Draven hopped off the tall tree. Midway, he activated [Igni Vitalis] and channeled his strength into his legs. He landed and rolled, before sprinting in a diagonal direction. He sped deeper into the forest, away from the green vine and towards the Haven. Going back to the Earth crab region might be more precarious than he is assuming, as he never even saw what was chasing them.
Vera was quick to follow.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"The Third Order is coming! It might catch up."
"Damn!"
Both of them fled through the trees. Draven reactivated his soul sense while noting his distant surroundings to not unknowingly run into their death. It didn't take long for them to hear faraway crashes behind them.
Peeking back, Draven and Vera saw the green vines, clumped like a colossal ball, launching from tree to tree like a cannonball.
The distance it covered in a single jump made his heart tightened. It was catching up at an alarming pace.
'How can I kill that thing? Where will I fight from? Where will I attack? It will just turn me into a mummy, like those branches!'
He turned and focused on escaping, but abruptly, he felt multiple caresses in his chest.
'Many First Order Transient monsters ahead? It will slow me down.'
He was about to veer when he suddenly thought of something. He quickly summoned his Elite System, and he felt goosebumps prickle his skin—his soul vitalis was remaining only 12.
'That's about 150 plus 30 seconds? I can't escape this vine! I need more soul vitalis.'
He quickly made up his mind and said to Vera, "Many First Order ahead. We are going through them to save time."
"What about going around?"
"Too slow!"
They quieted and continued running. About a minute later, Draven saw a horde of black, huge spiders, with their legs coiled underneath, resembling dead boulders. They occupied the trees and ground ahead,
His footsteps faltered, but he hardened his heart and rushed towards them.
'It's the only way to survive. I'm not like Vera with added Physique and Constitution when I ascended!'
His heart pumped, drowning out all the sounds as he summoned his sword.
Verdant Reaper materialized in each grasp. He looked onto the path he was taking.
He could see the spiders stretching their coiled legs, as if they were awakening from slumber. They were the size of carts.
He focused. Suddenly, Draven felt his senses amplified, and it felt like the world slowed a bit.
The feeling made him inadvertently slow for a moment, and Vera rushed past him.
"No webs, metallic shells, and sharp legs! Avoid their legs! Don't get killed. Don't get left behind!"
Her words reminded Draven of something.
He tried to channel the strength into his legs and hands at the same time, but it didn't work.
'Can't run and fight?'
He shivered at the thought of slowing down in the middle of the horde just to enhance his hands to be able to fight.
'They will drown me with their numbers!'
Vera didn't slow down when they got close to the spiders but lunged into them. They had already barred their path with a wall formed by their bodies.
But Vera leapt over them, yet they also leapt, trying to stop her path. Some dove at her from the trees. A shield, resembling the back of the Earth crabs, suddenly appeared in her hand. Using it to shield her face, she pierced into their ranks.
Draven decided at the sight. 'I need to be tactical!'
Instead of leaping like her, he weaved through the gaps after the wall broke, and caught up before channeling all the strength into his arms as spiders swarmed from all corners.
He could feel his wild strength pulsing in his arms.
"Focus ahead! I will take care of the flank and rear!" Draven said and whipped his blades at the sides, splitting two spiders before spinning with his blades, slicing and sending spiders flying. Wailing shrieks thundered through the air.
But another spider smashed him from above, sending him almost to the ground. He pinned one sword, twisted his body from beneath it, and cleaved its head with the other.
He saw his left armor broken with his blood.
'That's right! Only my arms are enhanced. My body is weaker than even First Order Transient beings!'
He turned to see Vera had just opened the path. With her shield above her, her sword cleaved every spider. Her leg whipped when she couldn't use her sword. She brutally tore through their ranks with aggressive offense.
Draven dashed forward to catch up as spiders were still rushing at them. He twisted, ducked, and wove through the swarm of spiders. His blades cleaved left, right, and back, going after the ones that caught up.
His brain fired on all cylinders, pushing his efficiency in killing and body movement to the peak. Everything in his way was used to help him go faster. Even in the chaotic battle, his brain still had the time to compare routes. He caught up, and both of them blistered through the spiders like a grinder.
Vera was shooting straight, with nothing capable of impeding her path. Spiders rebounded off her body when they smashed into her before they were killed.
Meanwhile, Draven was swerving and leaping left and right, dodging and killing while keeping up with her. But he couldn't dodge all; unfortunately, any he didn't dodge broke his armor and ripped his weak body. But he kept his focus sharp. With his life on the line, adrenaline pumping through his veins, he ignored the bleeding. Fragments of their armor flew.
The ground was littered with bodies and blood. Wailing and angry shrieks filled the air.
Wave after wave of spiders kept coming. Both of them killed and bathed in the blood of the spiders, but the wave never stopped.
Taking a peek behind, Draven happened to see the ball of green vines trying to go around the spider horde. His pupils constricted. A sharp pain brought him back, realizing a spider had pierced his shoulder from behind. He switched the strength to his foot and shot forward through the gaps to catch up with Vera, painfully wrenching himself free, before returning the strength to his arm.
"Be faster!" he growled. "It's going around."
His words hit Vera like drugs, and she went berserk. She shielded only her head and went full offensive. She ignored her body, trading damages just to go faster. Draven shivered at the sight.
When Draven saw the exit out of the horde, he rejoiced. They pushed and soon got to the exit.
Vera instantly shot forward the moment she got out. And Draven followed. He occasionally peeked behind but saw nothing.
In about five minutes, they sprinted out from the forest into an open expanse.
Both of them halted while panting.
In the distance, they could see a big silver structure.
He first looked back, nodding when he saw nothing.
"Let's take a break. We don't know if anything is buried in this place between here and the Haven," he said to her.
She exhaled and plopped her butt on the floor.