Villain With The Strongest System

"There might be a way," Kronos said, pointing to a cluster of palm trees that seemed to be growing near the edge of the golem's back.

"If we can get to those trees and use them to climb down, we might be able to safely get off," he suggested, however, as Rocky assessed the speed of the walking golem and how carefully the team would have to follow through with Kronos's plan to deboard safely, he realized that it would be already too late to complete the mission, if they followed his plan.

"No we will be too slow if we deboard the golem that way…, I have another idea, but it may end up going horribly…." Rocky said, as he recalled that he had one teleportation talisman that he had purchased from the system, however, there was no guarantee on how that teleportation talisman worked.

According to the item's description it teleported the user 200 meters randomly from their current location, however, there was no saying as to where it would end up teleporting them.

Depending on their luck the team could either be teleported safely to the ground, or suffer a terrible fall from a considerable height, however, it was a gamble that Rocky was willing to take, considering how they had little time to waste.

"Everyone cling on-to me!" Rocky instructed, as through wobbly steps the entire team clung on-to Rocky tight, as he activated the teleportation talisman.

*Crush*

Crushing the talisman token, Rocky immediately felt a sudden surge of energy around him as the teleportation talisman activated.

In an instant, the world around them blurred, and before they knew it, the team were no longer on the golem's back.

Instead, they found themselves high up in the sky, surrounded by nothing but open air, as the team's collective breath got caught in their throats as they realized that they were free-falling, plummeting towards the ground at a terrifying speed.

"W-We're falling!" Erin's voice cracked with panic as he clung to Rocky, eyes wide with fear.

Buhara's face turned pale, his usual bravado nowhere to be seen, as he said "This is the end for Buhara…. It was such a short life–!"

Of all the team members, he was the only one who seemed to have outright given up on surviving and had simply accepted his fate.

Kronos gritted his teeth, his hand instinctively reaching for his sword, but there was nothing he could do in this situation. The ground was rushing up to meet them, and they had mere seconds to act.

Rocky, however, remained calm. His mind raced as he calculated the best course of action for their survival.

They had only 15 seconds before impact, but that was enough time for him to issue emergency instructions.

"Listen up!" Rocky shouted over the rush of wind.

"Buhara, I need you to cast a dozen fireball spells towards the ground, one after the other! Full power! Kronos, unleash your most powerful sword strike to help slow us down! Erin, get ready to cast a protective barrier just before we hit the ground!" Rocky said, as he came up with the best plan that he could, off-top of his head to help them survive.

It wasn't perfect, but the team did not have time to argue or hesitate with him, as Buhara, still shaking, nodded and began chanting under his breath, summoning his magic.

Flames gathered in his hands, and with a determined grunt, he started hurling fireballs towards the earth below, one after the other.

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

The blasts of fire struck the ground with explosive force, creating shockwaves that pushed back against their fall, slightly reducing their speed.

Kronos, also timing his move perfectly, unsheathed his sword and swung it downward with all his might, as a powerful energy wave shot from the blade, slamming into the ground and creating a massive crater, further slowing their descent.

"Now, Erin!" Rocky yelled, holding everyone tightly as the ground loomed ever closer as Erin with his hands trembling channeled his magic, and at the last possible moment, cast a protective barrier around them, just as they were about to hit the ground.

*CRASH*

The barrier cushioned their fall, absorbing much of the impact but not all of it as the team crashed into the earth with a bone-rattling thud, the protective barrier shattering upon impact.

The force of the landing sent shockwaves of pain through their bodies, and the world seemed to spin around them.

Rocky especially felt the ground beneath him give way as they skidded to a halt, his arms still wrapped around his team, as apart from the fall damage, he also took some additional frictional damage too.

For a moment, everything was silent. Then, the groans of pain began.

Rocky slowly pushed himself up, wincing as he realized he had a broken arm.

Buhara, who was lying nearby, clutched his leg, which was bent at an unnatural angle, while Kronos struggled to sit up, clearly in pain, but not worried at all as he knew he would heal rather quickly.

The one who was in the worst shape was undoubtedly Erin, who remained gasping for breath, cradling his ribs, as he seemed to have suffered severe injuries in his spine and ribcage.

However, despite the pain and the injuries they had sustained, they were alive, which in itself was a cause for celebration.

Rocky took a deep breath, forcing himself to his feet despite the searing pain in his arm. "We made it," he said, his voice hoarse but steady. "Everyone's alive. That's what matters."

Buhara grunted in agreement, though his face was contorted with pain. "Buhara… is glad… to be alive."

Kronos nodded, though he winced as he tried to move. "We're not out of the woods yet. But… we did it."

Erin, still clutching his ribs, managed an incomprehensible mumble, which sounded something close to a curse

Rocky looked around at his team, battered but alive, and allowed himself a moment of relief. They had survived….. barely, but survived.

"Rest up for a minute—" he said, as he himself turned towards the sky and bent down on his knees to pray.

For the second time in this mission, he felt like it was the Gemini Gods who had intervened to save his life and hence for the second time around Rocky prayed to them faithfully, thanking them for their grace.

Their destination was only an hour and a few minutes away, and despite their battered conditions, after resting briefly, Rocky did believe that they would be able to make it alive and in-time to receive the best grades.

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