The roar subsided, but the effect lingered and sent chills down Rika's spine, causing the other three to stiffen in place.
Her frozen hand twitched and clenched tightly. She opened her mouth, squeezing out every word caught in her throat.
"Hurry, get Cain out of here!"
Her voice rang out, awakening the other three, who immediately turned their attention to her. Peter and Abel crouched down and began to lift Cain's body, which lay motionless on the floor.
"Abel, I'll carry him."
Peter showed his broad back, which made Abel nod and help load Cain's to his back.
"Done! Be careful, Peter."
The blue-haired boy held Cain's thighs and stood up.
"Louise, what are you doing, hurry!"
Rika screamed. She glared at Louise, who was frozen stiff. Her wide green eyes stared straight through the large hole, revealing a giant crackling shadow. Every movement made the floor she stood on tremble.
The other two stopped and clenched their teeth, fearing that Louise was too afraid to move, yet her soft voice belied their expectations.
"It's too late!"
Louise mumbled softly; her voice resonated like thunder that struck the ears of the rest of the group.
A powerful blast reverberated in the room, sending a devastating wave and vibration that made the cadets stagger and struggle to stand. The neon lights in the place flickered until they went out, leaving them in a state of total paralysis, both mentally and physically.
Rika shifted her attention to the distance and witnessed the teleportation gate; its vortex pulsated. The white light that coiled around its frame dimmed as the wormhole disappeared.
'EMP waves!?'
She wrinkled her eyebrows, her hanging hands suddenly jerked, and she grabbed the rifle hanging on her back.
"Raise your weapons!"
Her voice resounded across the dim space, attracting the attention of the other cadets who were muted with pale expressions.
Abel clenched his fists, quickly drew his sword, and stood in front of Rika. The person closest to him, Louise, alternated her gaze between Abel and Rika.
Her green eyes stared at the large hole in the door, seeing a large shadow that was growling with complete hostility. That made her body shiver, unable to exert even a little strength.
"We have to finish this as quickly as possible!"
Peter said as he stood next to Rika while carrying Cain, who was still unconscious from the shock received from his shattered armor.
The boy lay the leader behind Rika. He took a deep breath and pulled out his two daggers that showed nothing but sharp edges without their heat, then stood across from Abel.
Both men exchanged glances, their mouths wide open like people who had lost their sanity even at a critical time like this.
'Mr. Abel, Mr. Peter!?'
"Louise?"
Louise's body flinched, hearing her name called. She turned her neck back, saw Rika glancing down behind her, and spoke.
"Please take Cain from here and if possible leave us here too."
Not having time to respond. The sound of destruction came from behind the iron door. It happened because the monster, which had grown in size, destroyed the underground facility. And caused the door in front of them to be covered by debris.
Roar!
The earth-shattering roar shook the air around and made the cadets' faces twist.
"Louise, hurry! Abel and Peter, we will lure that monster out of this place!"
"Alright!"
Abel and Peter answered simultaneously, the hole in the door in front of them exhaling a cold wind that was sucked into their lungs. It caused their bodies to stiffen.
However, the three who chose to fight tightened their grip on their respective weapons. The sound of their heartbeats resonated with Louise's.
She reached for her left chest, feeling a strong, warm pulse that spread vitality throughout her body.
"!?"
Louise's eyes widened, and for a moment, her vision was distorted as she saw a color radiating from her comrades' bodies. She gasped, noticing that those colors represented the attributes they had chosen earlier.
"Let's start!"
Rika, who was wrapped in a red aura, raised her rifle and pulled the trigger to fire the first shot.
However, instead of a bullet coming out, it was a breath of fire that scorched the air around and flew straight before exploding when it clashed with the door, blasting a hole wide enough for the monster to enter.
Abel positioned his sword to the side and focused his strength on both his legs.
"Let's go, Peter!"
Peter nodded, and the two ran while leaving behind a golden and brown aura that assimilated with each other.
'W-Why?'
A shadow moved, standing very close to her, which made Louise take a cold breath.
"R-Rika?"
The vice-leader did not open her mouth, only stared straight at Louise. Rika patted the poor girl's right shoulder, as if to send warmth to her trembling body, and the fear disappeared.
"I entrust Cain to you, please save him!"
Louise forgot to breathe for a moment. The deep intonation and blazing determination in Rika's eyes highlighted the darkness in her heart.
Rika let go of her hand and, for the last time, turned to face the leader. From behind her visor, the brown-haired girl saw Rika's wry smile full of regret, she said.
"Too bad, I already had a plan for your punishment later, but…"
The red-haired girl stopped; she bit her lip while bidding him a farewell.
"See you again, Cain. I hope you will not act reckless when I'm not around, but knowing you. It's impossible."
Louise watched her friend turn and leave the two of them, but at the last moment, she couldn't take her eyes off Rika's glittery red eyes with tears streaming down her cheeks.
Silence struck the dark room, its heavy atmosphere coiled around the girl's neck, threatening to choke her. Louise, who was standing still, dropped like a puppet that lost its strings.
"...W-Why?"
The question came out again from her quivering mouth. But it was not meant for others; it was meant for herself.
While the other comrades could step over their own fears and go to battle, even with no chance of winning. Why, at a critical moment like this, did the cowardly side that she loathed come out?
A fragment of memory appeared: Rika's extended hand as she panted on the dirt field, Abel's innocence that made her unable to help but chuckle softly, and Peter, who was a bit mysterious but very caring towards the other comrades.
And the leader, Cain, sometimes made Louise afraid because of his fierce side, but he was a figure that she admired.
The thick emotion gathers in her heart, all thanks to the pleasant experiences they shared during the creation of the group.
Of course, it was not easy. Every day was a challenge. The other expectations that burdened her shoulders. But more than that, the warmth shown by her comrade pulled Louise from the darkness.
...
{That's right, someone like you is only suitable to sit still and bow down before anyone.}
...
{You are just a useless girl that no one needs. You should be grateful that I pay attention to you like this.}
...
The dark memory she wanted to forget appeared, whispering a tragic reality mixed with some bitter truth.
'Ah, that's right, I'm nothing but a loser. Heh, hehehe.'
Tears began to swell in her eyes, causing her vision to blur. But why did her mouth widen instead and let out a creepy laugh that cut her own heart.
A rumbling sound from outside brought her consciousness back, and Louise choked when she realized she had instead neglected her leader, who desperately needed help.
"...L-Leader?"
However, it was different from her expectations. The boy who had been asleep was now sitting, holding his stomach, which was exposed to the outside world.
"Go help them, Louise."
The statement that came out of his mouth was sharp, and it split all the negative thoughts that simultaneously swallowed her from within.
"Leader, we have to get out of here immediately!"
Leader Cain raised his hand as a gesture not to approach. He reached for his iron bracelet, and with a 'click' sound, the object opened and made the black armour on his body come off.
"Wha!? What are you doing?"
Louise moved by crawling, her eyes and mouth wide open, seeing the madness. She was about to grab Cain's bracelet, but her body flinched when her wrist was gripped back firmly.
"L-Leader?"
"Listen to me, Louise!"
The girl swallowed to moisten her dry throat. She hesitated at first but nodded slightly.
"Please stall for as much time as possible with the others. I will follow after fixing my armor suit."
"Fixing, but how?"
Without answering, Cain pointed his thumb behind him. Past the barrier mirror, the room inside was still powered even though the others were dead.
However, the glow in her eyes faded again, eroded by the dark clouds that gathered around her fragile heart.
'I-It's impossible.'
Louise mumbled in her heart, gazing down. She felt a pull on her hand that brought her gaze straight to Cain.
"Calm down, Rika and the others need you on the battlefield there."
The sentence shook her eardrums and blasted the darkness in her heart. She stared at the leader's black pupils, swirling like a vortex that swallowed her gloomy and dark side.
"Don't worry, you are strong. So go and help them. I will follow after you."
Strength started to fill her weak body. Louise's fingers clenched the spear hilt as she nodded.
"Alright."