Chapter 145: All You Need is the Lower Half (2)
"Emergency armor disengage!"
The armor, which had begun forming around my body to reduce its bulk, stopped expanding and locked into place, attaching to the exoskeleton and forming a solid steel plate over my back.
Though it was only a temporary solution, and sand was still seeping through the gaps, it was better than being crushed to death outright.
Rustle… Rustle…
"Calm down. If you scream, we'll both die here."
"What if that's what you intended from the start? Setting all this up deliberately to create this situation…?"
Squirm.
The unexpected problem wasn't Zika—it was my lower half. As I adjusted my posture and put strength into my hips, my erection unintentionally twitched, and that motion was transmitted directly to her lower abdomen.
"Kyaaaah!"
Fortunately, since I was practically face-to-face with her, I was able to stop her from screaming by covering her mouth with mine.
Of course, I wasn't so tactless as to stick my tongue in. I simply pressed my lips against hers to silence her.
"Calm down. If I really wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have let you try escaping."
"....!"
Her massive, tear-filled eye glared at me with resentment. Though I wasn't a bad person, the circumstances kept turning against me, leaving me little choice.
Rumble…
'Luckily, it doesn't seem like the tunnel will collapse further while I hold it together…'
Crack!
As the weight of the sand bore down, part of the armor's joint connections broke, causing my posture to tilt. I saw the terror return to Zika's eye as she realized how precarious our situation was.
Even if she had resigned herself to death, being buried alive in total darkness, crushed under collapsing sand, wasn't how she wanted to go.
"Give me your arm."
At my quiet command, she extended her bound wrists toward me. While bracing myself against the armor plate with my neck, I bit down on the rope tying her hands.
Crunch!
Normally, untying a knot with your teeth would be a ridiculous idea. But with the tunnel so unstable, even small movements could cause a collapse. So, I infused my teeth with mana and simply bit through the rope.
"Now, if you want to survive, you need to move quickly. Your hands are free now, so start digging upward to make space. Once you've created enough room, I'll tilt the armor to let us both escape."
"Why should I? What if I escape alone?"
"If I stop holding this, the tunnel collapses, and we both die. If we stay here, we both die. We need to work together, don't you think?"
After a moment of hesitation, Zika squeezed her eye shut and began moving. She lifted her freed arms and started crawling upward, her hands digging through the sand to make space above her.
'I should at least try not to stare.'
Unfortunately, with her crawling directly above me, her chest was at eye level. Worse, her exposed breasts swayed as she moved her arms to clear the sand.
Huff… Huff…
As she worked, I focused on controlling my breathing, trying to calm my lower half, which was threatening to stir.
'Why does it feel like they're… perking up?'
Whether it was the result of my exhalations or her awareness of her exposed state, her nipples seemed to stiffen slightly. And because of the tight quarters, her hardened nipples brushed against the bridge of my nose as she moved.
'It touched!'
The moment I felt it, a strong sensation shot through my lower body, making it almost unbearable.
'Don't move. If you move now, you'll ruin everything!'
I struggled to keep control of myself, but my lower half refused to listen. To make matters worse, as she crawled upward, her knees and thighs kept brushing against my groin, further fueling the tension.
Rustle…
Fortunately, the collapsed tunnel was relatively small, and the ceiling had only partially caved in. Before long, Zika had cleared enough space to lift herself out. She was now completely free from the sand and began moving forward, away from me.
Turn.
The problem arose when, in her rush to escape, she turned around to crawl on her belly like a caterpillar. As she lifted her hips to push forward, her ass pressed directly against my painfully hard groin.
We both froze.
Neither of us moved a muscle.
If I shifted even slightly, I risked releasing everything I'd been holding back. The sheer force of the mana circulating through me would mix into my ejaculation and spill out uncontrollably. On the other hand, Zika seemed paralyzed by the thought of her ass being "dirtied" if she pulled away abruptly.
It was a true stalemate, a no-win situation for either of us.
"We're running out of time… I don't think I can hold it much longer…"
I didn't specify what I couldn't hold. It wasn't the weight of the collapsing tunnel I was worried about—it was the strength needed to keep my prostate clamped shut that was faltering.
The moment my prostate gave out, mana would mix with my semen, leaving me completely drained and resulting in a collapse. That much was inevitable.
"Hiiik...!"
In the end, Zika felt the weight pressing against her ass and hurriedly clawed at the sand ahead, breaking free of the tight space. Once she managed to create an opening, I lowered myself into the gap to recover the exoskeleton and the armor plates.
"Reinitiate armor!"
I quickly donned the armor and dove into the hole before the sand could fully collapse.
Thud!
The narrow tunnel should have been impassable, but I broke through it with a body slam, forcing my way through. I emerged into a relatively intact section of the tunnel, where Zika lay gasping for breath. Without hesitation, I hoisted her over my shoulder and started running.
"The nearest exit to the surface—where is it?!"
"Why… why should I tell you…?"
But as she saw the tunnel collapse further behind us, she quickly scanned the surroundings and pointed toward an uncollapsed pathway.
"270 degrees!"
"Hang on tight!"
I shifted her onto my back, letting her cling to me, and charged forward. My shoulder plates smashed through the unstable tunnel walls as I pressed onward.
Crash!
'I can feel a breeze.'
There was no light, meaning the exit must have been around a corner or further ahead. Still, the faint sensation of fresh air confirmed that this was the escape route. I continued breaking through the tunnel.
Crash!
Finally, I smashed through the last wall blocking the way and emerged into the open air. Only then did I stop running.
Huff… Huff…
Clunk!
I tossed my sand-filled helmet aside and began disengaging my armor. Meanwhile, Zika slid off my back, keeping her wary eye on me.
She had lost her weapons—or rather, left them behind in the collapsing tunnel—and was now unarmed. Against a normal human, her thick skin and brute strength as a cyclops would have given her an edge. But against a knight capable of wielding mana circuits, the situation was reversed; she had no chance barehanded.
"Disengage armor."
Having worn the armor while buried in sand, the inside was caked with dirt, leaving my body covered in a mixture of sweat and grime.
I tossed a bag toward Zika, who was still eyeing me warily.
"Take out some clothes and put them on. You can't move around like that."
I grabbed my water bottle and started rinsing my face. Sand and sweat had clouded my vision, so I needed to clean up.
Splash… Splash…
"Why did you save me?"
"Huh?"
"You could have escaped on your own if you'd just powered through in your armor. And wasn't I trying to kill you earlier?"
"That's…"
I didn't really have an answer. I'd done what seemed like the best course of action at the time.
"If I'd chosen to save only myself because it was more efficient, that wouldn't make me a knight—it'd make me an asshole."
So, I just said the first thing that came to mind.
"A knight…"
"Most of us would probably say something similar. Sure, we might end up killing each other in a war, but if someone's unarmed and not fighting, you don't want to see them die needlessly. That's just human nature."
After washing the dirt and sweat from my hair, I felt somewhat refreshed. Brushing back my wet bangs and clearing my eyes, I noticed something.
Zika still hadn't taken any clothes out of the bag to put on.
"I didn't tamper with the clothes. You can wear them. If anything, staying half-naked like that is more dangero—"
'Dangerous things are approaching.'
My instincts screamed a warning. Without hesitation, I reattached my armor plates and drew my mana saber. At the same time, I realized that swift, steel-clad figures were approaching from both the front and rear.
'Mana circuit response… glowing blue mana-enhanced weaponry… knights… female knights!'
The female knight charging at me from the front wielded a mana saber with astonishing speed, far surpassing any opponent I'd faced so far.
Slash!
I parried her saber with my own, using the rebound to create some distance. At that moment, I heard the loud roar of thrusters from behind me as another knight appeared.
Thud!
Without even turning, I used the momentum of my movement to deliver a blind backward kick. By sheer luck, my kick connected with the knight approaching from behind, throwing her off balance and forcing her to stumble backward.
But this wasn't the end.
Knights typically operated in squads of four—
Bang!
Sensing an incoming projectile, I dove diagonally to the ground, rolling once to evade. Before the defensive knight could close in and block my movements, I focused on the melee-oriented knight in front of me.
My strategy was simple: Disable the close-combat knight by cutting her wrist. Then, I'd target the commander coordinating the ranged attacks. The high-mobility knight was vulnerable to both offense and defense, so I could defeat her in direct combat. Finally, I'd avoid engaging the defensive knight entirely—buying time against her wasn't worth the effort.
But…
"I surrender."
The margin for error was too slim. A single misstep would lead to fatal consequences, so I opted for the safer route and calmly dropped my mana saber, signaling my surrender.
Clink.
The saber dangled from its strap as I slowly began removing my armor. Seeing my compliance, the melee knight cautiously approached.
Snatch!
She grabbed the saber from my wrist, severed the strap, and confiscated it. Then, she gestured for me to remove my exoskeleton entirely. I obediently stepped forward, taking two paces before stripping off the armor.
"Affiliation."
"Magical Knights' Training Corps. I'm Ban, ma'am."
Once I identified myself, the melee knight opened her helmet, revealing her face.
Her crimson hair was like a blooming rose, her deep eyes reminiscent of fine red wine, and the teardrop mark near her eye added a striking touch to her mature beauty. She extended her hand toward me.
"Cassandra Ellystrian."
With a swift motion, she used that hand to smack me down, subduing me. At the same time, the other female knights closed in, binding both me and Zika.
"I-I'm from an allied race participating in this battle…"
"Considering you led him here, you're likely a traitor. Bind her as well."
It seemed Zika was in trouble.
"I surrendered without resistance. You'll treat me as a prisoner, right?"
"No."
Wait. I hadn't anticipated this.
Cassandra flatly rejected my plea. She approached with a sly grin and tapped my groin.
"Don't worry. Even if things go south, as long as your lower half works, we'll find you useful."
"That statement doesn't exactly put me at ease, you know."