In that instant of assessing the situation, the battle qi wrapped around Allen's feet gave him one last point of leverage. He barely managed to twist in midair, turning his back toward the leaping monsters, and wrapped both arms around Rudy and Sylphy, shielding them tightly in his embrace.
He concentrated his battle qi on his back, his momentum unabated!
Then, amid Rudy and Sylphy's cries, Allen shot like a cannonball toward the dense swarm of monsters in the air.
The sea of monsters bulged in the middle, then exploded apart the next moment as a figure forced his way out from within.
Only the last embers of sunset remained in the valley. Chunks of flesh and blood flowed down either side of him like crimson streams, while shattered monster fangs around him glimmered hazily in the glow of the dusk.
Allen's back had been torn open by the monsters' fangs, and bloodstained strips of cloth fluttered violently through the air.
Dragon Saint Battle Qi was ultimately only an immature core. Though it could strengthen the protective power of his own battle qi, it still could not keep him from being injured when he relied solely on battle qi defense amid such a dense mass of monsters.
His eyes lowered in midair.
...Thank goodness. They're both safe.
Sylphy and Rudy crawled out of his arms and stared at his face in lingering terror. The sensation of falling just then had instantly thrown the inexperienced pair into a panic. The moment Allen broke through the monsters' net, Rudy immediately stretched out a hand and cast Air Blast Magic downward.
Wind surged around them, slightly "suspending" the three in midair. But after casting Air Blast Magic, Rudy immediately became flustered. Looking at the abyssal valley below, his face turned deathly pale.
"Allen!