Freedom Jumper-Chapter 128: Sacrificial Bodyguard

Lined up in a row atop the cliff of Orneas were twelve servants of The Void. Their stances gave off an aura of death whilst their matrix of bones extended into the distance slaughtering the lives of anyone in sight.

"HOLD ON TIGHT!" Elijah quickly grabbed the belongings of Saskia, stuffing them into his spatial storage, and grabbing hers and Niko's wet body tightly while quickly descending the cliffs full of frenzied screams.

While falling onto his back, Elijah was forced to shift their trajectory in order to avoid being impaled by a spike of bone.

Left...

Right...

Left...

Each shift churned the small stomachs of the lives that were solely in Elijah's hands. Thankfully, Elijah knew once they had touched the floor, the situation would shift in their favor as the Protector's would show up for the battle.

Elijah wanted not a single part of this battle. Drawing attention to himself as someone who possesses two wild and powerful abilities that could potentially create an unstoppable dynamic was not something he wanted. Even when the target on his back was full of prosperous returns and merits.

Eventually, they made their way down to the cobblestone courtyard — within the midst of the dead god, Orneas. Saskia was still practically naked and received help from Niko to slip on her loose black dress she had worn to the Spring.

The questions were, when were the protectors going to arrive?

And would hiding in a building cause more harm than good if they were the ones being targeted?

Slowly but surely, more and more void beasts – including Bone Reaper's and Gorgons, were slowly shooting into the sky from the Spout of Orneas and landing unceremoniously in the river or springs, or creating a puddle of black blood that dripped down the cliffside.

"What should we do Elijah!" Niko asked while following the running crowd.

"You guys can't possibly kill those things right?!" Saskia was worried not just for her life, but the lives of the free people.

"Dammit! I'm sorry Saskia, but you must run for your life! Do not worry about us, just keep on running!" Elijah paused while beginning to push Saskia away. Niko knew the plan and reason for the plan. Anyone caught near them was in danger, and there was no way they wanted a princess of all people to die tonight.

Hoarse voices, feelings of anguish, and pure fear continued to pass by Elijah and Niko while watching Saskia disappear into the crowd. Their shoulders were shoved, and almost thrown to the floor as everyone within the vicinity had now begun to only care about themselves.

In the middle of the negativity stood two bright lights of courage – children who were standing up to their past as it was the only choice. Either they avoid their problems and allow far more people to die, or they confront it head on while saving their hearts from the possible wrenching damage.

"I think it's time I bring out the big guns..." Elijah said while reaching into his spatial storage.

"I agree."

A long black pistol was taken from the spatial storage of Elijah while a long knife that bursted into a flaming hue of heat drew all the attention to themselves. Not knowing how it worked did make himself nervous, but he assumed it was something akin to the monstrous railgun he had seen when entering. A charged fire that would freeze anything on impact.

A shadow streaked across the impending battlefield, but before it hit its target, the body completely disappeared into the distance.

BOOM!

"Gorgon's... Always predictable." Elijah muttered while wiping the saliva off his cheek. Already, he had been funneling mana into his body creating a small and barely noticeable glow. On command, a large amount of mana could instantly enter any body part necessary due to the already open channels intently waiting.

A battle of dodge and strike began to ensue. After every strike — whether it missed or not — was followed by an attack that nearly took his life every single time. Bone spikes, catapulting gorgons, and even both types of abominations committing suicide just to trap their prey.

With Niko's support, he was confident they could last for another minute or two because very soon...

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Niko would run out of mana.

At least the beasts weren't focusing on any civilians in the distance.

"RETREAT ELIJAH!!!"

Finally, it happened. The so-called Protectors had arrived in a little under five minutes.

Unfortunately, it was too late as one too many beasts had attacked Elijah.

A large bone spike, different from the rest, extended from a larger Bone Reaper that had been hanging out near the back line — likely waiting for the perfect opportunity. The moment it pierced Elijah's thigh, the bone erupted into smaller spikes sending pain through his nerves that would knock out a bull.

A feeling of agony and despair was heard through his hoarse voice, and battered the courage that used to lay in Niko's mind.

Not all was lost.

Elijah had been charging up the Icebreaker the moment he heard those words.

Just before his body was slammed to the ground by the extended bone being violently whipped, a condensed blast of ice shot through the air — simultaneously freezing the particles of air that it passed through while building in size.

Crack!

The large Bone Reaper with an immense amount of black fur covering its bone matrix was crystallized in the berg of ice.

Niko saw everything from this point on. Men dressed in the same set of armor that allowed for mobility ran in zigzag lines to avoid the onslaught of flying beasts and bone protrusions.

Not a single soul paid attention to the poor boy on the brink of death.

How despicable.

An overwhelming surge of passion and drive to live on took root in the unconscious mind of Elijah. Almost instantly, a wave of water was violently excreted from his body causing most of the soldiers in the area to slip on their sorry asses.

"Damn, I really hate this feeling..."

If Elijah had not frozen the Bone Reaper that threw him against the floor, he would most definitely not be alive. Now, after standing on one foot and looking deep into the hole that was slowly being closed, he felt a sense of emptiness in his body.

A feeling that would occur if one's adrenaline was too high.

This was by no means Elijah's current situation.

Reality was indistinguishable from the farce a part of him believed this all was. With this odd feeling, he saw everything through a third person point of view.

A thick and sharp spear of water materialized within his hand, and just barely blocked a bone spike that slid across the surface of the rippling water.

WHOOSH!

Elijah's hand quickly became filled with a dim ethereal glow, and within a matter of a single second... A Gorgon preparing to catapult oneself into a group of Protectors was slayed — pierced by a spear of water that flowed into a small puddle after the impact.

"WAKE UP ELIJAH!! WAKE UP!"

After the amazing display of power, Elijah unceremoniously slumped to the floor without any noticeable reason.

Tiredness?

Unrealized Pain?

Or the body simply giving up without the permission of its owner...

Niko began dragging Elijah past the statue, and eventually made it an alley where he hid silently in the darkness of the starry night.

The night was secure as more and more Protectors showed up — Protectors who were not geared like everyone else, which likely meant they were "special".