Chapter 608: Destination [Bonus]
Alex and the others were taken aback by the sudden change beneath their feet, but Sylas' voice echoed to steady them.
"Protect your mind. The pressure you'll face will only increase from here on out. If you can't make it, I can't help you out any more than this."
Their platforms continued to accelerate until they were moving even slightly faster than Lauren and her group's.
Lauren was completely focused on the task ahead. After passing up Sylas and the others, she didn't mind the situation behind her at all. She knew that attacking in this place was impossible if Sylas couldn't even figure out how to move.
It was also clear that whatever method she was using to combine her thoughts and efforts with her group likewise took a lot of focus. So, she didn't even notice when Sylas changed his mind about overtaking them and instead took up a position right behind them, adjusting their platforms and almost using them to drift.
'It really is slightly easier. Then we will stay here.'
Sylas would have preferred to accelerate past them, but they were already at a disadvantage because he hadn't been able to grasp things quickly this time. If he could take an opportunity for Alex, Cole, and the latter's family to rest, even a small bit, he should do so.
After seeing Lauren show up with so many people, he had a feeling that Alex and the others would be more useful to him than he initially believed.
It wasn't until several minutes later that Lauren and her group seemed to feel like something was off. The pressure was increasing on them faster than it should, and just as they were wondering why, Lauren turned back to find that Sylas was calmly following after them.
A flicker of shock passed by her gaze, and she almost lost control of her skill.
BANG!
There was a sudden attack from one of the five, but before Sylas could think to take action, a rippling barrier of blackness extended from Alex.
The crossbow bolt reflected off of the shield, being sent spiraling into the distance.
Sylas didn't say anything, but it seemed that he was right to let Alex freeload for so long. Whatever Alex's Class was, it was powerful. And right now, with his telekinesis so severely weakened, one of Sylas' best attack methods was useless.
Without the use of the ballista bolts, Sylas was heavily outmatched when it came to firepower, and since he was pulling everyone along, the drain on his stamina was already high enough without the addition of battle on top of that.
It could be said that if Sylas had to take any more of a physical load, it wouldn't be long before he tapped out.
Luckily, it didn't seem like he would have to.
Lauren was once again surprised, her eyes narrowing as she looked toward Alex. She had given him a once-over before, but she hadn't found anything particularly special, so she hadn't said much.
But anyone who could block an attack from one of their Silver Tiers, even if it was just a casual strike, wasn't someone to be trifled with. Especially since Alex didn't seem to have tried his very best either.
The crossbow wielder frowned and was about to attack again when Lauren waved a hand. "Focus."
In a battle situation, they would only be at a disadvantage. Even if they stopped moving now, they were still blocking much of the pressure coming from the statue.
Plus, the statue seemed to have a pecking order that it abided by. The pressure you faced while standing was less than what you faced by sitting. And by extension, the pressure you faced while attacking was less than what you faced from defending.
If those two were stacked upon one another, they'd be suffering losses from all sides, but they also couldn't just continue to take on their own pressure and much of Sylas' group's either.
Lauren drifted to the side, trying to peel back and out of the way, but Sylas controlled the platforms nimbly, sticking to their tails. He calculated that even with the added effort of doing this, it would be worth it.
It seemed that Lauren came to the same conclusion because she didn't try that maneuver again. She knew that the effort to do so would drain her group far faster than it would Sylas'. A part of her even began to wonder if from the very start Sylas had been waiting for a group to use like this.
Realizing that this wasn't a situation that was easy to escape from, Lauren calmed down. She no longer paid attention to Sylas and his group and continued to move forward.
A silence fell over both groups as they shifted through the skies. Even as time passed, it felt like they weren't making much progress at all. The statue was simply far too enormous.
Sylas, though, was focused on the feeling of Aetherflow as though he was using it for the first time.
The purpose of the Unique Gene and the Gene Talent that came with it was combining his Will into his Aether to begin with. But its description had pulled the veil over his eyes, not allowing him to see that immediately.
[Aetherflow]
[Aether comes naturally to you, even when it's outside of your body. Your ability to extend your Aether away from your core, attaching it to objects to control and wield, far exceeds others. You have now reached a new step of mastery]
It seemed far more about Aether than his Will itself. But what he hadn't realized until now was that this use of his Aether precisely relied on his Will.
He had never noticed because much like with skills, when he triggered this Unique Gene, he was just relying on the system. He had never seen Unique Genes have Mastery levels, so he never looked into it.
But who was to say that he couldn't move away from relying on the system with his Unique Genes as well?
As he basked in the feeling, the statue became sharper in their sights. And soon, they saw a winding staircase that spiraled through its body.
Their destination.