I Reincarnated into a Single-celled Organism! - Chapter 235

“Just give up!” a voice cried out from behind us.

I couldn’t help but duck as an attack flew over my head. Although it had no physical appearance, it was some kind of blade constructed from air. That was really dangerous. Without my reflexes and danger sense created from living on the streets, I’d have already been struck.

Of course, the hits couldn’t kill me, but I was only a few steps ahead of my pursuers. Such a strike could slow me down enough for them to catch me. I didn’t want to be forced into such a confrontation, because my only choice then would be to kill my pursuers. Although they were obnoxious, they were Erika’s family. The only reason I was in trouble right now was protecting Erika, and if I went about killing her family to protect her, she might not take it so well.

Even after her family forced her into a coma, she might not wish them harm. Women were difficult like that, and after being stabbed in the back in my previous life, I didn’t need any other reminders that women’s loyalties were fickle. Of course, there was also the matter of the woman in my arms. Without concentrating on healing her, she could still slip away. Even as we ran, she was struggling to maintain consciousness after the wound she had been given by that elder.

So, I could only run, and the Blanche family head and his guards continued to chase after us, their voices echoing through the night as they demanded I give up and face my fate. I could feel the energy of their attacks brushing past me, but they did nothing more than that. It seemed like they were content pursuing me like this, and so I couldn’t help but feel annoyed.

“You can’t escape us forever!” the Blanche family head shouted, his voice laced with a mix of frustration and amusement. “Give up now, and we might show you mercy!”

I grunted in response. There was no way that these paragon families even understood mercy. They took what they wanted and only conceded so far as was necessary to maintain their power.

“I’m getting a sense they are holding back,” I muttered under my breath, my eyes scanning the terrain ahead for any sign of an advantage. “What are they waiting for?”

“You have to give up,” Tiffany responded in a strained voice. “You should only be an evolved, flawless at most. I don’t know what powerful technique you’re using, but they expect your stamina will run out soon. They’re waiting until then to strike.”

My eyes flashed as I looked down at her. “They want me to run out of stamina? They might as well wait a million years.”

Tiffany let out a soft chuckle, despite the situation. “Where have you been? Under a rock? Paragon families are patient. You don’t become the head of a powerful house by acting recklessly. They know their strength, and they suspect yours. They’re biding their time, waiting for the perfect moment. Rather than make risky attacks, they’d rather just wait until you exhaust yourself.”

I considered her words. I realized that she was correct. This was pretty much a fox hunt. They weren’t trying to kill me outright, or they’d be using more powerful attacks. They were trying to keep me terrified and in a state of panic. Once I ran out of energy, they would swoop in and capture both of us.

These guys were not like the gangs I grew up with. Those guys could be dangerous, but they were also lazy. The bigger the scene they created, the more likely they’d get police involved. There was no law enforcement here. Rather, they were the law enforcement, and they weren’t that concerned about collateral damage.

“Honestly, I’m a bit surprised as well.” Tiffany continued to speak. “For you to keep ahead of and dodge the Blanche family, who are the peak of speed attacks, you must have a high rank skill. It must be S class… if not quantum.”

“What? Quantum?”

“Don’t tell me you don’t know what quantum is.” Her eyes raised an eyebrow. “There are two classes of skills, and weapons for that matter. Mortal weapons and skills are ranked F-S class. However, there is a second type known as immortal. Among them, quantum is the lowest level. You then have atomic and then continental.

“Quantum skills… huh…” I muttered the term as I thought.

“N-not that I’ve ever seen any!” She spoke up. “These are not techniques for mortals! There is a rumor that Lord Nikola knows a quantum skill, which is how he defeated the former lord. They say he learned it from a passing emperor, but that’s just rumors. Watch out!”

As if on cue, a blast of energy narrowly missed me, singeing the ground where I had just been standing. I cursed under my breath. I had been focusing on her words. I suspected that the skill I received from the immortal was likely also immortal. They had already been willing to kill me over an S-rank skill. What if they learned it was even higher?

At least, I was starting to understand the world a bit better. I suspected that items and skills were graded along with their evolutionary might. So, F-rank could belong to any mortal. D rank belonged to the evolved. Each level increased the rank until the Lord used the S rank. The division between mortal and immortal seemed to sit between Lord and King. Once you reached King level, weapons exceeded what we called mortal.

“He’s slowing down. Not too much time left,” a man behind me declared.

I growled under my breath before shooting Tiffany a look. “Do you have any ideas?”

Tiffany was silent for a moment, her brow furrowed in concentration. Then, her eyes filled with a moment of hesitation before she nodded to herself as she had come to a decision.

“Head south,” she said, her voice firm with conviction. “If you go where I direct you, there’s a chance we can escape.”

I raised an eyebrow, confused by her sudden change in demeanor. “South? Why south?”

She gave me a mysterious smile. “Just trust me. I have a way to escape, but you need to trust me completely. Can you?”

If she hadn’t already thrown her life with me, I might have had my doubts. However, her life was in my hands. She has already sacrificed herself to protect me, and was now depending on me to carry her away to safety.

“Alright, I’ll trust you.”

Her face turned slightly pink, and she looked away. “I don’t even know your name. However, for some reason, I feel like I can trust you as well. Just run this way. I’ll give you more as we go.”

I nodded and then increased my speed a bit as I changed our course, heading south as she had instructed. The Blanche family continued to pursue us, sending an unrelenting stream of attacks as they followed behind. They seemed to have grown excited, perhaps seeing my change as a last-minute move of desperation.

We continued through the wilderness down an area I was unfamiliar with. Every once in a while, she would redirect me slightly. I used the trees and brush to my advantage, blocking the Blanche attacks. After I tricked them into knocking down a tree that forced them to go around and finally gave the pair of us some breathing room, they stopped with their attacks, focusing instead on following us. Even though I couldn’t see them behind me, I knew they were locked on us completely. I could use my L form switching, but I couldn’t use it on Tiffany, and I had to use it at the right time to allow us to truly escape.

“Faster!” Tiffany urged, her voice tight with tension, and I could feel her hand tightening around my arm. “We’re almost there!”

I poured on an extra burst of speed, my muscles burning with exertion. The landscape blurred around us, a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes as we raced toward our unknown location she was directing. I could feel the Blanche family’s presence behind us, but they were being quiet, almost like they were no longer afraid of losing us.

That’s when we broke through a line of trees, and I found myself standing at the edge of a cliff. Below us, a vast expanse of water stretched out, its surface shimmering under the rising sun. We had been running all through the night. The large body of water was a sight of breathtaking beauty, but I had no time to appreciate it. This was a dead end.

“You need to jump!” Tiffany declared.

“What?”

“Trust me! Jump from the cliff!”

There is nowhere left to go!” I heard a shout from behind, followed by laughter.  “You’re standing before the Great Desolate Lake. No one has ever returned from its waters. Just give up!”

They must have known that we were heading to this dead-end. That’s why they were being silent. Never correct your enemies, or something like that.

“Trust me!” Tiffany clung to me worriedly.

I might have hesitated more if I were someone else, but who was I? I was reincarnated in the water, so why would I fear it? I felt more at home in the water than anywhere else. Just as the Blanche family burst from the trees behind, I leaped off the cliff and into the water below, clinging onto Tiffany as we fell.

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