was hit on the head by flying pebbles, but it didn't really hinder his movement. On the contrary, this big man who had been saved by a woman became a burden, and he walked with a limp.

"It's troublesome."

Skadi's face darkened as she looked at the blood on her palm.

The ghastly crimson reflected off Skadi's own face.

she·····

bleeding.

Not good.

Skadi turned her head stiffly, looking in the direction blocked by the collapsed rocks.

The sounds of those beasts frantically scratching and tearing at the rocks were so jarring.

Even though the remaining two people didn't hear such a sound at all.

She didn't know if she was hallucinating or if it was the truth.

But she knew she had to leave and lure the monsters away!

Otherwise, his own blood would only stimulate those beasts and accelerate their breakthrough here.

“Ace, take her to the lair.”

As she spoke, the woman picked up her longsword and swung it at the rock formation beside her!

"boom--!!"

Her astonishing destructive power allowed her to carve a large hole in it with a single sword strike.

"Where are you going!"

“My blood will attract those beasts by scent. Following you will only get in their way. I will lead them away, and the rest is up to you.”

Without giving Ace even a moment to ask a question, he jumped in.

The next moment, as if sensing that the tempting blood had run away, even Ace could hear the sounds of the monsters scratching at rocks and biting through obstacles!

Those things seemed genuinely aroused and restless because of Skadi's blood.

"Those things can crush rocks? That's a joke!"

With a limp, Ace's massive physique, which should have been invincible in close combat, became his biggest weakness.

Only one leg can exert force, while the other leg experiences excruciating pain whenever it is subjected to pressure.

It seemed that the strenuous exercise had reopened the wound, and several red spots were once again stained on the white bandage, which then slowly spread.

They won't get far if they continue like this. Even with Yelena's support, they won't go very far.

Not far behind, the sound of rocks cracking grew louder and louder.

The girl simply poured the granules from the medicine box into her hand and swallowed them all.

At that time, it was a drug that temporarily suppressed the Originium fusion rate.

Then, a white cold current suddenly gathered at my fingertips, and the temperature plummeted instantly, covering the surrounding rocks with white frost.

Ice crystals sealed the pile of rocks, freezing the collapsed area completely.

This might buy us some time.

Supporting Ace, the two stumbled their way to the path leading to the lower level.

It was a smaller, naturally formed cave with no steps, but a steep slope; to get down, you had to slide all the way down.

However, this necessary path to the lower level is a bit too narrow.

Yelena was petite, barely able to squeeze herself inside, while Ace's height of over 1.9 meters and large frame became her most fatal flaw.

Even if he discarded all his equipment and dropped his shield, Ace still couldn't get through this narrow passage.

The fact that they could only calculate the route but didn't have time to scan the road beforehand meant that the final path became Yelena's final journey home.

This road does not belong to him.

Ace must find another way, but PRTs shows that this is the only way.

Of course, there is another way: use the few remaining bombs to make a big hole here so that you can slide down as well.

But we don't have many bombs left; we have to save them for blowing up the nest.

"Yelena."

The man called out in a low voice to the girl beside him. The young girl had just become an operator of Rhodes Island and was still somewhat unfamiliar with everything around her, and she couldn't fully trust her teammates.

These things all require time to hone, but there's not much time left for her to slowly refine them now.

"The rest of the journey is in your hands."

As he spoke, the man put the backpack strap on the girl. Although there weren't many bombs left, the heavy weight still made the girl stumble.

"boom!"

With a deafening roar, the monster's shriek rang out once more! The two felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

"Go, go blow up the lair! I'll help you stop these beasts."

"Wait, you'll die! Just blow this place up with a bomb—"

The girl looked anxiously at the man in front of her; she still vividly remembered what he had told her that night.

Fear, anxiety, and the loss of teammates one after another—no one can help but feel helpless and scared.

She hadn't done anything, hadn't done anything yet, but her teammates were disappearing one by one from her side, leaving her to face the final path deep in the cave all alone.

As if seeing her off, one by one they opened the path to her final destination for her.

But she had no idea what would become of these people.

Logically and emotionally, even if people have only spent a few months together, they will still become dependent on their surroundings and feel sad and helpless when familiar people leave.

Not to mention, they are all living, breathing people.

Looking into the girl's eyes, Ace smiled and patted her on the shoulder.

"Fear? Fear is inevitable. Humans will always encounter one thing or another. It is normal to feel fear. And feeling fear is the first step to finding the road to victory."

"Then use a bomb..."

"The bombs must be saved to destroy the nest. That's an order. I'm the squad leader for this operation, Agent Yelena. I'm ordering you to survive and then blow up that damned nest! Only then will all the dead have any meaning!"

I believe in you, and you should believe in me too.

As she spoke, Yelena felt a tremendous force push her down.

"------!"

The girl screamed incoherently, but couldn't even say anything. She wanted to call out the man's name, but she only knew his code name. The man who left her with only his lonely back was someone she didn't even know by name.

Leaving behind only a handsome silhouette, the man licked his chapped lips and smiled.

Men always like to leave a handsome impression on the opposite sex, even if it's just a little girl.

He had originally planned to boast to his son about his past, his amazing experiences, and his even more amazing aspirations in the future.

Unfortunately...

Oh well, it's fine too.

Ace raised his shield, enduring the excruciating pain from his injured leg, and took the dagger in his hand.

The last Originium bomb he brought with him had its pin pulled and was held in his left hand. As soon as he let go, the bomb would detonate instantly.

It's impossible to blast an opening, the explosive force isn't enough, but it's enough to collapse this place.

The black sea creatures surged in at an extremely fast speed.

Ace stood with his legs spread wide, guarding the entrance to the cave like a lone warrior.

The monster screamed, and the man brandished his short knife.

It was fierce and ruthless, like a raging lion. It sliced ​​one flying shadow after another in half, spraying inky black blood onto the surrounding rock walls.

However, the monsters multiplied and rushed up to tear apart the lion, who was already at his wit's end.

Why·····

Yelena felt herself falling, her eyes fixed on the man's last silhouette until he disappeared from sight.

This battle caused the girl to lose two acquaintances she wasn't even very familiar with.

However, they are all employees of Rhodes Island, and in the face of natural disaster, even if they turn around and run away, probably no one would criticize them for being cowardly.

But these two just happened to rush in with her.

And now, the most important thing has been entrusted to her.

Even though it was obvious that there was no chance of winning, Ace still did it, and the woman named Skadi also lured away most of the monsters.

"Someone always has to stand up. No one is unaware of their own weakness and insignificance. Compared to this vast land, everyone is so small."

Even the most powerful elite operators can be killed by concentrated fire, but a soldier is a soldier, and someone always has to stand up and demonstrate the spirit of a soldier.

The battle must continue.

Knowing your own weaknesses is the first step to clearly recognizing and finding ways to overcome them.

Each elite operator doesn't sacrifice anything; they simply expend their lives to survive, dying in order to live.

The man gazed up at the starry sky, imagining himself riding a motorcycle and chasing after the moving city as if it had happened just yesterday.

Clearly, I am filled with longing.

He simply gave up on his dreams and chose to die.

The right to live was given to the youngest, and seemingly most confused, girl.

Nothing matters anymore; this is a dog-eat-dog world.

No matter what ideals or hopes one has, no matter what kind of past one has, in the face of death, one is no different from a dog that dies in the street.

"Do you have any dreams? Anything you really want to do or something like that?"