Advent of the Three Calamities

Chapter 297: Queen [3]

It was a common belief that Emotive magic didn’t work on beasts and monsters. That was what we were taught during our first days at the Academy, but… that was actually a half-truth.

For the first years, this was indeed true.

Most first years didn’t have to deal with terror-ranked creatures. The most they’d have to deal with would be high-class Junior-ranked ones.

For that reason, the information was not revealed, but once a beast turned into a Terror-ranked one, its cognitive abilities became much more refined and complex.

The higher ranked the monster the more complex their mind became.

This was something that I learned from Owl-Mighty, and while the Queen didn’t exactly have a consciousness as developed as Owl-Mighty’s, and its emotions were still non-existent, that didn’t mean she couldn’t feel Emotive Magic.

Just as Owl-Mighty could feel them, so could she, and for that reason I didn’t hesitate to use it on her the moment the eye appeared close to me.

“…Do you even understand sadness?”

For a split second, it stopped moving.

I didn’t know how effective my Emotive Magic was on it, and for how long it’d be in that state, but I didn’t waste a single second.

Raising my hand, I pointed my finger in its direction.

Xiu!

A single thread shot forward. The speed at which it moved was incredibly fast, and in a few breaths, it was already right before the eye of the queen.

I held my breath as I watched the thread shoot in its direction.

All sorts of thoughts crossed my mind.

Will it work? Will the eye close?

The thoughts were relentless, eating away at my mind every second.

I only had one shot at this and I had done everything possible to make it work. I even went as far as purposely getting injured to trick it.

It was for that reason that I felt my entire stomach surge up my throat.

I waited with bated breath.

Hoping for the thread to reach the eye, and…

It did.

Spurt!

A familiar black liquid gushed from the eye, spraying in all directions. This liquid was much thicker and darker than the one from the arms I had severed. Swallowing hard, I raised my head and opened my mouth.

The thought of drinking the liquid again repulsed me, but I had no choice.

This was necessary for me.

Soon, the liquid managed to reach my mouth, invading my taste buds with an acrid, and repulsive taste that made me want to puke.

Gulp, gulp!

Despite every part of my mind telling me to throw up the liquid, I forced myself to take it all in and I soon swallowed everything that I could.

“Ukhg…!”

It was a struggle; my stomach churned and I gagged several times, but I had to persist. Just like the blood from the arms, the liquid was crucial for alleviating the poison coursing through my veins, and it did just that. No, in fact… it did more than that.

The cool sensation that I had previously felt in my mana core was even more pronounced, and I could feel something slowly rise from within me.

Owl-Mighty’s words rang in my mind and I looked at all the liquid pooling on the ground. Without hesitation, I took out several vials from my bag and collected the liquid before tossing it into my ring.

‘…If only I could gather more.’

It was a pity that I couldn’t.

I felt myself regain control of my body, the numbing sensation that felt akin to sleep paralysis finally disappearing, helping me feel normal once more.

“Haaa…”

It felt euphoric, and for a brief moment, I almost forgot about everything around me.

But that was only for a brief moment.

Rumble—!

The sudden, terrifying rumbling that engulfed the entire space jolted me out of my daze. I frantically scanned my surroundings, and to my utter horror, I found not one, not two, not three, but more than a dozen eyes—cold, and indifferent—fixed on me.

Squelch, squelch, squelch!

At the sight, I felt my blood run cold, and my scalp tingled with a creeping sense of dread.

‘Time to go.’

I had already gotten what I needed to get.

It was time for me to leave.

“Huup.”

Propping myself up, I immediately dashed for a certain direction. Previously, when I had been monitoring the eye, I kept track of my surroundings. For that reason, I knew exactly where I needed to go.

There were multiple paths that I could take, but I just followed the path back from where I came from.

Swoosh!

Hands erupted from every direction, lunging at me from all sides, while eyes materialized seemingly from thin air, glaring down at me from every direction.

“Kh.

My mind felt as though it was being split into thousands of pieces as the mental attacks started to rain down on me relentlessly, hammering my thoughts continuously but I was able to keep myself focused.

If there was one thing I wasn’t worried about, it was my mental ability.

“Haa… Haa…”

But just because I could deal with it didn’t mean that I could be leisurely about my escape. It only made things harder for me as it took extra time for me to focus, but I eventually did manage to retrace my steps back to the narrow gap that I had come from.

Reaching a certain spot, I finally saw it and my heart skipped a beat.

Clank! Clank—!

Muffled sounds of fighting echoed from behind the hole, and I understood that Leon was trying his best to keep the Wraiths at bay.

I clenched my teeth and picked up the pace.

Meanwhile, hands continued to emerge from every direction, grasping at my ankles from all sides. I fought desperately to evade them, but despite my efforts, they still managed to clutch my ankles, slowing my progress.

“Kh!”

The distance between me and the hole was only one meter.

Feeling the grip of the hands tightening around my feet, I shook them violently and struggled to pry myself free. I used the threads to sever their grasp, but with every hand, I cut away, more seemed to emerge.

The same was true for the eyes, casting their gaze on me from all directions.

It slowed me down further.

Half a meter.

“Huu… huuu!”

It felt as though I was dragging a massive plane behind me with every step, each movement sapping my strength and draining my energy.

“Ukh!”

But I persisted.

Hands relentlessly gripped me from all sides, clutching my shoulders, arms, and head as they tried to pull me back. Despite the overwhelming sensation, I had now grown used to this feeling.

And differently from before, I was no longer poisoned.

I pressed on, my eyes bloodshot and straining as I dragged the hands clawing at me behind. Desperately, I extended my hand toward the hole before my eyes, inching closer with every agonizing step.

It was within arms reach now.

So close… but at the same time, more hands gripped my entire body, slowing me further down.

But I didn’t care.

I pushed my body to its limits.

“Akkh!”

With one last scream, I clenched my hand, threads sprouting out of my arm as they shot toward the arms behind me severing several of them. Immediately, I felt a massive weight lift off my body, and the chance appeared.

I didn’t miss it.

Twisting my shoulders, I pressed my foot against the ground and jumped toward the hole.

The grip of the hands that were grasping me loosened.

Some tried to grab my ankle, but I used the threads to protect me.

Not this time!

…And before I knew it, I managed to reach the hole.

Thump!

“Haa… Haaa… Haaa…”

A familiar dim red light greeted my eyes as the air felt refreshingly cool. It was a stark contrast to the stifling, humid heat of the sack. As I turned my head, I saw a familiar figure not far from where I stood.

Clank! Clank—!

It was Leon, who was surrounded by several dozen Wraiths. His situation seemed dire, but his face didn’t show it as he elegantly dealt with all the Wraiths that were coming at him, his sword moving fluidly in and out of their sockets and ankles.

He moved with such grace and elegance that for a moment I stopped thinking and just observed him.

A thought crossed my mind as I looked at him.

‘….Can I beat him?’

After everything that I had experienced, I thought that I had come close to his level, but seeing him right now, I started to second-guess myself. Indeed, although I had been constantly improving, Leon was the same.

Unlike me, he didn’t have to torture himself to become stronger.

He was extremely talented, to begin with, and the scene presented before my very eyes served to confirm such thoughts.

But still.

“It’s not impossible.”

I coughed several times before standing up.

Back then, I had defeated Leon using the first leaf. He wouldn’t fall for the same trick again. Furthermore, with the second phase of the Summit in a week’s time, I knew I’d get a chance to fight him again.

Maybe then I’d be able to know.

But for now…

“Huup.”

I stood up and rushed toward where we originally came from.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble—

The Queen’s sack rumbled violently behind me as chunks of the ceiling began to collapse. Leon glanced around, his eyes widening with shock when he finally spotted me. After a moment of surprise, he quickly shifted his gaze back to the Queen’s sack and, understanding the situation, nodded his head in acknowledgment.

‘Go, I’ll cover for you.’

He didn’t need to tell me this as I was already running for the entrance.

Clank! Clank!

The fierce sound of clashing echoed behind me as Leon put even more force into his attacks, and just when I directly crossed the entrance and looked back, Leon finally stopped fighting, sheathing his sword back.

Then, pressing his foot against the ground, his body shot like an arrow as he rushed toward me.

His speed was so blinding that I felt a rush of wind slam into me. As he crossed the entrance of the cave, he twisted his body in mid-air, drawing his sword with a swift motion. He then sliced towards the roof of the entrance, cutting through the air with precision.

A blinding light erupted from his sword as he slashed, followed immediately by the deafening roar of an explosion.

BOOOM!

As the Wraiths behind him closed in with outstretched hands, the ceiling gave way and collapsed, crashing down onto them with a thunderous sound.

The entire world grew dark shortly after that as Leon and I collapsed onto the floor.

“Haa… Haa…”

“Haaaaa… Haa…”

In the darkness, the only sound was the uneven rhythm of our breaths as Leon and I lay sprawled on the floor, panting heavily.

I was exhausted, and so was Leon.

It took a few good minutes for our breathing to stabilize, and when we were done, Leon turned to look at me.

“How is it… did you… managed to get… the blood?”

“….”

I looked at him in silence before closing my eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, I hurled several arms in his direction, along with small vials containing an even more viscous liquid.

“More than that.”

“Uh?”

Ignoring the look of surprise on Leon’s face, I closed my eyes and finally paid attention to the cold sensation running down my core. The energy was growing larger by the second, and as I recalled Owl-Mighty’s words, I loosened my entire body.

Tier 4…

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