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Chapter 5 - Adrenaline

"Y-Yuno! Your... Your foot!" She screams.

Hearing her cry, Klaus comes rushing over to my aid as well. She and Klaus each grab ahold of one of my arms, attempting to free me from the rubble.

Langris, still being injured, and now awake due to Mimosa's expertise in healing, is unable to help in any sort.

Eventually, the two knights manage to free me, as we gather in the desolate cave's hallway, stepping through the doorway that Langris had previously created. However, the exact instant I stand up and take a single step forward, the same, indistinguishable, fierce pain shoots up through my entire body.

Before I even have time to think, let alone breathe, a steamroller compact with stalactites steadily emerges from behind us, from Wizard King knows where.

Slowly but surely...

The extremely-deadly-looking trap, begins to move.

Strenuously ignoring the agonising pain of my foot, I manage unleash an enhancing spell.

Through my haggard, hoarse voice, I roar,"Mana Skin: Unleash!" The others follow my lead, and unleash the same spell.

With scarcely enough strength to repeatedly carry the unconscious girl in my arms, the squad dashes our way down the desolate hallways at unimaginable speeds, all the while being closely followed by the deathtrap steamrollered that had emerged moments ago.

One foot in front of the other, is what I keep pounding into my mind. I must push forward. I cannot allow myself to fall!

My life, and everyone else's...

...is at stake here.

Abruptly, just as I'm out of breath and ready to collapse, a certain something catches my eye.

As I squint harder, I realise...

It's the small niche that we used to camp inside of!

"Everyone, in!" I yell in between breaths, as we all throw ourselves into the niche. The steamroller whizzes past us, only narrowly missing us.

The only thing that can be heard in this very moment, is heavy breathing, and sighs of relief. As the adrenaline I had gained of the whole situation starts to wear off, I sense my foot beginning to throb. It is becoming additionally painful by the second, refusing to cease.

It reaches the point, until the seething pain is almost unbearable...!

I clap a hand over my mouth, and squeeze my eyes tightly shut, refusing my body to make a single peep. "Oh, Yuno!" Mimosa yelps, seeming to have forgotten this certain situation amongst the many other enigmas we were currently facing. She immediately begins to cast a healing spell, as Klaus forms a metal band over Langris' arm, and my foot to prevent them from becoming worse than they already are.

Mimosa wipes various beads of liquid off her forehead and sighs,"I believe that should ease the pain a little for now. I apologise that I can't do anything more..."

"Many thanks, however unnecessary it was."I allege nonchalantly, playing it 'cool' as if the pain had eased as much as she had intended.

As the space is left in utter silence, I find myself gazing upon the silver-haired beauty whom is yet unconscious, sleeping peacefully while resting softly in my arms...

My cheeks and tips of my ears tint a light shade of fuschia, as I blink rapidly and look away, while contemplating this new feeling.

After a short period of approximately a minute of somewhat-repose, a loud, ominous rumble is heard.

The whole team raises their heads, and gasp in unison. It appears that yet another deathtrap has emerged, as we unanticipatedly squall,"Stalactites... are emerging from the roof!"

However, little do we know, it isn't over yet.

Despite the stalactites already having emerged from the roof, it begins to lower, slowly but surely.

We scramble up from our spots, as I sweep the girl up onto my back. The team and I dash out of the niche, into the pathway that lays before us. However, we pause, mid-set in our tracks, as we realise the path that we had originally entered the cave from is sealed off, due to various amounts of rubble.

"W-What should we do...?" Mimosa trembles.

I look around, searching in dire need for some sort of exit, or way out. I spot another, narrower pathway a few metres ahead. "Everybody! Follow me, quickly! We don't have much time!" I bellow in haste.

We all dart down the narrow pathway, out of breath, all the while equipped with our Mona Skins.

The sharp stalactites of the cave's ceiling are closing in, as they begin to nudge the tips of our hair. I sense my Mona Skin evaporating, as time is not of the essence. I glance back, to check if the others are keeping up pace. However, as I turn my head back to face frontwards, I squint my eyes, refusing to believe what I see before me.

The entire team skids to a halt, due to the fact that we can not advance any further.

The reason being, we've reached a dead end.

A solid wall towers above us, leaving us nowhere to run.

Time, is not our ally.

~Chapter 5 Finish~