Suddenly, Kayle heard François's voice from the other leg.
-Kayle! We won't make it in time. We have to think of something else."
That was easier said than done. He was out of ideas. The chimera was charging toward Lilly, Rack was too far away to come, and Kayle had no idea where the former soldier was.
In any case, even he couldn't come all the way here without burning his feet. The situation was catastrophic.
-And there it is. I'm done for. This is the end of my adventure and the result of all my efforts.
François had heard him from the other leg and started shouting at Kayle while still trying to cut the heel without touching the venom escaping from the beast's body.
-What are you talking about, Kayle? I thought you never gave up.
Kayle raised a finger as if to say something intelligent while being tossed around by the movements of the chimera's leg.Taking a noble and affected tone, he replied:
-Well, my dear friend, there are many things that I am, and in particular rea…li…stic. I know how to face reality. The situation is really… awful. Not to say catastrophic… so I suggest we wait for another plot twist that will allow us to win, or else, our certain end.
-Will you shut up already?!
The chimera was moving inexorably toward the center of the explosion.
Soon, Kayle could see the silhouette of a frail person holding a staff. She was out of breath and barely leaning on it.
It was Lilly. And the timing couldn't have been worse.
Kayle suddenly felt a pang in his heart. He truly couldn't do anything to help his girlfriend. Couldn't he really try everything, go all in and…
'It's ridiculous. But…'
Suddenly, Kayle stood up on the chimera's foot, ready to jump. François saw him and immediately understood his intentions.
-Oh no, Kayle. Anything but that. Don't do it, I'm telling you…
Kayle turned his head toward him. When François saw his face, he understood that he had already lost him.
-I have no choice.
'We've tried everything and this thing won't stop. So I'm going to… I'm going to… I'm going to go get her, even if I burn my feet…'
White flames of ambition lit up in his eyes.
If he couldn't stop this thing, Kayle could at least move it.
All his life, he had refused to take even the smallest risk. He had refused to give his all to his tasks. And it had never led him anywhere. On the contrary, he was stuck. He wanted to surpass himself for once. And the situation was perfect for that.
Today, he would prove that he wasn't just a nonchalant genius, and that he could show fighting spirit without relying solely on his talents.
'Come on…'
As Lilly filled his vision and he was ready to jump, the beast suddenly stopped moving. Or rather, Kayle felt its muscles stiffen and it no longer walked. Instead, it was falling…
-What?
-Kayle, hold on!
The beast was falling forward, face first. It seemed to have lost all its energy, and its fall was graceless and unrestrained, as if a robot had simply shut down.
Kayle was clinging to the front of its foot. If the beast fell face first, he would hit the burning ground and be crushed on top of that. He had to move.
-Oh no, not today.
In a flash, he straightened up and clung desperately to the beast's fur before swinging around its ankle with a completely uncontrolled momentum. He even slipped upon landing, giving himself a huge scare. But he managed to stay standing as the beast caused a terrible impact on the ground due to its fall.
Some time later, it no longer moved, and suddenly, the reason why it didn't move struck Kayle.
-It lost too much blood.
Kayle and François had spent the last minutes cutting it deeper and deeper all over its body. The beast's blood was dripping everywhere like a viscous liquid, but Kayle hadn't realized how enormous the amount was. Liters of purple venom were flowing out everywhere. Normally, that amount was enough to kill at least thirty to fifty humans, maybe even a hundred, yet the creature had managed to walk this far. And even if it seemed excessive for it, it appeared it could go no further.
'In the end, I don't mind. I won't have to burn my feet.'
Kayle quickly turned his head to check if François had made it onto the heel, and fortunately for him, the young boy was fine.
They could hear the chimera's skin burning in contact with the ground as the venom slowly evaporated into purple smoke.
The smoke rose faintly into the air as Kayle watched the spectacle without worrying about anything. He was immune after all. He didn't know if he could breathe it, but he didn't hesitate to try.
He took a deep breath to see the effects, and nothing happened.
The smoke almost filled his field of vision, and for the first time in his life, he felt truly relieved.
And suddenly, Kayle was seized by great anxiety.
"Purple smoke...."
The gas was odorless, but it was definitely there. It took him a good minute standing on the foot to realize that it was particularly deadly venom escaping from the ground. He was simply completely immune to it, which was why he hadn't paid attention.
François was not.
-Shit.
Kayle turned his head again, this time slowly, so as not to face the inevitable truth too quickly. And when he saw the boy, his body was indeed covered in purple stains. He had covered his airways with his clothes, but it wasn't enough to be saved.
The problem was direct contact with the substance, and he was inevitably surrounded by it.
Kayle clenched his teeth.
'Shit.'
As François grew weaker and weaker, Kayle's voice rang in his ears.
-Hey!! François, are you holding on?
François looked at him with a pained and exhausted face. He seemed to be suffering horribly, and his answer was honest.
-No.
The stains on his body intensified and became more numerous. Kayle had to act.
'Shit. I can't do anything right now. I can't even take him to a safe place. Lilly is lying over there and has no mana… az. If Rack doesn't come back, I might lose François before we can return. Damn it!!'
As François's eyes were turning violet and he seemed about to pass out, Kayle, who was perfectly fine, felt an immense panic and his heart was on the verge of giving out.
'Will I witness the death of a person for the third time? Especially when this time, it's someone close to me.'
From where he was, Kayle could still jump to reach him, even if it meant burning his feet. It didn't matter. It had no importance. His feet were surely worth far less than someone's life, especially François's.
He couldn't allow himself to do nothing in a situation like this. He would never be able to look at himself in the mirror again after letting someone die before his eyes.
It wasn't in his nature. Even if it cost him his life, he had to try… he was going to jump…
However, fate had not yet decided that things would end there.
-Kayleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
Rack's voice echoed through the immense gaping hole in the forest left by Lilly's spell…az. He had shouted so loudly that Kayle forgot his panic and turned around for a moment to see what was happening.
-What the—?!
To his great surprise, Rack was running on the burning ground. His face was twisted in pain and tears. He ran without grace, hopping every time his foot touched the ground.
'What is this idiot doing? Wait a minute… that was my idea…'
Rack was running like a fool, but next to him was the former soldier, with a much more serious expression, simply running forward.
-I'll go get Lilly. You, grab those two and turn back.
-Goooot ittttt—
As the former soldier passed the convulsing, burning body of the chimera, Rack jumped onto it while avoiding the streams of venom. He slammed his hands hard against its skin, hoping to reduce the pain in his feet.
Kayle's expression quickly turned blank. Or rather, extremely disappointed.
'If I didn't know him, I'd probably think he's the biggest idiot I've ever seen…'
When Rack seemed to have finished his little crisis, he looked at Kayle and gave him a thumbs-up in approval.
-Good job. We'll take over now.
Suddenly, Kayle felt relieved and happy.
It was over. They had made it. He hadn't needed to give it his all, which was a shame, but he was exhausted, and the tension in his body was finally easing after those long minutes of effort. He could finally breathe. He and…
-Oh shit, François!
Rack turned his head as well, looking in the same direction as Kayle with fear. There, on the other leg, François was slowly collapsing onto the chimera's purple skin.
-Oh shit, François!!
Rack caught him just in time, then carried him with Kayle on his shoulder. Meanwhile, the former soldier picked up Lilly, and together they all headed back to the village.