I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 233: Racing Against Death

Theo draws a sharp breath and immediately chokes.

His eyes snap into focus, but he cannot truly see. The pain blinds him.

Pain.

Excruciating pain.

His right shoulder. His right ribs. His right leg. His back.

Everything on his right side feels ruined.

Theo knows he must act quickly, but his remaining limbs refuse to obey. They feel distant, foreign. He forces himself to ignore the agony and concentrates on healing himself the best he can.

He closes his eyes again and reaches out with his senses, trying to feel the dungeon’s mana. He begins purifying it instinctively, pulling it in and storing it as fast as he can.

He is racing against time.

He can already feel his body starting to shut down.

Damn it! Have I miscalculated?

Theo fights to stay conscious while straining his ears for any sign of the Haelion King.

For someone who is dying, he is doing far too many things at once.

"Thea!" Arthur shouts.

The ground vibrates as fast footsteps approach.

Arthur freezes when he sees Theo’s condition.

Shock floods his face.

He can feel it instinctively, she is dying.

His vision blurs, tears welling up instantly. He refuses to let them fall.

I must help her.

"Thea, are you awake?" His voice is urgent. He lowers himself until his cheek is almost against the ground, bringing his eyes level with Theo’s.

When he sees that Theo’s eyes are awake, clear, and alert, his entire demeanor shifts.

"Tell us what you need."

"Oh my God, Thea!" Julian shouts as he runs closer, with Liam right behind him.

Arthur, as usual, is the fastest.

Julian and Liam drop to one knee around Theo.

Julian goes pale at the sight of so much blood. His hands tremble. His heart pounds violently in his chest.

His voice shakes, right on the edge of breaking. "Thea... Thea... please don’t die."

"Julian." Arthur’s voice cuts through sharply.

"Stop. She’s awake. She needs us. We can’t fall apart right now."

He turns back to Theo.

"What do you need?"

Theo tries to speak, but nothing comes out. Only a faint rasp escapes his throat.

His left fingers twitch weakly.

"Her fingers!" Liam exclaims.

Arthur immediately grabs Theo’s left hand.

Maeve arrives last.

The moment she sees Theo’s condition, she gasps sharply and clamps both hands over her mouth.

Theo’s eyes flick toward her, but she is at his feet. He cannot see her clearly.

Arthur notices.

He lifts his head and snaps toward Maeve.

"Maeve. I think she wants you."

Maeve looks confused but moves closer immediately.

She kneels beside Arthur.

"Thea... what do you need?" Her voice is barely above a whisper. Her brows knit together tightly. She bites her lower lip to stop herself from crying.

Theo’s fingers move again.

"Here," Arthur says, gently releasing her hand. "Take her fingers."

He shifts aside to give Maeve space.

Maeve crouches closer and clasps Theo’s fingers.

The contact is immediate.

"I need you to heal me. Feel my injuries with your mana and say ’Luxtra, renar.’" Theo’s voice reaches her through telepathy, anchored by their physical contact.

Maeve draws in a sharp breath but nods immediately.

"Anything else?" she says out loud.

"Tell Arthur and Julian to stay alert." Theo pauses to steady his breathing. "And ask Liam to be ready to pour his mana into me and say ’Aqura, renar.’"

He offers no explanation.

Maeve nods.

"Got it, Thea."

She turns to Arthur and Julian, who are already watching her closely.

"Thea wants you two alert. She’s worried the Haelion King might return."

Then she turns to Liam.

"Be ready to pour your mana into Thea and say ’Aqura, renar.’ Wait for my signal."

She speaks quickly, but every word is clear.

The three men answer instantly.

"Got it."

Arthur and Julian rise and move into defensive positions, scanning the mist-shrouded surroundings.

Maeve places her free hand over Theo’s right ribs.

"Luxtra, renar."

A faint golden light blooms beneath her palm.

Maeve feels her mana draining rapidly.

She watches as the torn flesh begins to knit itself together. The wound closes slowly, painfully slowly.

But it works.

She exhales shakily and allows herself a brief smile.

She looks at Liam, who is watching her intently, ready.

Maeve nods and gestures with her chin toward Theo’s mangled right leg.

Liam steps in immediately, placing both hands over the wound.

"Aqura, renar."

A deep blue light radiates from his palms, flowing steadily into Theo’s leg like water filling a cracked vessel.

Theo closes his eyes.

With his two worst injuries finally being treated, he can breathe again. The pain recedes from unbearable to manageable.

But the healing process is slow.

Too slow.

Far slower than he expected.

At this rate, I won’t fully heal before the King returns.

Still, he continues purifying and storing the dungeon mana in the background, refusing to waste a single second.

------------------------------

Alex stands nearby.

He positions himself between Theo and Alicia, anchoring his presence there. He focuses on protecting Rhaenas’ and Alicia’s minds from the creeping green mist while constantly monitoring Theo’s healing progress.

It is not easy.

He keeps glancing toward one particular direction, then back to Theo to assess how much the wounds have closed, then to Alicia to make sure she is still breathing.

Then back again.

Over and over.

His breathing grows faster, even though he does not need to breathe.

It is muscle memory.

An echo of a living body’s anxiety.

He begins pacing.

He scratches his head, rakes his fingers through his hair, looks toward that same direction again, then back to Theo, then to Alicia, then circles back to that one particular spot in the mist.

His movements become restless.

Sharp.

Tight.

Then he notices it.

The green mist is thickening again.

His expression darkens.

Thicker mist means more pressure.

More corruption.

And that means it becomes much harder to protect six minds at once.

He closes his eyes briefly and concentrates harder.

The air around him trembles faintly as he reinforces his mental barrier.

Suddenly his head snaps toward that direction and freezes there.

He does not blink.

His eyes narrow, searching for the slightest disturbance in the swirling green haze.

Waiting.

Listening.

And then he sees it.

A massive silhouette shifting inside the mist.

Moving.

Approaching them slowly.

Deliberately.

The outline grows clearer with each heavy step.

A towering shape.

Too large to mistake.

The King.

Alex immediately turns toward Arthur and Julian.

They are still on guard, but they have not seen it yet.

It’s too hard for them.

And it is already coming.