"Duck!"
There wasn't really anything that happened after Rhys shouted that and everyone but Remy stayed low to the ground. In fact, it was eerily quiet, very much so — and the only one that really made a sound was Remy.
"Guys...?" He first turned to look at Rhys and the others who were crouched on the ground, wondering why they were all there, only to see Rukawa closing his eyes and looking away as their eyes met. Remy then turned to look at the Nymph's Nightmare, only to see it no longer where it was, and the only thing left from its position was a deep, but very small crevice formed by its two-toed feet,
"Where...?"
Remy then turned around, but as he did so, however, he felt himself falling to the ground... well, half of him, at least. His waist down to his legs still managed to remain standing.
"W... what?" And the only thing Remy could really do was look at his lower body as his face hit the ground. His eyes then very slowly landed on the Nymph's Nightmare, which was now actually standing behind their group — its arms which were previously just similar to that of humans, now a pair of blades that seemed like they were two meters long each.
"H..."
Remy wanted to say something, but all that escaped his lips was a short and raspy breath that sang the end of his life. And just like that, Remy, a man who wanted nothing but to help a foreign country survive; traveling thousands of miles away from his family...
...took his last breath. Or so he thought.
"Ghuh...!?" Remy's eyes opened as wide as they could as he sat up before just quickly lifting himself up and standing. He then quickly looked around, only to be right on time to see Ayesha just ripping the Nymph's Nightmare in half; pinning down its waist on the ground and just casually pulling it by its head.
Of course, nothing was really registering in Remy's mind — he was supposed to be dead, after all. He shouldn't be thinking at all, much less even moving.
"How do you feel, Boy?"
"H...huh?" Remy blinked a couple of times; his breath still slurred as he looked at Dr. Raj, who was holding his wrist and checking his pulse.
"Aside from your heart rate being extremely elevated, you're fine," Dr. Raj answered his own question as he let go of Remy's wrist.
"You..." Remy whispered, "...You brought me back from the dead?"
"I am not a god," Dr. Raj smiled and shook his head, "And you were not dead, you were on the brink of death — I merely asked Commander Olga to quickly put your parts together before your life withers away from you and then I healed you."
"You... you saved my life," Remy breathed out as he grabbed Dr. Raj by the shoulders, "Thank you, thank—"
"Do not thank me yet, Boy," Dr. Raj gently pushed Remy away before looking back at the center of the glade — and there...
...10 more Nymph's Nightmares started emerging from the ground.
"It would seem the nymph doesn't want to be disturbed with her sleep," Rukawa grabbed a pen from his bag, "We—"
And before Rukawa even started charging the pens, Rhys suddenly ran toward the emerging Nymph's Nightmares... and just started slicing whatever parts were already exposed with his sharp scalpels.
Dr. Dhani Raj did not really join the fight. As for Sorokin, well —- he also just stood there without joining at all... because he did not need to.
Soon, the Nightmares finally stopped emerging from the ground.
"There's only one left," Rukawa very slowly removed his charge on the pen he was holding as he noticed the last Nymph's Nightmare just running away — not even looking at them anymore as it just ran to the end of the glade, to a part of the base of the Golden Tree where two roots meet.
And without even a care for its own life, it crouched and curled on the ground as if trying to protect something.
"...I assume the nymph's sleeping there?" Rukawa squinted his eyes, "These nymphs — how powerful are they, really? If they are sleeping, and they are capable of summoning creatures that could cut up a Noble in half in the hundreds...
...just how much stronger are they if they're awake?"
Rukawa then looked at Aengela, who was flying toward Rhys's shoulder.
"They have been considered as Threat Level 10 now," Sorokin crossed his arms, "Is that not the reason your country called for our help?"
"...That's true," Rukawa then turned to look at Rhys, who was approaching the remaining Nightmare; pulling it up before just taking off its head, "So, why does it feel like we're the villains here?"
"Because we are," Dr. Raj answered as he also started approaching Rhys — and there, as Rhys dug through the ground, everyone saw a nymph just peacefully sleeping; covered in dirt and thick branches as its bed.
Aengela then quickly leaped from Rhys's shoulder; landing right on top of the sleeping nymph. She then started talking as she tapped the sleeping nymph's forehead several times.
"!!!" A small quake erupted as the nymph opened its eyes only to see humans looking at it.
"S... shit," Remy's eyes also widened at the same time as the colossal Verdant Python started to move ever-so-slightly. But before it could actually start uncoiling itself, Aengela grabbed the nymph's face and started shouting at her — none of them really understood what she was saying, but they knew she was reprimanding the nymph.
And very soon, the nymph turned to look at Rhys.
"My sister says that you and these humans are here to help us..." The nymph then clumsily floated out of the roots and the dirt; her voice, even more high-pitched and child-like than Aengela, "...Is that the truth?"
"Yes," Rhys answered without any hesitation.
"What... is she saying?" Remy looked back and forth between Rhys and the nymph. And it wasn't only him, everyone else was anticipating and waiting for Rhys to say something to them. Especially Rukawa, since he noticed that the nymph was glancing at him from time to time for some reason.
And after what seemed like an entire minute, Rhys finally faced Ayesha and the others.
"Congratulations, Sir," Rhys looked at Rukawa first, "Calypse has agreed to take the monsters back to the Underworld...
...but only after we successfully deal with Orpheus and Eurydice. She will try to open a way straight to them."
"That—"
"And she also asked me to stay here for... insurance."