"That looks useful."
Diane said as she pointed at Ezra’s gloves.
"It is."
Ezra replied simply and directly.
He rolled his arms once, then brushed away the snow that had gathered across his coat and shoulders during the battle. Some of the snow had already begun melting from his body, leaving patches of dampness across his clothes.
"The noise from our battle must have already alerted the Elder Ghost Crawler that we are here."
Ezra said this while walking toward one of the remaining flames. The fire was weak now, but it still gave off enough heat for him to dry some of the damp parts of his clothes.
He also reached into his Space Bag and took out another dose of his Heat-Stimulating Pills and a bottle of water.
He placed the pill into his mouth and swallowed it with a small amount of water.
Diane looked toward the deeper parts of the forest.
Her expression remained plain, but her eyes had become more focused.
"I sense more Young Ghost Crawlers incoming."
She paused.
"There are more than a hundred."
Ezra’s eyes narrowed slightly.
More than a hundred.
That was far more than the number they had just fought.
The battle had already created enough noise to attract the attention of the Elder Ghost Crawler, and now its Young Ghost Crawlers were coming toward the battlefield.
There was no reason for Ezra and Diane to remain there.
"Then let’s get moving."
Ezra said flatly as he adjusted his gloves.
He tightened the straps around his wrists, making sure the Black Magnetic Gloves were properly fixed in place.
Then he turned away from the burning battlefield.
In a blink, the two were gone.
Their figures moved between the Winter Spruces, quickly disappearing into the snowy forest.
A few minutes later, the reinforcements of Young Ghost Crawlers reached the battlefield.
They came from different directions, moving through the snow and fog as they searched for the intruders.
But they found nothing.
There were no humans waiting for them.
No movement.
No voices.
Only the bodies of their dead kind remained scattered across the battlefield, while thin smoke continued rising from the places where the flames had already been quenched.
The snow around the area was stained with blood, and several patches of ground had been burned or frozen.
The Young Ghost Crawlers stopped.
Their heads moved from side to side.
They searched.
But their prey was gone.
Far away from where they were, Ezra and Diane continued moving through the trees.
They stepped lightly across the branches, keeping their presence concealed as they traveled.
Ezra’s dull black eyes glanced down toward the forest below.
The Young Ghost Crawlers were now searching for them.
Some moved between the trees.
Others searched the ground around the battlefield.
They hadn’t found Ezra and Diane yet.
That was exactly what the two wanted.
Ezra’s senses had already discovered something else.
A large underground hole.
It was hidden beneath the forest.
And according to the information Ezra had gathered, it was the main nest of the Elder Ghost Crawler.
Ezra glanced toward Diane.
Diane glanced back.
Neither of them needed to say anything.
Ezra didn’t have to explain his plan.
Diane already understood that he had figured out a way for them to enter the underground cave without having to fight the Young Ghost Crawlers surrounding the entrance.
That was enough.
The two increased their pace.
The air parted around them as they jumped from one tree to another at high speed.
Their movements were light, and their bodies barely disturbed the branches beneath their feet.
The large underground entrance was getting closer.
Immediately after reaching the area, Ezra placed one hand inside his Space Bag.
Both he and Diane jumped from the trees.
Their bodies dropped through the snowy air.
The Young Ghost Crawlers below them noticed the movement.
Their heads immediately turned upward.
From their perspective, two faint shadows had suddenly jumped out from the forest and entered the air above them.
Their bodies tensed.
Kik-kik-kik-kik!
Kik-kik-kik-kik!
Kik-kik-kik-kik!
The Young Ghost Crawlers made aggressive noises as soon as they saw Ezra and Diane.
Several of them opened their mouths.
Others prepared to spit webs.
But before they could act, Ezra had already moved.
He pulled out his Flash Revolver and aimed it directly at the gathered Young Ghost Crawlers.
Bang!
The gunshot roared through the area.
A large-looking bullet appeared from the muzzle and flew through the snowy wind.
One of the Young Ghost Crawlers reacted quickly.
It spat a web toward the incoming bullet.
The web moved through the air and touched the bullet slightly.
That was enough.
Boom!
The Flash Bullet exploded.
"Close your eyes!"
Ezra shouted.
Diane immediately closed her eyes.
Ezra’s eyes were already shut.
A powerful light burst from the bullet.
It shone almost like a star suddenly appearing in the middle of the forest, brightening the entire area as though morning had arrived all at once.
The Young Ghost Crawlers screamed.
Kik-kik-kik!
Their bodies moved wildly as their vision was overwhelmed by the sudden light.
They could no longer see properly.
Ezra and Diane used that moment.
Their bodies dropped into the underground hole.
The entrance disappeared above them.
They began falling.
Deeper.
Deeper.
And deeper.
There was nothing beneath their feet.
No platform.
No ladder.
No rope.
Nothing they could use to stop themselves.
They simply continued falling through the underground passage.
Yet neither of them looked troubled.
Diane remained calm.
Ezra looked toward her.
Her eyes were still closed.
Ezra narrowed his eyes slightly.
Don’t tell me she’s taking a quick nap during this fall.
The thought crossed his mind.
He looked at her for another moment before turning his attention back toward the darkness below.
They continued falling.
Minutes passed.
Then more time passed.
The fall seemed to continue for an absurd amount of time.
The darkness around them remained almost complete.
Finally, Diane opened her eyes.
She reached into her Space Bag and took out several glass bottles filled with water.
Ezra noticed what she was doing.
He had originally intended to take out his Harpoon Gun.
Ezra’s eyes moved toward the bottles.
Then he noticed the water inside the bottles she threw.
Ezra changed his mind.
He placed his hand into his Space Bag and took out his Glock 26 instead.
Diane glanced toward him.
Ezra aimed the Glock 26 at the glass bottles.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The shots rang through the underground passage.
Each bullet struck one of the bottles.
The glass shattered in midair.
Water poured out from the broken containers, spreading through the air as they continued falling toward the bottom of the cave.
Ezra hadn’t missed a single bottle.
The water continued falling with them.
They were now getting closer to the bottom.
Diane brought her hands together.
Clap!
Cognis flowed through her veins.
The Cognis moved through her body in thin streams before gathering within her hands.
A faint light-blue glow spread from her palms.
The lines of a Frost Alchemy Circle formed in the air.
Diane extended both palms toward the falling water.
Light-blue Cognis lightning moved from the completed Frost Alchemy Circle and struck the water.
The moment the Cognis touched it, the water began to change.
It moved violently.
Some of it compressed.
Then a cold spark ignited within the mass of water.
Diane extended one leg and touched the tip of the water closest to her.
The water immediately froze.
Ice spread across it.
The liquid became solid.
A smooth path of ice formed beneath them.
Diane’s Frost Alchemy had turned the falling water into a slide.
Ezra landed onto it.
He began sliding down.
The ice continued forming beneath them as they moved lower into the cave.
The speed of their fall was controlled now.
They no longer had to simply drop through the darkness.
Instead, they slid along the frozen path.
Ezra remained balanced on the ice while watching the darkness ahead.
They continued downward.
The deeper they went, the colder the air became.
The walls of the underground passage were difficult to see.
Only the sound of the ice moving beneath them could be heard.
Eventually, the two finally reached the bottom floor of the underground cave.
Ezra acted immediately.
While still sliding, he placed the Glock 26 back into his Space Bag.
He then took out his Flash Revolver.
He smoothly opened the cylinder and took out a small glowing rock.
Cognis flowed through the hand holding the glowing rock.
His Alchemy Circle ignited.
The Cognis gathered around the material, forming another Flash Bang Bullet.
Ezra placed the bullet into the cylinder and closed it.
He raised the Flash Revolver toward the darkness above.
All of this happened while he continued sliding across the ice.
As he approached the ground, Ezra rolled his body to control his landing.
Then...
Bang!
He fired.
The bullet traveled upward through the dark cave.
A moment later, it exploded.
A powerful flash spread through the underground chamber.
For a brief moment, the entire cave became visible.
Ezra’s eyes moved quickly.
There were many tunnels.
Dozens of openings could be seen throughout the walls.
The passages stretched into the darkness, branching away from the main chamber.
Then movement appeared inside them.
Young Ghost Crawlers began emerging from the holes.
One.
Then another.
Then several more.
They crawled out of the tunnels, their bodies moving toward Ezra and Diane.
Ezra and Diane could also sense the Young Ghost Crawlers they had left above.
Those creatures were now coming down toward them.
And worse...
A deeper sound came from somewhere within the underground cave.
Boom.
The ground shook slightly.
Boom.
Dust fell from the walls.
Boom.
The sound became heavier.
Ezra’s expression remained calm.
Then...
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The large one was coming.
The Elder Ghost Crawler was already making its way toward them.
Ezra looked toward Diane.
"Diane Bergwyn, go and save the rest and join me later."
His voice remained calm.
Diane looked at him.
The number of Young Ghost Crawlers in the underground cave was much greater than the ones they had faced on the surface.
And the Elder Ghost Crawler was already approaching.
Plus, the light from the strange light bullet wouldn’t last for long.
The darkness was already beginning to return to the cave.
Diane remained silent for a moment.
Then she nodded once.
She placed her hand into her Space Bag.
If she was going to leave Ezra here, she was going to solve one problem first.
Even though Ezra didn’t need her help.
Diane couldn’t tell what would happen to him after she left.
She couldn’t tell whether he would survive the Elder Ghost Crawler’s attack.
But she still did what needed to be done.
She took out several glowing rocks.
Then she took out several glass-bottles of water.
Diane immediately performed her Frost Alchemy.
Light-blue Cognis spread through the cave.
The glowing rocks were frozen in place around the underground chamber.
One after another, they became fixed sources of light.
The darkness around Ezra was pushed back slightly.
He could now see the surrounding tunnels and the Young Ghost Crawlers approaching from them, at least to a certain level.
Diane looked toward Ezra one final time.
She didn’t say anything.
She simply turned around.
Then she dashed into one of the caves.
Her movement was fast.
The Young Ghost Crawlers inside the passage barely had time to react before she reached them.
Diane’s Frost Alchemy ignited.
The fight disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel as she moved deeper inside.
She was heading toward the food-storage side of the nest, where the other members of their team were being kept.
Ezra remained behind.
The sounds of Diane’s battle slowly became more distant.
The Elder Ghost Crawler was still approaching.
The Young Ghost Crawlers continued gathering around him.
Ezra stood alone in the main cave, surrounded by the pale light of the frozen glowing rocks.
The underground air was cold.
The walls were covered with moisture.
The tunnels stretched into darkness around him.
Diane had already left.
Whether Ezra would die from what was about to happen...
She could only wonder.
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