Nacht didn't want to kill the sinner. Even if he did, he wasn't confident he could. An enlightened was still an enlightened, and judging from her clash with the abstract, she was an experienced one too.
On the other hand, Nacht had never swung a sword before, let alone a relic. There were other reasons for why Nacht didn't want to kill the sinner as well. He didn't know how it would affect his chances of leaving penance and he wasn't sure if he had the will to physically kill another human being.
Well, the sinner was already dead, or had already died, but she was still living in penance so maybe she was still alive? Nevertheless, Nacht didn't want to kill the sinner. He just wanted to injure her enough for the abstract to finish the job.
The sinner eventually slowed down to catch her breath. When she did, Nacht swung his saber— albeit poorly—aiming to sever the sinner's leg at the knee. The ground shook and Nacht stumbled slightly before realizing his attack had been blocked.
The woman whispered with a sneer.
"Found you."
Nacht's eyes widened as he found his wrist held in a crushing grip, causing him to drop his weapon.
As much as he benefited from floors terrain due to his abilities, so did the other sinner. In hindsight, it probably wasn't a very good idea to sneak up on someone with a rune that could control certain parts of the forest. However, eliminating this sinner was still his best bet.
Nacht felt the trees move behind him as if something terrifying was coming his way. He couldn't dodge since he was still in the sinner's crushing grip, instead he lunged forward. He tackled the sinner to the floor causing him to gasp in pain as sharp thorns dug into his body.
Nacht gritted his teeth and shouted.
"Over here!"
His shout echoed throughout the quiet forest causing everyone and everything to hear his call. Nacht was suddenly thrown across the ground as the sinner freed herself from him.
Instead of continuing in her pursuit to take his life, she began to retreat, and rightfully so considering what was coming.
Nacht quickly made it to his feat and froze.
'It's already here.'
The forest shuddered and after a few moments, Nacht heard the screams of a dying man in the distance.
Nacht made it to his feat and mentally exhaled in relief. His job was nearly finished, then it would all be up to Alister. Making it to his feet, Nacht began to slowly move away from the abstract's location, cautiously widening the distance between them. Now all he had to do was—
Snap!
The sound of a broken tree branch echoed from beneath his feat.
'Shit.'
He instantly took off. The abstract would be here in any moment. Now that it had heard him, he wouldn't be able to hide from it. Thankfully, he didn't need to run far.
Up ahead, the luminous glow of light penetrated the opaque array of black like a guiding light through the silent forest. It was the entrance to the underground that the abstract had made only moments ago, and now it was barely within Nacht's sight.
It was going to be close!
'Just a little more!'
Nacht was exhausted, he didn't think he had ever run this hard in his life! Behind him was a terrifying monster that was closing the distance between them at an alarming speed. His pace, which was just barely keeping him alive, was beginning to slow down.
He now wished he would have exercised more often in the slums of District Nine, but then again it wasn't like he had the nutritional means to support such a lifestyle. Anyway, Nacht couldn't see the abstract. Even so, he knew it was on his trail.
The abstract seemed to be ignoring the trees as if they didn't exist which meant that he could hear exactly the speed at which it was gaining on him. Under normal circumstances, it's careless pathing should be slowing it down, but the abstracts are anything but normal.
'Run faster dammit!'
Nacht gritted his teeth and persisted until he glimpsed a shallow light beyond the myriad of trees and darkness. Letting out a nervous smile and shallow breaths, he quickened his strides.
It was taking all of his will power not to turn around.
He was afraid that once he did he might slow down, trip over a rock, or even worse… freeze in fear. He had no doubt that at any moment his legs might give out. His knees were beginning to feel weak and his hands were clenched so tight his knuckles were beginning to turn pale.
For a moment, as the light began to brighten, he felt a tiny glimmer of hope. Suddenly, a loud shriek rang through the forest, causing him to fall to his knees and begin to claw at his ears.
"Ahh!"
The noise was so disorienting that he began to shudder in pain.
'Since when can this thing use sonic blasts?'
Nacht knew that the abstract used sound to compensate for its lack of sight. So it wasn't that surprising it could use it as a weapon as well.
Turning around, he could see the hideous form of the abstract. Since it was much closer this time he got a better look at the creature. Although it looked human in form, it wasn't actually human. Its body was hairless and its skin was a pale grey. It looked similar to the hairless cats he used to see in the slums of District Nine.
However, he didn't have much time to think about how the abstract looked. He was currently fighting back against the feeling of his ear drums exploding and the dread that was slowly taking root in the pit of his stomach.
Now that he slowed down, the abstract had slowed down as well. Unlike the two sinners it had gone up against before, Nacht had traits that were capable of hiding his position albeit to a limited degree. Still, it didn't seem to be enough even under the cover of darkness.
Nacht closed his eyes.
If he still believed in the gods he would've started praying, but it seems he wouldn't need to put his faith in the gods today.
The ground that Nacht was standing on began to shudder and shake. The abstract stilled and tilted its head.
'About damn time.'