An Aura Farmer's Guide to Another World-Chapter 25: Betrayal or Cowardice?

'Shrieeeeek!'

The monster let out a scream and fixed its menacing gaze upon us. Evelyn stood five meters ahead of me, with the creature positioned just three meters from her.

The Tuskwinger lashed its serpent tail to the left, fracturing the stone floor. It then struck to the right, sending vibrations through the stone floor.

I stood and picked up my sword that had fallen when I crash-landed. I pointed its tip at the monster, bracing myself for its next wave of attacks.

Suddenly, the elephant-sized monster leaped into the air with the agility of a fox and descended toward Evelyn.

Evel executed a sequence of backflips, skillfully avoiding the attack.

The creature lunged once more, descending directly above my head with its colossal feet ready to shatter my skull.

Desperately, I jumped sideways and twisted mid-air, angling my body, shoulder first, toward the dirt.

The instant I made contact, my momentum carried me forward, my body coiling like a spring, absorbing the impact before snapping into a roll.

'Bang!'

The floor fractured and splintered as if an asteroid had plunged directly into it.

I rose to my feet and dashed aimlessly, but the monster relentlessly pursued me; it soared into the evening sky and descended with a thunderous impact above my head.

Seconds before impact, Evelyn threw the weighted end of her Kusarigama, the iron ball slammed into my left rib and flung me away, narrowly saving me from the descending creature.

My body collided with a nearby pillar, and blood spilled from my mouth in a harsh cough. I pressed my palm against my chest, my lungs labored as I struggled to draw a breath.

The monster glanced toward Evelyn, who stood several meters away from me, her hands firmly gripping the chains of her Kusarigama.

I gritted my teeth; the pain in my chest was causing my body to quiver.

'This situation feels hopeless; just as depicted in the memory fragment I obtained, defeating the Tuskwinger seems impossible.'

The boss undergoes three distinct phases, with its attack patterns changing in each phase. This is the second phase, and even if we manage to survive, the third phase is guaranteed to result in our defeat.

'BAM!'

The creature landed forcefully near Evelyn, and she narrowly dodged the attack. It then lashed its serpent tail toward her, opening its mouth to reveal sharp fangs. The fangs lunged at Evelyn, but she deflected them skillfully with her sickle.

However, the immense force exerted by the snake's head propelled her through the air, causing her to collide with a stone pillar.

Before Evelyn could rise, the serpent recoiled, its forked tongue flicking as venom gathered within its fangs. It expelled a stream of fluid, the liquid slicing the air directly toward Evelyn's chest.

As venom splattered across Evelyn's body, the monster severed its tail. The serpent tail transformed into a stand-alone snake and zig-zagged toward Evelyn.

I watched in terror as the serpent coiled around Evelyn, entwining itself with the stone pillar and trapping her between its body and the cold stone.

Evelyn wielded the sharp edge of her sickle, slicing through the serpent's thick hide. Rather than retaliating with a scream or deploying its fangs in an attack, the serpent pulled its head away, as though aware that its head was the most vulnerable spot.

'Evelyn is in trouble; I must assist her immediately.'

I stepped back cautiously, tightening my grip on the katana.

'She will if I fail to intervene.'

I took another step back, watching as the monster prepared to leap and bring its enormous elephant foot down upon Evelyn.

'This should be straightforward; I risked my life to rescue Lucy from the knight, so I should be capable of doing the same for Evelyn.'

At that moment, my legs trembled as though composed of writhing worms. Sweat dripped from my clenched fist, cascading down to the hilt of my sword.

According to the memory fragment, regardless of the choice I make, I am destined to fail the quest. This implies that even if I attempt to rescue Evelyn, the likelihood of both of us dying is significantly high.

A faint, awkward smile crossed my lips as I laughed at the cowardice in my soul.

'If it is certain that the monster will kill us both, the right course of action is to flee; there is no justification for senseless sacrifice.'

My feet grew cold as I looked at Evelyn. She was desperately stabbing the serpent that held her captive against the pillar.

A voice tugged at my heart, reminding me Evelyn had saved my life just a moment ago and that the very least I could do was to repay that debt. However, the cowardice within me prevailed, the lazy, gutless piss of shit emerged victorious.

My legs propelled me toward the setting sun, heading for the sixth sector—the final section of Devil's Island.

My gaze snapped back to the monster, already soaring meters high, its colossal foot poised to crush Evelyn.

"I'm sorry," I said, a single tear tracing a path down my cheek.