*SCREECH….!*
The spectres wailed as they finally had their prey in hand. The very first one speedily phased through Alex like he was an illusion.
And the moment Alex felt the spectre phase through him, his face paled as he felt a spine-chilling cold sensation wash over him.
His body convulsed severely from the touch as he gasped for breath, yet unable to attain it. The feeling was like having your soul pulled out of you; not that he knew but that was how he felt at that moment.
He could barely sustain a thought as everything felt hollow and blank. He almost forgot where he was or what he was doing.
Yet, that was only the beginning. The other spectres finally had their taste as well, satiating their hunger and at the same time driving them to take more from him.
With every phasing, Alex felt his consciousness slip into the darkness, and even that was ruined as the next lightning strike arrived with intense fury, shocking him awake before whipping him in a random direction.
*CRACKLE!*
It came fast, fury and strong as it encountered no resistance whatsoever. The remnant tendrils of lightning traversed through his body, producing small tendrils all over.
Alex continued to receive the soul and shock therapy as he was being whipped across the lightning field, taking in the massive jolts of energy carried by the tendrils. His expression grew paler by the second; a problem that worsened when he sensed his mana beginning to deplete.
It was in a difficult situation where he couldn't recover from the spectral assaults before the lightning did its part.
'Damnit, I'm blacking out!'
The only reason he wasn't totally fired was due to his stronger body. With the physique of a Class E awakened, his resistance to natural elemental attacks was high.
But in this kind of situation, it was all pointless.
'I'll be dead the moment I pass out.'
As his mana continued to deplete, he made a decision to use what was left to try and save himself. If his mana was going to run out anyway, then it'd be on his terms.
The moment he received his next dose of lightning energy, he immediately circulated his mana through his mana channels where they gathered in his chest.
His eyes and suit glowed in the ambience of his mana and with a roar that echoed in the deathly space, he let go, creating a powerful pulse of light that spread out speedily with him as the centre.
*BOOM!*
The pulse of light brightened the space with such intensity that the spectres turned away as their ghostly forms disintegrated into dark grey mist, their wails dying along with their demise.
The tendrils of large lightning tendrils were also affected as they were deflected from their striking point, scattering and breaking their tendrils into smaller bits that crackled before dying out.
That moment of relapse generated from his attack was all Alex needed, and although he was dead tired, panting out of mana, he was not out yet.
His complexion was as pale as paper, yet his eyes burned with determination as he dashed forward with every bit of speed he could draw out, managing to cover several tens of meters before the lightning rain returned.
Naturally, the patterns he memorized earlier were all but useless as the lightning strikes sent him off course by a large margin.
'Come on…!'
Frustration set in as the reality of his dilemma settled in. With his mana stores ran dry, he could only battle the spectres with his physical strength; something he wasn't sure was going to work.
Fortunately for him, his last attack had cleared most of the spectres, leaving but a few tens. Those exposed to the attack remained dead and unrevivable.
'Just focus on the monolith!'
He primed himself as he evaded the lighting strikes again with the same finesse as before. With the safe zone around the monolith in sight, Alex explosively increased his speed for a brief moment as he dived from the lightning field into the safe zone.
He rolled over the ground and came to a stop. Yet that was just one problem.
The remaining spectres charged at him with greater fury, being close enough to touch him.
'Not a chance!'
He brandished his staff as there was no point using a sharp edge for spectral creatures. The moment the first of the spectres arrived, he swung his staff multiple times in a roll as the spectres were pushed back, yet undamaged.
"Tch!
"Pushing them back should at least give me some room to move!"
He bellowed as he roared and waved his staff, gradually pushing the spectres back. Alex never stayed at one spot for long and although he was being overwhelmed, his was much faster.
The creatures wailed in frustration at failing to get the meal that was right before them. They swiped their arms out and tried to phase through him but to no end.
'Almost there…'
His eyes momentarily gauged the remaining distance he needed to cover before, bringing a small smile to his face.
His muscles arched from the stress he put his body through. The damages he received earlier did a number on his stamina and body.
And despite that, his will to move forward burned brighter than ever. He knew failure meant death and that was an option off the table, even if he had to push his body to the absolute limit, he would succeed.
'No, I will succeed.'
...….
"Finally."
Hunter Zol muttered as his attention promptly caught the rising energy Alex gave off. His gaze returned to Alex observing as he pushed forward and noting the conditions that triggered that form.
The next instant, he disappeared and reappeared before Alex's pod. He made a grabbing motion that pulled the VR pod towards him before disappearing once more.
Leaving the others exposed to Alex's aura meant putting them at risk, something he couldn't sit by and watch.
.....
Alex neared his limit but kept pushing, straining his muscles to the extreme. His heart rate began to increase as he noticed his attacks no longer had the desired outcome.
All around him was a cyclone of spectres not giving him any room to move forward despite being so close; just a short distance of 30 meters!
He clenched his teeth in frustration as his burning determination to make it out alive ignited a fire that blazed outwardly from his body, generating a powerful force that swept over the spectres instantly disintegrating them and leaving nothing behind.
However, the blazing form died out as quickly as it came, causing Alex to feel the effects of mana drain.
Sweat fell from his brows as he took a knee, huffing and puffing to catch his breath.
"Finally…"
With determined eyes, he looked at the tall and massive monolith that beckoned to him.