章 52: Labyrinth (3)
The behemoth tree monster, a gnarled mockery of nature, slammed its roots with earth-shaking force, aiming for Astra's grief-stricken form. Its bark twisted into a grotesque smirk as it anticipated her demise. Blood shimmered in the darkness beneath its assault, and the monster roared in triumphant fury.
But when it recoiled, expecting crushed bones and broken silence, it found only the lifeless fur of the panda monstrosity. A sudden chill crackled through the air as a silver flare erupted from the black abyss, a celestial blade of pure light slicing through the monster's bark with inhuman precision. A symphony of tortured cries echoed through the darkness as the creature's form splintered into a million emerald shards, scattering like fallen stars across the dark sky.
Astra, her glacial eyes sharp with a mix of grief and dawning comprehension, scanned the wreckage. The scattered fragments pulsed with a dying magic, then, drawn by an unseen force, coalesced into a withered husk that bore a haunting echo of human features. The truth settled heavy in her gut.
"So the beasts are no illusions." She hissed, "Grant is sick."
Astra crumpled beside the still form, her mind a hurricane of doubt and denial. Could Eydis, her fiery Eydis, truly be so easily fooled? The scene before her felt like a painted lie, a manipulation meant for her. She yearned to believe that the Eydis who had stood by her side all this time in this garden was nothing but a mirage. Yet, the warmth lingered on her hand, a tangible reminder amidst the doubts that coiled in her mind.
No, this couldn't be Eydis, her smile a tad too sharp, her banter slightly too safe. Her Eydis wouldn't stand here, timid and meek, a mere shadow beneath her own sky. These were mere illusions, created to exploit her nightmares. Black widows, they were, and Grant, Emperor Ares's loyal dog, had tapped into these creatures' power.
A growl ripped from her throat, not directed at the fake, but at herself. She should have known, should have felt the off-key melody from the moment she stepped into this bamboo cage. Yet, the mere sight of the familiar face, even a twisted copy, had been an intoxicating poison she'd swallowed without question. How had she, the Witch of Mythshollow, allowed herself to be brought to her knees so easily?
Diamond fire sparked in her fist as she drew her blade, its glint shattering the illusion with a deafening roar. Bamboo sighed, the bamboo needles whispering secrets as sunlight bathed the clearing. And there, cradled in their gentle embrace, lay the true Eydis, her face serene, her brown hair a waterfall against the green. Relief flooded Astra, warm and heavy, as she scooped Eydis into her arms, the girl's familiar warmth an anchor against the shifting reality.
But the relief was a fleeting butterfly, crushed by the prickle of awareness. Sunlight painted Lord Grant's face, revealing a sneer stretched thin over hidden fear. "A touching scene, Lady Astra," he drawled, his voice dripping with feigned condescension. "Entranced by a mere commoner, a girl, how unbecoming." Despite the arrogance, his eyes darted nervously, betraying a flicker of genuine fear beneath the surface.
Fury surged through Astra, but instead of a blind charge, she channelled it into controlled precision. Her hand swept towards the diamond blade at her hip, and in a blur of silver, it spun through the air. The sharp glint of the blade kissed Lord Grant's cheek, leaving a searing mark on his exposed skin before whispering past his ear and burying itself in the bark of the nearest tree.
He stumbled back, eyes wide with terror. "You... you dare attack an administrator! Do you realise the consequences?" his voice cracked, the feigned arrogance melting away.
Astra rose, Eydis cradled securely in her arms, her glacial eyes fixed on him with chilling intensity. "The emperor would never let me go. Even if I were to end you now," she declared, her voice dangerously low. "Fortunately for you, your life holds no value to me."
His face contorted in rage, and he lunged at her, fueled by fear and humiliation. But before he could reach her, the earth under them tremored again. A monstrous shadow fell across the clearing as a colossal black widow, its abdomen pulsing with malevolent energy, rose from the depths of the labyrinth.
Grant froze, his bravado evaporated in the face of this new threat. "W-what in the...?" he stammered, eyes wide with disbelief. The creatures he'd unleashed in this twisted garden were mere tools, no more than the span of his hand. This monstrosity, however, pulsed with a power he couldn't begin to fathom.
The monstrous spider, larger than a house and woven from nightmare, lunged. Grant, adrenaline burning in his veins, conjured a thicket of thorned vines, aiming to ensnare the beast. The thorns dug into its glistening carapace, a hiss erupting from its multiple maws. With a sickening crunch, one leg, as thick as a tree trunk, snapped near its base. But the grotesque creature didn't flinch. The severed limb twitched, bone knitting back together with a horrifying click, the severed flesh mending in a pulsating dance of macabre flesh-craft. The rejoined leg lashed out, snapping the air a hair's breadth from Grant's face. He stumbled back, heart hammering against his ribs, the stench of venom burning his nostrils. "S-Class? Impossible!" he gasped, his voice choked with fear.
Astra, violet eyes narrowed with focused fury, glided through the scene. Her diamond blade moved in a blur of precise strikes, slicing through the creature's flesh with an almost effortless grace. She landed beside Grant, her voice steady despite the chaos around them, "How many more are there?
Grant, momentarily speechless from the sheer display of power, swallowed hard. With a shaky hand, he pointed behind her, where colossal forms emerged from the earth, across the city, their movements shaking the ground. "F-Fifteen in total," he stammered, his gaze fixed on the monsters.
Their chitinous bodies gleamed obsidian black, their legs like jagged blades scraping the sky. The very ground trembled with their movements as they rampaged through the city, leaving trails of destruction in their wake. "His voice stammered, "How did they-! They were supposed to be contained within the Labyrinth!"
Before he could finish, two more nightmares erupted from the ground, sending Grant sprawling. He scrambled to his feet, conjuring thorny vines to anchor him against the tremors. His heart hammered against his ribs as he watched the spiders encircle Astra, their multifaceted eyes glinting with predatory hunger. With a fluid leap, she propelled herself and Eydis skyward, the wind whipping through her hair as she surveyed the carnage below.
From her vantage point, she witnessed a scene of utter devastation. Wooden houses crumbled, screams echoed through the smoke-filled air, and the ground below became a writhing mass of monstrous limbs.
Determined to stem the tide of destruction, Astra drew her diamond blade. The metal essence thrummed on her fingertips, weaving a luminous web of light around the blade. With a growl that echoed through the ravaged city, she dived. Her descent was a dance of death and defiance, her blade a whirlwind of white fire against the monstrous tapestry of shadows.
Each stroke was a decisive whisper of steel, carving through the nightmares with chilling precision. Their agonised screechs were cut short by blinding explosions of light, their monstrous forms dissolving into wisps of darkness.
Astra alighted with the grace of a silver swan, her ivory dress swirling like whispered secrets around her form. The ground trembled beneath the delicate touch of her boots, an echo of the chaos she held at bay. Yet, in the depths of her amethyst eyes, a predator's glint danced with the weariness of a warrior.
Lord Grant, his face pale and eyes wide, stared at her in a mixture of awe and terror. The image of this ethereal beauty, this whispered legend of the Silverkeep, wielding such raw power against creatures that had shaken the city to its core, was almost incomprehensible.
"You... you can fly?" he stammered, his voice barely a whisper in the howling wind. "And... and those creatures... you dispatched them like they were mere insects."
Astra turned to him, her eyes glacial pools reflecting the city's burning embers. Her voice, though low, resonated with a quiet authority. "Take care of Eydis. I need to deal with this, Grant. All of it."
But before she could leave, a strangled cough tore from her throat. Blood stained her white dress, a crimson blossom blooming against the pristine fabric. Before her, a twisted parody of Eydis stood, its elongated limbs mimicking her form in a grotesque mockery. A cruel grin stretched across its face, and its claws, stained with Astra's blood, glinted with a chilling malice.
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