Chapter 573: Arrow of the Night

"Keeping it at bay this much is like holding pee: it just increases the chances of you peeing yourself as time passes, the pressure building until it becomes unbearable. Telling me to release some of the power is telling me to pee a little when my bladder is about to burst, a risky gamble that could backfire catastrophically. I might let it all out, lose control entirely, and it'd be bye-bye Thaad, the city and everyone in it."

Heka watched the beautiful man beside her, her vibrant brown eyes tracing the lines of his face in the soft moonlight.

Benjamin's breathing came hard and labored, each inhale catching slightly in his chest, his lungs working overtime to draw in the cool night air.

He twisted one arm across his body in a slow, tired motion, trying to ease the residual strain that had settled deep into his muscles, his fingers pressing into his own shoulder with ineffective pressure.

His eyes were heavy-lidded and drooping with exhaustion.

Heka stepped closer and pressed a soft kiss to his skin, her lips warm and gentle against his face.

At the same time she slipped an arm around him from the side, drawing him into a brief, warm embrace against her body, her form pressing against his in a gesture of comfort and affection.

"Huh? What are you doing out of nowhere? You horny?" Benjamin glanced sideways at her, the question coming with a tired half-smile, his voice tinged with weary amusement.

She pulled back just far enough to face him properly, her arms still resting lightly on his shoulders.

A light night breeze moved through her medium-length blonde hair, lifting a few strands across her cheek and shoulder, the golden locks dancing in the gentle wind.

"Whatever you become, Benjamin, no matter how powerful or distant, you must know we shall love you. Now and forever, without condition or end. You are the best thing to have ever happened to us… to me." Her voice stayed steady and sincere, with a sense of emotion that cut through the stillness of the night. "Keep fighting. But please never forget we love you more than you can imagine, more than words can express."

A flush of heat rose across Benjamin's cheeks, warmth spreading across his skin even while the rest of his face remained marked by exhaustion.

"What is it with the sudden sentiment? I love you guys more than you love me, that is the simple truth of it."

Heka's expression brightened, her face lighting up with a warm smile.

She chirped the next words with a light, almost girlish giggle, her voice carrying a note of playful challenge:

"That is just in your head, Benjamin! Our love combined surpasses yours in leaps and bounds, by a margin you cannot even comprehend!"

"Yeah, keep dreaming," Benjamin sighed again, his breath leaving him in a long exhale, already imagining the relief of collapsing onto a bed the moment one became available, his body aching for rest. "My love is like a universe, vast and infinite. It has no end, and it keeps growing every day, expanding with each passing moment. I don't even wish for you guys to have such a level of love. It's heavy."

Heka's smile turned a little sad, her eyes softening with melancholy.

She lifted one hand and patted his head gently, fingers moving through his hair in a soothing, maternal gesture.

"Do not say such sad and lonely things… ?!"

THWACK!

The sound was sharp and sudden, cutting through the quiet of the night like a whip crack.

Heka's body reacted before conscious thought fully formed, her instincts taking over in an instant.

She spun hard toward her back, her body pivoting with speed, arm snapping out with precise accuracy, and closed her fingers around a thin shaft that had been flying straight toward Benjamin's spine.

The arrow stopped dead in her grip, her fingers locked around the wooden stick, the fletching still trembling from the abrupt halt, the feathers quivering with residual energy.

Benjamin continued walking a few steps before noticing the sudden lack of her footsteps beside him.

He turned back and saw her standing there with a slender stick held firmly in one hand, her posture alert and tense.

"Hm? Where did you get that? A random piece of wood?" he asked, stretching his back with a slow roll of his shoulders, his joints cracking softly. "Was it because of what I said? Are you trying to play with sticks now? You better grow up, Heka."

"Huh?! No, no, no, not at all!" Heka waved her free hand in quick denial, her expression earnest and urgent. "This arrow was coming straight at you just now, flying through the air with deadly intent. I grabbed it before it would land."

Benjamin narrowed his eyes, his fatigue momentarily forgotten, and expanded his perception outward in a controlled pulse, his senses reaching across the night.

He covered a full two-hundred-meter radius around them, his awareness sweeping through the streets and alleys. The night streets, the quiet houses, the distant lanterns—everything registered in clear detail in his mind's eye.

No suspicious figures, no lingering traces of movement that stood out as hostile, and no hidden assailants lurking in the shadows.

"I didn't see anyone suspicious, though... No presence around felt like a threat," he said, still scanning the surrounding shadows, his eyes darting from corner to corner. "You sure you didn't just pick that up off the ground, but are embarrassed to be seen as a brat playing with sticks?"

"Of course not?! Why would I lie about something so serious?" Heka's tone sharpened like an offended cat, her voice rising with indignation.

Then her expression shifted as she examined the arrow more closely, her eyes narrowing with recognition. "Ah, I smell poison from the tip, a strong, acrid scent that burns the nostrils! With such a strong smell, it could kill a mature Colossal Longneck in minutes!"

Before Benjamin could stop her, Heka touched the poisoned tip with one fingertip, pressing her skin against the deadly substance.

THUD!

Heka's body dropped like a stone, her limbs going limp, collapsing onto the cobblestones with a heavy thud. She hit the ground hard.

Her skin turned a dull, ashen grey within heartbeats, the healthy golden-brown tone draining away in an instant.

Dark veins spread rapidly across every visible surface, branching thick and ugly beneath the surface, a web of corruption spreading across her flesh.

White froth gathered at the corners of her mouth even as a strange, gleeful expression remained on her face, a look of bizarre satisfaction.

"You masochist! You didn't have to go that far and test it on yourself!" Benjamin yelled, his voice rising with frustration, already dropping into a crouch beside her fallen form.

His hand pressed firmly against her torso, his palm flat against her chest. "If it can kill a dinosaur, drop a Colossal Longneck in seconds, what did you expect would happen when you touch it with your bare skin?"

A faint golden light bloomed under his palm and spread outward through her body, a warm radiance that pushed back the darkness.

The grey tone of her skin retreated like a tide going out, the ashen color receding from her limbs and face.

The dark veins shrank and vanished, the corruption dissolving into nothing. Healthy golden-brown color returned in a smooth wave, washing over her form until she looked whole again, restored to her normal state.

Heka sat up slowly, her movements groggy and uncertain, a bright blush coloring her cheeks.

She scratched the back of her head with an awkward little laugh, her eyes avoiding his gaze.

"Ehehe. That was interesting. I nearly died."

"Yay. Congratulations," Benjamin rolled his eyes, his expression one of exasperated disbelief, already pushing himself back to his feet with a grunt of effort.

He started walking again, one hand reaching behind him to give his own back a few slow, ineffective pats in a pitiful attempt at a massage, his fingers pressing against his tired muscles. "And toss that dangerous crap before it kills someone."