Chapter 86 – Remorse

The Mutated Ice Cloud Lion let out a low roar. Its eyes fixed on the group of intruders. It dropped the remains of Holden's body, which collapsed to the ground in a bloody mess, then prepared to attack them.

The team members felt a searing anger welling up inside them as the sadness and horror of the situation mixed in their minds.

"Fuck!!"

"I'm going to kill you!"

Unable to contain their rage, Gaheris and Vagan threw themselves forward, their crystal essence overflowing from their bodies.

The others reacted quickly after them.

With their state of mind disturbed, not to mention the condition the Ice Cloud Lion was in after the fall and after what seemed like a relentless battle with the Ice Devouring Worms which almost depleted it's crystal essence reserves, none of them were afraid.

Kieran was a step behind the others. He felt shock pass through his entire being as he saw Holden's inert body and the macabre scene. An indescribable rage invaded his heart as the image of a woman having her body pierced by a giant claw overlaps with Holden’s body.

The sound of an explosion was heard as Kieran's body turned into a black blur. His hands clenched on his double-bladed sword. It only took him a moment to reach the Mutated Ice Cloud Lion and swing the sword into a slash.

The blade left a deep cut in the Mutated Ice Cloud Lion's body, which let out a roar of pain. A layer of ice rose from its body, enveloping Kieran's double-bladed sword inside.

Kieran dropped his weapon before the ice reached him. Forming a platform of earth, he used it to jump back before forming a second one to take support on it and rush forward again. Elemental particles of earth surrounded his arm, taking the form of a giant fist made of earth which he smashed against the Mutated Ice Cloud Lion's head, knocking it back.

The lion fell to the ground and tried to get up, but Gaheris and Vagan jumped on it. Their hands, filled with crystal essence, fell on it without any respite.

Caitlyn moved closer with her ice sword, leaping into the air. She pierced the lion's paw with her sword until it sank into the ground, restricting its movements.

A figure shrouded in blinding white light fell from the sky. The spear in her hands impaled the Mutated Ice Cloud Lion's back, forcing it once again into the ground, roaring in pain.

*Roar*

Kieran took advantage of this moment and broke the ice that surrounded his double-bladed sword. The golden blue crystal essence erupted from his body at the same time.

"Earth Shattering"

The world was covered in a golden blue color for a moment, followed by a long silence before the sound of an explosion could be heard. The world suddenly returned to normal. The lifeless body of the Mutated Ice Cloud Lion that was split in two could be seen.

Silence fell over the battlefield. Only the sound of the icy wind echoed through the ice tunnels. The team gathered around Holden's lifeless body, pain and sadness flooding their beings.

Amber and Danaë knelt beside Holden's body, tears streaming down their faces. Snow approached Amber, nudging her hand with its little head.

"It... It's not your fault, Snow. You... You helped find everyone... We were just a step too late for Holden..." Amber whispered in a broken voice, her trembling hand resting on Snow's fur.

The team members looked at Holden's corpse with their heads down. No one said a word. All they could do was let the emotions of the moment overwhelm them.

'If I hadn't stopped to cultivate in the lake, I could have found him before he died...' Kieran fixed Holden while gritting his teeth. He thought about the choice he had made to cultivate rather than search for his companions, and a feeling of remorse flowed over him.

He felt like he wanted to scream with all his might as his mind seemed to want to torture him in this situation and began to replay scenes from his nightmares in which "she" died over and over.

'If a simple choice can affect the life and death of someone I barely know. How can I save her if all these visions tell me she's going to die?'
Kieran's mind was in turmoil, and a feeling of despair slowly engulfed him from the depths of his being. He no longer paid attention to what was happening around him until a dark, sorrowful voice was heard, rousing him and the others from their thoughts.

"We need to retrieve his body and leave this place as soon as possible. The guild will notify his family and offer them a certain amount of nova credits for their loss," Gaheris said with his head bowed and his fists clenched.

The rest of the team nodded silently. The atmosphere around them was heavy, but they had come with a mission to accomplish. Alexei moved towards the corpse of the Mutated Ice Cloud Lion, searching its body for several minutes before a change appeared in its dark expression.

It was light, barely discernible. He didn't know the right attitude to adopt in this situation. He pulled his bloodied hands out of the lion's corpse with a crystal that seemed to contain a universe held within it.

The rest of the team stared at the soul crystal in his hands, but none of them had the heart to rejoice. Remorse once again attacked Kieran when he remembered that everything could have ended sooner if he had wanted to get a soul crystal from the first Ice Cloud Lion they had killed.

"Let's go."

Following Alexei, the group began looking for an exit through the tunnels. Two days later, the group finally saw sunlight gently illuminating the path ahead.

As they emerged from the ice tunnels, a breath of fresh air greeted them, washing away the suffocating atmosphere that had permeated the underground tunnels.

It didn't take long for the group to finally return to the snowy plains entrance and cross the spatial vortex, bringing them back to Ozryn.