The Sapphire Star gritted her teeth. She had no choice but to leave that bastard Demon King running naked under the sun for now. Saving lives came first!
She darted into the rescue effort, using her hunter's keen senses and strength to catch the falling swordsmen with precision. Rolling, kicking off the ground, and dissipating their momentum, she reduced the impact as much as she could. Even so, the carnage at the landing site was horrifying.
People continued falling for a little while. As the dust gradually cleared, the scene remained a shambles, filled with mingled groans, gasps, and stifled cries of pain.
The Sapphire Star wiped dust and someone else's blood off her face, then hurried over to Gyomei, who was soothing an injured swordsman. "Master Gyomei, have we done a head count? Did anyone land farther away?"
Compassion filled Gyomei's somber face. "Amitabha... everyone has been accounted for. They are all here." He paused, his voice heavy. "The gravely injured... may account for two-thirds. Thankfully, everyone practiced your Force-Dissipating Technique. No one died on impact..."
"What about my medicine?" the Sapphire Star demanded urgently. "The medicine I gave you-all of that can save lives!"
Gyomei shook his head slightly. "It happened so suddenly. The Portal opened without warning, and everyone carried only a limited supply. Most of it... was still in the rest area. We had no chance to retrieve it." He pointed a short distance away.
"Obanai and Kanroji did manage to grab the medicine cases as they fell, but much of the contents scattered. They are doing everything they can to save people now..."
The Sapphire Star followed his gesture. Those with lighter injuries, or who could still move, were enduring their own pain as they carefully fed their gravely injured comrades the few pinches of