Chapter 36 · Tuka's Death
"Let's keep moving."
Tuka glanced at Keith on Nina's back, then silently fell to the rear of the group and continued toward the sewer leading out of the city. As for abandoning Keith, who had already become a burden, the thought had never once crossed his mind. None of the others had ever considered it either.
They were comrades who had shared life and death, entrusting their lives to one another. How could they possibly abandon a teammate?
Half an hour later, Gordon cautiously poked his head around a corner and surveyed the area ahead. After confirming that there were no demons, he hurriedly waved to the people behind him. The group carefully followed Gordon, rounded the corner, and entered a sewer that was more than half flooded.
Liquid mixed with blood and foul water instantly rose to their thighs. Tuka and the others had expected this, so they silently continued forward. This was the sewer leading out of the city that they had discovered while pursuing demons before.
Splash, splash.
Accompanied by the sound of flowing water, Tuka's group continued onward. Perhaps because this sewer was in a relatively remote location, they did not encounter any demons along the way. Everyone gradually relaxed, their hearts filled with motivation. As long as they kept going a little farther, they could successfully escape this hell.
"What is that?"
Suddenly, Gordon, who was walking at the front, stopped. His body trembled as he raised his head, his face filled with despair, and pointed ahead. At the sewer's exit, several Dark Red Tentacles twisted incessantly. Beside them lay the corpses of numerous Lesser Demons commonly found in sewers.
Those corpses had all withered and turned pitch-black. Their heads had split in two, and their eyes were filled with terror and a longing for life.
Smack!
"Is there... really no hope?"
The next second, Tuka's wife helplessly slumped into the sewer, which was filled with foul water and mud. She stared blankly at the exit, completely blocked by the countless tentacles. Just an ordinary person, she had already been on the verge of collapse after everything she had endured, even with her will to survive and the support of her husband and child beside her.
Now that their last hope had vanished, the sudden blow left her unable even to stand.
"Hold on! We'll definitely survive! We absolutely can't die here!"
At that moment, Nina, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly stepped forward and forcibly pulled the limp woman to her feet. With determination and resolve on her face, she stared ahead. No matter what happened, she had to survive. She absolutely could not die here!
"Nina's right. We all have to survive!"
Tuka's voice came from behind. His tall, sturdy body walked to the front of the group, and he smiled at everyone as he spoke. Then Tuka hugged his wife tightly, patted his son's head, and looked toward Gordon.
"I'm counting on you after this."
Without waiting for Gordon's reply, Tuka resolutely raised his shield. He took the last three Alchemical Bombs from the pouch at his waist, then raised his head and looked at the tentacles sealing off the exit.
"Stay close behind me!"
The next second, Tuka roared and threw the Alchemical Bombs in his hand toward the front. He immediately raised his shield and charged ahead. He intended to open a path for everyone this way.
"Tuka, you bastard—follow him!"
When Gordon heard Tuka say that he was counting on him, he had a bad feeling. But before he could stop him, Tuka had already charged out. Gordon could only grit his teeth and shout at the stunned people behind him before following.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The enormous explosions rang out through the sewer. Caught off guard, the tentacles were blasted open, creating a gap. But a massive wave of flames also began pouring back toward them. Seeing this, Tuka charged forward instead of retreating, holding up his shield and blocking all the flames and shock waves in front of him.
"Argh! Hold the line!"
The flames' intense heat turned Tuka's shield red-hot within seconds. His body, braced behind the shield, constantly crackled and sizzled. The smell of burning flesh filled the air. Yet Tuka seemed not to feel it. The veins on his arms bulged, his face twisted ferociously, and he roared as he continued charging forward. Gordon and the others followed close behind.
Bang!
Suddenly, Tuka, who was holding the front, felt the shield grow light. His body was sent flying and crashed heavily to the ground. The instant the red-hot shield touched the wastewater, a great cloud of white steam billowed out.
"Tuka!"
The moment he saw Tuka fall, Gordon rushed over and helped him up. But the instant he saw Tuka's condition, even Gordon, who had already anticipated it, could not stop his eyes from reddening.
Half of Tuka's formerly resolute face had been reduced to bloody pulp. Blood mixed with mud flowed from his hollow eye socket over his charred flesh. Both hands that had gripped the shield were half-cooked, and the bones could be clearly seen through the blackened flesh. His body was covered in wounds.
"Cough, cough... Gordon, I never thought you could cry!"
Tuka opened his one remaining eye and looked at Gordon before him. A smile appeared on his now gruesome, terrifying face. He then struggled to raise his head and glanced at his wife and child. He lifted his charred arm as if he wanted to say something, but the next second, his arm crashed heavily into the wastewater. His breathing stopped as well, leaving only that one eye still open.
"Tuka!"
"Captain!"
"Father!"
In an instant, the remaining people rushed to Tuka's side and desperately pushed at his body, trying to wake him. But it was useless. With nearly half his body and some of his internal organs half-cooked, Tuka was completely dead.
"...We have to go!"
A few seconds later, Gordon suddenly stood and forcibly pulled the others away. His reddened eyes stared fixedly at them as he spoke, one word at a time. The explosions just now had certainly attracted the demons' attention. If they did not leave immediately, Tuka would have died for nothing.
"Yeah!"
Seeing this, the others nodded with difficulty and followed Gordon as they continued forward. Behind them, Tuka's corpse lay atop his shield, his one remaining eye watching their departing backs. The corners of his mouth seemed to carry the faintest trace of a smile.
Along the rest of the journey, everyone continued forward in silence, their hearts heavy. Tuka's death had dealt a tremendous blow to every one of them. All this time, Tuka had been the core and captain of the group. He had cared for every teammate, and whenever danger appeared, he had always stood at the front alone to protect them.
Suddenly, a ray of light shone across their faces. Gordon hurried forward and saw that outside the passage was a river several meters wide. Dense woods grew along its banks, while large amounts of blood-tainted wastewater flowed from the sewer into the river below their feet.
"We... finally escaped."
As they looked at the bright sunlight and emerald-green woods outside, smiles appeared on their sorrowful faces despite themselves. What they did not know was that the shadows behind them had begun twisting bit by bit.