Crownblood: Novel's Untold Story-Chapter 25: Leap of Faith

’This isn’t right!’

I gritted my teeth.

Branches whipped against my feet as I sprinted through the rotten plane.

It had been almost five minutes since I ditched the knight and his glowing battery princess.

Five minutes of guilt.

Five minutes of suffering.

Five minutes of regretting existence.

A heavy feeling settled on my chest.

’This is definitely not right!’

My lungs burned as I ran as fast as I could, jumping over another branch.

’Damn it! Why is this body so slow?’

But no matter how fast I was, it just wasn’t enough.

_KREEEEEEE!

The whole swarm of the insect monsters followed behind me like I had personally offended their ancestors.

’Why!?’

Even after I gave them an emotional goodbye worthy of an Oscar.

Even after I accepted fate and became a respectable coward.

’Just why!?’

"WAIT!!! BOY!!!"

The knight’s voice thundered behind me.

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME!! YOU ASSHOLE!!"

Leaves exploded as he burst through another root like a boulder, carrying unconscious Melissa.

I looked back,

He was bleeding, with multiple cuts on his body.

And still sprinting like a stubborn war-ox who refused to die.

And he was slowly approaching me.

’This is bad!’

If this continued, he would overtake me.

I gritted my teeth in frustration and pushed more mana into my legs.

"I THINK WE CAN WORK THIS OUT TOGETHER!!" He wheezed.

"GREAT IDEA! FIRST TALK TO THINGS BEHIND YOU!!"

I jumped over another branch,

"IF THEY AGREE, I HAVE NO PROBLEM EITHER."

"Boy!! STOP RUNNING! I HAVE A PLAN," The knight roared again.

But time his voice was close.

Too close.

"GOOD FOR YOU!!" I screamed, pushing more mana into my feet.

’Run! Run! I can’t lose in a race of survival.’

"WHOA!! LOOK !! BEHIND YOU!!" I yelled.

"STOP TRICKING ME!"

I clenched my fist,

’Guess it won’t work again.’

It had already been the fifth time.

That was how I was keeping the lead in this race.

I saw a broken branch in front of me.

Without a second thought, I bounced it in the air and kicked it back with a leap.

"OYE! STOP IT ALREADY!!"

The knight just side-stepped, easily dodging it.

"THEN STOP FOLLOWING ME!!"

Just then,

_SKREEEEE-WHUMMMM!

A wave of psychic force rippled through the air,

the sound a horrible mix of grinding glass and a choir screaming underwater.

_schhrrrNAAAAAHhh-vvuuum

My skull burned, and my vision shook as I stumbled forward.

But the attack ended as soon as it came.

I quickly did a somersault and balanced myself.

My head hurt, but since we had gained considerable distance from the tree,

The pain was manageable.

"AHHHHH!"

For me at least.

The knight screamed in pain as his eyes blanked out for a second.

But his feet never stopped, as he kept running.

Soon, he shook his head and snapped out of it, too.

’That’s insane.’

It was already the fourth time, and his response was getting better each time.

His condition was not very good.

But,

I put more force in my legs. Every time I thought he was done for, he came back stronger.

That was an insane level of protagonist shit.

’He is definitely using a skill.’

Which was bad news for me.

"AHHHH!"

The knight’s scream almost crashed my eardrums.

"DAMN IT!! STOP SCREAMING!! YOU ARE JUST GATHERING MORE!!"

I said in frustration... screaming.

Then came the moment I feared, the knight became faster.

Not just "heroic effort" fast.

No.

This was a cheat code protagonist sprinting fast.

His footsteps thundered behind me, growing louder with each second.

’No. No. NO. This cannot be happening!’

I pumped more mana into my legs.

They spasmed.

A muscle cried.

Another tried to resign from existence.

’Tch! what a trash body!’

But it didn’t matter.

The knight was closing in.

His shadow loomed over me.

Melissa’s limp body bounced on his back like a floppy flag of doom.

And then,

He passed me.

Multiple frames of him passing by clicked inside my head.

He ran right by me like I was a side character.

I froze mid-run for a heartbeat.

He sprinted ahead, footsteps shaking the rotten earth.

"What—HEY!!"

"HAAAHH!"

He gasped like a dying bull but kept accelerating.

He was leaving me behind.

That traitor.

That hypocrite.

"WAIT! WHY ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY NOW!?" I yelled.

He didn’t look back.

"BECAUSE—" he wheezed.

"—I DO NOT WISH TO DIE EITHER!"

He pumped his legs harder.

I tried to match his pace,

My legs immediately disagreed.

Pain shot up my calves.

Breath hitched.

And I...

began falling behind.

’No. No. I refuse! I am NOT going to lose to some stupid plot armor!’

_KREEEEEEEEEEE!

The swarm shrieked behind us.

Dozens of wings cut through the air like knives.

I looked back.

The horde was only a breath away now.

"WAIT!! I HAVE A PLAN!!" I screamed.

"GOOD FOR YOU!" The knight replied,

’This bastard!’

"JUST LISTEN TO ME FOR A SEC—"

And then the knight suddenly... slowed.

’Huh!? What is he actually listening to!’

His steps faltered like someone had grabbed his soul mid-air and squeezed.

I almost crashed into his back.

"What the hell—?! MOVE!!"

But he didn’t move.

His face was pale, staring ahead, chest heaving, eyes wide.

I followed his gaze.

And my heart dropped into my stomach.

’The hell..!’

And my heart dropped into my stomach.

A cliff.

A massive gash in the rotten world, stretching endlessly left and right.

And beyond it,

A void so deep it felt like it could swallow thoughts.

And Knight came to a halt in front of the cliff.

Behind us,

_KREEEEEEEEE!

The swarm shrieked, closing in.

I stared into the dark.

And only darkness stared back.

Wind brushed my face, soft, cold, and terrifying.

The knight gulped, clutching Melissa tighter.

He took one cautious step back from the edge.

I took three.

"You have a plan, right?" The knight asked.

"You go right, I go left," I said.

"They can just split and chase us."

".."

".."

My mouth moved before my brain could veto it.

"...We could push Melissa first and see what happens."

His head snapped toward me, horror and fury mixing like unstable explosives.

"I WILL THROW YOU FIRST."

_KREEEEEEEEEE!

The swarm hit the tree line behind us again, closer, louder, vicious.

I exhaled slowly as reality dawned.

Trapped.

We were totally trapped.

"Knight," I whispered, voice trembling despite my best efforts,

"Ever heard of a leap of faith?"

"No."

".."

"We would jump on count of three."

The knight didn’t reply, but his grip tightened on Melissa.

"One... Two..."

I bent my knees getting ready to jump.

"Thr-"

But Forze.

"I KNEW IT! YOU BASTARD!!" The knight hissed beside me.

But I didn’t pay him any attention.

[Y-@#$$]

An incomprehensible voice rang in my head.

[Y-You@#$]

A soft feminie tone.

[YOUNG MASTER, CAN YOU HEAR ME?]

A smile appeared on my lips.