The Bond That Even Gods Cannot Break

The incessant buzz of the bees couldn't drown out the screams of the two girls.

"Shit, shit, shit!!"

"How can they be so big? Does this defy the natural order?!"

Melissa and Sophia ran for their lives as the fluorescent green bees chased them. The quantity was too frightening to count, and as they ran, they only attracted more attention.

The forest terrain was partially uneven, hindering the less physically capable Sophia. When the realization that their escape would cost them their lives, her legs weakened, and she stumbled.

"?!" Almost falling to the ground, Sophia exclaimed in doubt and surprise when she realized that she was now being carried like a princess by Melissa.

"Hold on, Snow Curls, we can't stop or we'll die." The reliable and partially frightened voice came from Melissa.

"T-Thank you..." Sophia murmured, wrapping her arms around Melissa's neck.

Carrying another person while running should have made Melissa's pace slower, but surprisingly, Sophia was as light as a feather.

"Save the thanks for later; I need your brain now. What should we do?"

While saying this, Melissa dodged the four stingers of a bee that dove towards her. By dodging for a fraction of a second, she managed to escape only by being pushed to the side. As Melissa backed away, she could still see the bee stuck on the ground, its huge stingers sinking dozens of centimeters into the ground.

[Moss Bee]

Sophia's gaze went to the red small panel above the bee stuck in the ground. Apparently, the system was naming their opponents. Another thing also caught Sophia's attention.

"We lost 10 HP!" Even a push from the bee cost the girls 10% of their lives.

Melissa didn't need confirmation from Sophia; her left arm that was hit was throbbing heavily.

Sophia couldn't succumb to despair; her brain spun as she thought of a plan for survival. She surveyed the entire environment and then spoke.

"Running and fighting are impossible; we need to hide."

"Alright, where?" Melissa asked, her voice increasingly drowned out by their heavy breaths.

While they thought, a warning rang in both of their minds, and a notification appeared, floating in their vision.

[Couple's Fortitude has been activated; select the attribute to be increased]

Looking at the warning, Sophia remembered the skill description; a one-minute hug was required. Looking at her position in Melissa's arms and how she had her free arm around the girl's neck, she realized this must have been considered a hug.

Without even waiting for Melissa's confirmation, Sophia wished for an increase in the agility attribute.

"Hey! What's this?!" Melissa exclaimed as her speed increased significantly. "This is amazing!" She shouted with enthusiasm like a child when she realized she was running faster than before.

"I allocated the points to agility; it will give us some room to run, but it won't make escape possible."

Three more bees threw themselves at the girls, but this time Melissa managed to dodge without being hit.

"Holy cow, this is incredible!"

Without wasting time, Melissa continued to run. After a few more seconds analyzing the terrain, Sophia had a plan. Conveying her instructions to Melissa, she could see the girl frowning and releasing an exasperated sigh. However, it was brief before she flashed a confident smile at the girl's idea.

Trusting Melissa to buy some time, Sophia closed her eyes and focused all her attention on her ears. She detached herself from everything around her in search of something.

Melissa could observe the girl's concentration for just a moment before being forced to throw herself to the side and avoid a deadly blow. Internally cursing the numerical disadvantage, she continued running to follow the girl's orders.

After continuing to flee and receiving more hits in the process, Melissa began to groan in pain. Constantly taking attacks from all sides was not pleasant. Moreover, she was using her entire body as a shield so that the girl in her arms wouldn't get hurt.

More than five minutes had passed, and the skill's effect was about to disappear. However, as they were still embraced, it was possible to reuse the skill. So, still with closed eyes, Sophia instantly selected the agility increase again.

"S-Still nothing?" Merissa murmured; exhaustion no longer disguised in her voice.

When she received no response, she became even more desperate, but easing her doubts, Sophia finally opened her eyes and pointed to the left.

"There, run in that direction."

Finally having their destination set, she began to run with determination. The HP of both girls was now at 70 points. Sophia noticed how blood was dripping from Melissa's face and arm and quickly used the cloth in her pocket to clean it. A look of despair in her blue eyes.

"Are you okay? Are you in pain?"

"Cut the concern for now, Snow Curls. Where to now?"

Observing the ground desperately, Sophia searched for something. Now everything would depend on luck.

"There!"

Looking at the same spot as Sophia, Melissa smiled like a beast.

The fluorescent bees that were a few meters behind noticed how suddenly their targets disappeared and became confused.

Exploring the last place they saw them, a small hole leading to the lower floor was found. Although hungry predators, the bees preferred not to continue a chase in a confined space and left.

Now, in the vertical crack leading to the lower floor, two girls were plummeting. The fall, which should have been deadly, was about ten meters, only not claiming the lives of both because they ended up hitting a liquid surface.

"A-Argh!" Sophia choked on the water that quickly entered her airways.

Her risky plan consisted of trying to listen for the presence of the water table at the bottom of the forest. Nothing in the irregular forest topography pointed to the presence of a river, so the girl imagined that the only water source for the trees in a place where it didn't rain was from underground.

After managing to pick up the sound of the water flow with her keen hearing, the girl only needed to guide them to where the sound was strongest. As the cave was filled with fissures, she hoped there was one large enough to allow their entry.

Now in the small underground water lake, Sophia tried to find a dry spot for them to go. Her gaze rested on the small clearing further south of where they were, and her eyes brightened.

"We did it, Ms. Cosmos! Let's go there!"

However, when she turned to her companion, she immediately paled. Floating in the water was an unconscious girl bleeding profusely from her arms and legs.