Chapter 110: Five Minutes to Hell

Under normal circumstances, reaching the training facility from the D’Aubigné mansion required a leisurely five-minute walk through the eastern gardens.

Frey had made that journey countless times, sometimes accompanied by his father.

Tonight, however, those five minutes might as well have been an eternity.

Six masked Awakeners stood along the pathway ahead, their weapons already drawn. Behind Frey, the mansion continued burning, while distant explosions illuminated the night sky.

The estate’s security personnel had either been overwhelmed or forced into defensive positions, leaving the family surrounded by enemies whose numbers remained unknown.

Frey tightened his jaw as he examined the attackers. Their movements were disciplined, and none appeared particularly concerned about the destruction surrounding them. Whoever had sent these bastards had clearly prepared for this attack.

"Dad, take Mom and the twins behind those stone pillars," Frey instructed, gesturing toward the decorative structures bordering the garden. "When I tell you to run, don’t stop for anything. I don’t care what happens behind you."

Laurent immediately pulled Celeste and the children toward the indicated cover, although his expression betrayed his reluctance. "Frey, you’re not staying behind to fight them alone. We can find another route through the gardens."

"We don’t have time," Frey replied, watching two attackers begin advancing. "They’ve already surrounded the house. If we start wandering around looking for another exit, we’ll end up running into even more of them."

One of the masked figures raised a sword, its blade becoming enveloped in Mana. Without warning, he lunged toward Frey while another attacker circled toward the pillars where his family had taken shelter.

Frey reacted immediately.

"Vritra’s Coil!" he shouted, thrusting his right hand forward.

Several enormous serpentine coils of dark Mana erupted around him. One intercepted the incoming sword, while another swept across the pathway and wrapped around the second attacker’s waist. Frey twisted his arm, sending the restrained Awakener crashing into a nearby stone pillar before he could reach Laurent.

The remaining enemies moved simultaneously.

A barrage of Mana projectiles tore through the garden, smashing decorative statues and uprooting flowers. Frey spread his coils into a protective barrier, intercepting the attacks before they could reach his family. Each impact sent painful vibrations through his body, but the defensive technique held.

At the same time, his Calamity Reservoir began accumulating the compatible energy absorbed through those impacts.

Frey grinned despite the circumstances.

"Seriously? Six against one?" he taunted, tightening his grip on the restrained attacker. "You assholes must have heard how handsome I am and decided to eliminate the competition."

None of the masked Awakeners responded.

Instead, three charged him together.

Frey released a controlled portion of the energy stored within his Calamity Reservoir.

"Calamity Release!"

A violent burst of Mana erupted from his coils, striking the approaching enemies and throwing them backward. Two crashed into the garden walls, while the third rolled across the pathway before scrambling upright.

Frey immediately turned toward his family.

"Now! Move!" he shouted, extending a protective coil around Celeste and the twins.

Laurent seized his wife’s hand and hurried forward, pulling Lucien along while Amélie remained close behind. Frey followed several steps behind them, using his remaining coils to prevent the attackers from approaching.

They had barely covered fifty meters when another explosion erupted near the garden’s northern wall.

A section of masonry collapsed across the pathway, forcing the family to change direction. Three more masked figures emerged through the smoke, one carrying a spear while the others wielded curved blades.

"Frey!" Celeste cried, stumbling backward as the spear-wielding Awakener charged toward them.

Frey intercepted the weapon with a coil, but another attacker immediately struck from his blind side.

A heavy blow slammed into his left arm.

CRACK!

Agonizing pain shot through his shoulder as the bone fractured. Frey staggered, barely managing to maintain his footing while his injured arm hung uselessly beside him.

"Frey!" Laurent shouted, his face draining of color.

"I’m fine, Dad!" Frey lied through clenched teeth, forcing more Mana into his Divine Rune. "Keep moving! Don’t you dare stop!"

He caught the attacker responsible for his injury with two coils and hurled him into the spear-wielding Awakener. Both men crashed through a decorative hedge, giving Frey enough time to push his family toward another pathway.

His left arm was broken.

He knew that much immediately.

Every movement sent fresh waves of pain through his shoulder, and controlling Vritra’s Coil was becoming increasingly difficult. Nevertheless, he couldn’t afford to slow down.

His family was still exposed.

Amélie was crying now, although she desperately attempted to conceal it. Lucien had gone unusually quiet, his earlier excitement about Awakeners replaced by genuine terror. Celeste kept looking back toward Frey, while Laurent struggled to maintain a steady pace.

Frey hated seeing them like this.

These people had never asked to become involved in an Awakener battle. His parents were ordinary humans who had worked tirelessly to provide their children with comfortable lives, and his younger siblings had barely begun experiencing the world.

Yet someone had decided they deserved to die.

The thought filled Frey with fury.

Another masked Awakener appeared above the garden wall, raising both hands as several blades of compressed Mana formed around him.

Frey recognized the danger immediately.

"Get down!" he roared, throwing himself between the attacker and his family.

Vritra’s Coil expanded into a defensive formation just as the blades descended. Most shattered against the protective coils, but one slipped through a narrow opening and struck Frey across the side.

He gasped as the attack tore through his clothing and flesh.

Before he could recover, another masked figure rushed forward and drove a powerful kick into his ribs.

Several bones cracked beneath the impact.

Frey stumbled backward, coughing violently as pain exploded through his chest. The attacker attempted to follow with another strike, but a serpentine coil wrapped around his ankle and dragged him off his feet.

"Get... the fuck... away from them!" Frey snarled, releasing another controlled burst of stored energy.

The resulting shockwave hurled the attacker across the garden, smashing him into a tree with enough force to split its trunk.

Frey nearly collapsed afterward.

His Calamity Reservoir had provided the energy necessary for those releases, but repeatedly absorbing attacks and maintaining multiple defensive coils was exhausting his Mana reserves. His broken arm throbbed relentlessly, and every breath sent stabbing pain through his fractured ribs.

Nevertheless, the training facility was finally visible.

Beyond the eastern gardens stood a large reinforced building surrounded by thick walls. Laurent had constructed it specifically so Frey could practice dangerous abilities without damaging the mansion. Its defenses were considerably stronger than those protecting the estate’s residential buildings.

They were close.

So damn close.

"There’s the entrance!" Laurent shouted, pointing toward the facility’s main doors. "Frey, another hundred meters!"

Frey forced a grin onto his bloodied face. "See, Dad? Told you that ridiculously expensive training facility would come in handy someday. You can thank me later for convincing you to build it."

Laurent didn’t laugh, instead, his expression twisted with anguish as he looked at his son’s injuries.

"Just stay alive," Laurent pleaded, tightening his grip on Celeste’s hand. "That’s all I’m asking you to do."

Frey wanted to reassure him, unfortunately, another group of masked Awakeners emerged from the trees before he could answer.

One of them raised a hand, and a concentrated spear of Mana shot toward Amélie.

Frey moved without thinking. He shoved his sister aside with a protective coil, placing himself directly in the attack’s path. He attempted to intercept the spear with another coil, but his exhausted defenses failed to stop it completely.

The attack pierced his chest, dor an instant, Frey felt nothing, then unbearable pain erupted beneath his ribs.

The Mana spear had punctured one of his lungs.

He staggered, choking as blood surged into his mouth. Breathing suddenly became a struggle, and every attempt to draw air into his chest produced a horrible, wet sensation.

"Frey!" Amélie screamed, reaching toward him.

Frey caught himself before falling. His vision blurred, but he could still see the masked Awakeners advancing toward his family.

Not yet.

He couldn’t fall yet.

With trembling determination, Frey gathered the remaining compatible energy within his Calamity Reservoir and directed it through the coils surrounding him.

"CALAMITY RELEASE!"

A powerful shockwave erupted across the pathway, tearing through the nearby vegetation and sending the attackers flying. The blast cleared a temporary passage toward the training facility.

Frey immediately wrapped protective coils around his family.

"Run!" he shouted, blood spilling from his lips. "Everyone inside! Now!"

Laurent practically dragged Celeste and the twins toward the entrance while Frey staggered behind them, using his remaining coils to intercept attacks from the pursuing Awakeners.

The facility’s security system recognized Laurent as he approached, and the enormous reinforced doors began opening.

"Inside!" Laurent shouted, pushing Lucien and Amélie through the entrance before helping Celeste across the threshold.

Frey followed, barely remaining upright.

A final Mana projectile struck his protective coils, nearly knocking him unconscious. He stumbled through the doorway, reached the emergency control panel, and slammed his bloodied palm against the activation switch.

Immediately, warning lights flashed throughout the entrance hall.

[Emergency Defense Protocol Activated.]

[External Security Systems Engaged.]

[Facility Lockdown Initiated.]

Outside, the masked Awakeners rushed toward the entrance, but they were too late.

The enormous reinforced doors began closing.

Frey watched the narrowing gap with blood dripping from his mouth, his vision darkening as his exhausted Divine Rune finally faded.

Then the doors slammed shut with a thunderous metallic crash.

The facility’s defensive systems activated, sealing his family safely inside.

Frey managed one final, relieved smile before his legs gave way.

He collapsed onto the floor, clutching his wounded chest as he struggled desperately to breathe.