NOVEL NEXT Chapter 41: Fast Speech
Two men dangled from the edge of the platform, one of them gripping for dear life while his other hand clutched the arm of the old man below him.
Trey gritted his teeth, the weight of the old man making it impossible for him to pull himself up.
"What the… hell… why are you so heavy?!" Trey shouted, though his voice was immediately drowned out by the explosions rocking the floating platform.
He could let go of the miner to save himself—but Trey wasn't that kind of person. If there were people he could save, he would. Of course, it depended on the situation—he wouldn't hesitate to let an enemy die if given the chance.
Bach, the miner, wasn't his enemy. He was a strange old man linked to that mysterious lunatic. And after everything they had been through on their way to the Spire, Trey already considered him a friend.
"Come on! Just wake up!" Trey shouted again, his pitiful eyes darting toward the unconscious old man.
Slowly, Bach's eyelids fluttered open. He blinked a few times before finally grasping the gravity of their situation.
"Oh… we're going to die."
"Don't say that!" Trey was relieved at first that the old man had woken up—but his relief quickly turned to horror at those words. Startled, one of his fingers slipped from the platform. Their bodies dropped an inch, making them stiffen in fear.
"Can you climb up?" Trey asked desperately.
Bach took a deep breath, steadying himself. He wasn't ready to die. Not yet. His daughter still needed him—especially if that bastard husband of hers was still alive.
But as he looked at the young man struggling to save him, despite the high chance of both of them dying, Bach couldn't help but smile.
"Let me go."
"Good, just hurry up so we can get the hell out of h—wait, what?" Trey froze, glancing down—just as another one of his fingers slipped from the smooth surface.
"I'm old… and you're young," Bach Ponce said, his smile widening in acceptance. "I can't climb, and you can't get out of this situation because you can't pull me up. My fate is sealed… this is my graveyard. But this has been one of the greatest moments of my life. You shall live—and become the greatest Primer there is."
Trey's eyes widened.
With explosions thundering in the background, fire and smoke rising all around them, tears welled in his eyes before spilling over in a torrent.
"Old man… don't say that. I…"
Snot dripped from his nose as he tried to respond—only for someone above them to start clapping.
Both Trey and Bach looked up.
Kael stood at the edge of the platform, watching them with a small smile.
"That was a very touching speech," Kael said. "So, you want to die, Bach?"
"Well… now that you're here, why not lend us a hand?" Bach muttered, his face turning slightly red.
"Help us!" Trey shouted, his tears still streaming down his face despite the fact that the White Prime was right there. "My fingers are slipping! We're going to die!"
Moments ago, he had been determined to save them both using his own strength. But the second he saw that lunatic—Kael—all his determination vanished. Now, all he wanted was for Kael to save them. His strength was depleting fast.
Kael chuckled, watching them struggle. He admired how the young man had refused to drop Bach, even though he feared death. Despite his fear, Trey had held on and kept trying to pull them up.
Even now, Kael could see that Trey was using every ounce of his remaining strength to hold onto the platform. His muscles and veins strained, desperately fighting against the pull of gravity.
He's just like Red, Kael thought.
He reached for the sniper rifle slung behind him and pointed it at Trey.
As the hot barrel touched his forehead, Trey's entire body froze. His eyes widened, lips quivering.
"W-what is the meaning of this?" Trey stammered, fear evident in his voice. "A-are you going to kill me?"
"Nope. But if you keep dilly-dallying, you'll kill yourself," Kael said. "Hold the gun."
Hearing this, Trey stared speechlessly at the barrel. "You should've just said that in the first place."
Taking a deep breath, he let go of the platform and quickly grabbed the sniper rifle. Fortunately, the barrel wasn't completely smooth—it had rough edges that prevented his hands from slipping.
Kael then started pulling Trey and the miner up using the Pulse Sniper Rifle.
This was a feat that required inhuman strength. To pull it off, Kael had to activate the Drakorite Speed Burst Technique and Breathing Technique to enhance his physical power. But his body had already suffered greatly from repeated use of these techniques. Pain shot through every fiber of his being, as if thousands of blades were slicing into him.
Still, despite the agony, the White Prime didn't let out a single grunt. In fact, he was smiling.
Thankfully, his sniper rifle was one of the advanced models—far sturdier than an average gun. It wasn't designed for pulling people up, but Kael couldn't be bothered to bend down. So he used whatever equipment he had.
A few moments later, Trey and Bach landed on the platform.
"Thank God, finally!" Trey gasped in relief.
"It's embarrassing, but I'm just glad we're alive," Bach sighed, patting the dust off his clothes.
After composing themselves, the two stood up.
"How's the situation?" Trey asked, his teary eyes shifting toward the ongoing battle. He wiped his face, realizing the fight was nearly over. What had just happened had nearly made him piss himself—but he managed to hold it in, thinking about the poor old man below him who would've suffered the shower.
After being saved by the lunatic, all he wanted now was for everything to end—and for him to find a way to repay Kael.
"They're taking longer than I expected," Kael muttered, disappointment creeping into his voice.
The Primers were only fighting a weak Final Boss, not even strong enough to qualify for a Blue-Rated Fissure. And yet, they were battling as if they were facing a Behemech of the highest tier.
His disappointment was understandable. Final Bosses within Grey Fissures didn't always have the same level of strength. Some were weaker than others, while some were strong enough to rival bosses from higher-rated fissures.
"It's a Ground Fire Hog—fire-attributed. And just like fire, it has an unyielding will. It won't stop until it's dead," Trey explained before turning to the White Prime.
"Thank you for saving me."
"No problem." Kael waved a hand casually. "I still need you two to hold the Growth Orbs."
At the mention of the Growth Orbs, Trey and Bach glanced at each other in realization.
At that moment, a grotesque cry—part machine, part living—reverberated through the battlefield, followed by a heavy thudding sound that shook the entire platform.
Cheers erupted as the remaining Beyond Infernos exploded in fiery bursts, sending dust clouds billowing into the air.
Kael noticed the sudden shift in Trey and Bach's expressions. His face darkened.
"Where are my Growth Orbs?"