Chapter 507: The Fear of Certain Death
"As expected of Benjamin! I knew it was not a problem!" Heka celebrated with him, with her voice was bright, cheerful, filled with pride and affection.
She clapped her hands together, her eyes sparkling with joy, and she beamed at Benjamin as if he had just accomplished something truly remarkable. To her, he had. To her, everything he did was remarkable.
[S... Super weak... those things...?] Lena wondered internally.
Her eyes were wide, her mind struggling to process what she had just witnessed.
The wyverns that had been terrorizing the city, that had nearly killed her, that had seemed so powerful and unstoppable, had been dismissed as "super weak" by the "woman" who had saved her.
The implication was staggering and incomprehensible.
"Well... the city is safe now, but..." Benjamin turned towards the right side where adventurers still battled the more larger beast, "those adventurers are seriously powerful to have not lost a single person since."
His voice came out with a note of admiration, a respect for the skill and determination of the warriors who were still fighting.
They had been holding their own against the massive leviathan, had been surviving against impossible odds. It was a testament to their training, their courage, their refusal to give up.
"Thank you very much for saving the city, Benjamin!" Eric bowed his head in appreciation, his voice thick with emotion. His green eyes were shining with welled-up tears, and his hands were clasped together in a gesture of sincere gratitude. "But leave that big one to us now. We shall match on and bring it down!"
The words were bold, defiant, a declaration of intent that seemed to fill the air with renewed determination. He straightened his back, raised his chin, and gripped the sword with renewed confidence—
KATHOOMM!!
The sound of thunderclap, as the wyvern dragon had attacked with its apparent elemental attribute.
The noise was deafening, a violent crack that seemed to split the sky in two. A bolt of golden lightning arced from the beast’s maw, striking the ground where a group of adventurers had been standing moments before.
The earth erupted, sending chunks of soil and rock flying in all directions, and the smell of ozone filled the air.
This was very concerning... Grey dragons were mostly "earth" dragons. And earth dragons either control the terrain, or control the terrain and flames.
A golden or blue dragon may have the lightning attribute, but never a grey dragon. This was clearly artificial.
The realization hit the group like a physical blow, robbing them of their newfound confidence. They had been fighting anomalies all day, creatures that should not exist, and now they were faced with another impossible theory.
Eric lost his wit and confidence, his legs visibly shaking from the thought of joining such a fight.
His earlier bravado had evaporated, replaced by a cold fear that seemed to seep into his bones. He had faced many dangers in his long life, had stared death in the face countless times, but this was different. This was beyond him.
It was the fear of "Certain Death."
However it was too disgraceful, especially as a proud elf, to repeatedly beg for help like the way he was doing.
His pride warred with his fear, his duty with his survival instinct. He was supposed to be a leader, a protector, someone who could be counted on in times of crisis. And yet, here he was, frozen with terror, unable to move or speak.
He turned to his group to find them staring fearfully at the bright golden light of the dragon’s fight afar.
Their faces were pale, their eyes wide, their bodies trembling with a fear that was palpable. They were warriors, seasoned adventurers who had faced death and emerged victorious, but this was not the same thing as those.
Maria did not have her shield, not like she thought it would protect her from the power of this dragon or its lightning. Her shield had been destroyed in the previous battle, and she had not yet had the chance to replace it. Even if she had, she knew it would be useless against the raw power of the creature before them.
Aria was rooted in the ground, unable to move but just sweat at the immense power she could feel occurring some miles away.
Her massive axe hung limp at her side, and her eyes were fixed on the distant battle with pure terror.
Sophia and Sapphire clung to each other, their faces buried in each other’s shoulders, their bodies shaking with silent sobs. They were mages, powerful in their own right, but they knew their limits. And this was beyond them.
They only prayed Eric did not decide to fight the nightmare they saw.
Katana had given her sword to Eric, since he could better utilize it with his holy power. But even still, if she had it, the idea of causing harm to the mass of magic and strength was not present in her mind. She felt useless, powerless, a warrior without a weapon and without hope.
Yuki was by far the most composed, but her attribute of ice was completely predated by the lightning attribute of this serpent and the astronomical power of its body.
She could feel the cold fury of the storm, could sense the electricity crackling in the air, and she knew that her ice would be useless against it. Lightning melted ice, shattered it, rendered it obsolete every time.
Heka was blushing, imagining the world of pain she’d find herself in if she oppose such a beast of violence. Her cheeks were flushed, her breath coming in short gasps, and there was a glazed look in her eyes that spoke of a dark and guilty pleasure.
Please, forgive her.
"Sigh..." Benjamin had unintentionally read their minds, as his perception was still maxed to track what was happening around the area.
He could feel their fear, their doubt, their desperate need for someone to save them. "You guys did good with the blue dragon. But you have to be smart. You only live once, so it’s still cool to run and hide when something is above your capability."
His voice was calm and gentle, and there was a kindness in his words that seemed to soothe their frayed nerves.
He was not mocking them, not judging them. He was simply stating a truth that they already knew but were too proud to admit.
The group snapped their head to Benjamin, their eyes pleading for the seemingly "thousand-years-old woman" to come to the rescue once more.
They had seen what he could do, had witnessed his power first hand, and they knew that Benjamin was their only hope.
"...Okay, I’ll kill it for you," Benjamin waited a few seconds, watching the horizon where the beast was trampling its foes, before speaking, "Just trust me."
His voice was low, as if he wasn’t speaking to them, as if he were agreeing to do a simple chore rather than face a monster of that power.
But there was a confidence in his words, a certainty that made the group believe him.
They all echoed that they trust him, even Yuki.
Their voices were shaky, uncertain, but there was a glimmer of hope in their eyes. They had seen the impossible happen today. They had watched Benjamin destroy an entire horde of wyverns with a single spell. Perhaps, just maybe, he could do this too.
Benjamin took a stance as if he was about to back-slam something.
His feet planted firmly on the ground, his knees bent, his body low and ready.
He went low and crouched, his left arm bulging just a little but noticeably grotesque, filled with veins showing from even the tight long-sleeved top he wore. The transformation was subtle but very obvious, a sign of the immense power that he was preparing to unleash.