Capítulo 353: A Horrific Presence
"So, you're the ones responsible for the death of Perina."
Nimin felt his body give out, his every movement was followed by violent shaking. Was it truly impossible? To free them from everything?
The individual brushed a hand over Perina, her body slowly turning to ash. They dusted off their hands and spoke, "I hadn't planned to intervene, after all there should've been no conceivable way for a Second Star to defeat a Third Star. Yet the evidence before me shows that perhaps my foresight was too simple."
Nimin asked, his voice sounding like a squeak, "What do you want?"
"I came to collect the body of my disciple. I had heard she was close to Fourth Star, so I wanted to prepare a celebration. When she told me of the fight you intended to start, I figured it would be a grand opportunity. So I watched, I watched as you fought admirably. I watched as you spent every last fiber of your being to continue standing."
The figure knelt in front of Nimin, their voice turning cold, "And I watched at you took her final breath."
Nimin laughed in the face of absolute power, "You didn't intervene? What mentor you are!"
"Don't insult me, what kind of parent shields their child from every danger? There is only one way to properly teach those underneath you, it is to guide them through the real world."
The figure pointed towards Akiol, "He has the right idea, sending the one he teaches into war."
Akiol frowned, "They're a special case."
"And so was Perina, her ability to consume those under her was quite a tool."
Nimin interrupted, "What's your plan?!"
"I'm going to bury my disciple. Additionally as my job as a mentor failed, it is within my duty to avenge my disciple."
"You're going to act against some mere Second Stars?!"
"Mere? You took down a Third Star, that no longer puts you in the realm of 'mere'!"
"Yet you're a Fourth Star!"
"Silence! Your words will not convince me otherwise."
They sighed, "However your words have some meaning to them. Thus I will present to you a chance. All of you willingly vote for one person to take the consequences. I swear upon my honor that I will kill them only, the rest are free to leave."
"Then I vote myself."
"I figured you'd do that, so I introduce a rule. Those selfless ones who nominate themselves are exempt from the votes. However if you all nominate yourself, you all die."
"So you want us to sacrifice a friend?!"
"Precisely."
Akiol chuckled, "Well, isn't this sadistic!"
"You want to elaborate?"
"Do I have to? You clearly can wipe us out with a wave of your hand, yet you play a game forcing us to sacrifice someone? You're no God!"
"Then so be it."
Akiol was lifted up an dragged over, despite his struggle he couldn't free himself. The figure stared him down, "I saw the battle, you're a slime aren't you? I swore your race was extinct, yet here you are fighting for people you don't know."
"I had the power to help, should I have not?"
"How utterly human of you. Perhaps they rubbed off on you. You don the look of one, a pretender."
"A slime is closer to being human than you."
"Enough, I retract my offer. You all shall die here. Starting with you."
The figure inserted their hand into Akiol. They fished around until they found the core. Gripping their hand around it they tugged and pulled it free.
Inspecting the core they smiled, "These are quite rare. A powerful material for a storage Artifact. I think I'll keep it."
Akiol's vision turned black, and the Fourth Star's words fell on deaf ears.
Nimin's eyes widened, the very person who helped him get this far was killed in front of him! Despite all he had accomplished, he still couldn't fight for the things he cared about!
The ground began to shake, the castle crumbling further. Nimin frowned, "What are you doing-?!"
A wave of killing intent burst across the field. A horrific feeling was spread, everyone present felt it.
The Fourth Star tossed away the unresponsive slime and frowned, they looked around, "Who?!"
A blood red pillar erupted in the distance, its size was tremendous. Like an orbital cannon descending onto mankind. A deafening roar filled the ears of everyone in the city.
The Fourth Star took a step back, "No. . . this feeling! It can't be!"
The pillar shattered, revealing a mighty beast. Five heads connected to a single body, scales of a blood red color. Eyes of an even darker crimson.
Nimin suddenly received several System Notifications.
<Warning!!! A Calamity Class Monster has awoken!>
<Due to the circumstances an emergency quest will be distributed.>
<It is recommended you flee!>
<<< The Great Calamity of Five: Goju (LVL: ?????) >>>
The Fourth Star shook violently, dropping Akiol's core, "It can't be! It should've been sealed long ago!"
Nimin took ahold of the opportunity, "You've got some guts for a Fourth Star!"
"You ignorant brats don't understand! That's an Immortal Hydra! An Origin Immortal Hydra! When it awakens, nothing but destruction follows! It's long since lost its mind, we're doomed!"
"If it's sealed, why is it here?!"
"Perhaps the war awoke it, damn!"
The Hyrda roared again, the roar causing shockwaves of destruction. Houses collapsed and crumbled, those unfortunate enough to be near the hydra were eviscerated. One head looked directly at the Fourth Star. Its jaw opened and a ball of red energy formed.
The Fourth Star immediately raised their hands, walls of defense rising. Due to their sudden shift of focus, the restrictions on Nimin, Wrock, and Kan'na were freed. Nimin took the opportunity to snatch Akiol's core and flee.
The others followed suite, as they approached closer to the castle they felt a wave of chaotic energy behind them. A condensed beam of red energy shattered the Fourth Star's defenses and engulfed them.
When the beam faded it revealed the Fourth Star heavily injured, stunning Nimin.
If the Hydra was this strong, how were they supposed to escape?!
"We gotta go now!"
"What about Akiol?!"
Kan'na outstretched her hand, "Let me see the core."
Nimin quickly handed it over. As she inspected it another blast was shot from the Hydra, eviscerating the Fourth Star.
Wrock looked at Kan'na with an urgent face, "We kinda need to go-!"
Kan'na chucked the core, stunning them both silent. As the core flew it landed directly on top the pile of slime. She watched it and said, "Whether or not he's alive will be found out later. We need to regroup and get everyone out."
They nodded and the three ran towards the Castle's perimeter walls. Everyone had stopped fighting, the arising of the old Calamity was enough to put a stop to the fighting. Many were already fleeing.
Kan'na surveyed the area, "Good, it seems like everyone already had the right idea. Let's regroup with the others and devise a plan."
Wrock pointed towards a location, "Yielya's over there. I don't know about the others though."
"Right, let's move!"
~ ~ ~
Para stumbled across the rubble. The ground was constantly quaking now. She had fully intended to meet up with Nimin to assist, but the constant destruction the castle underwent made her get lost.
The notifications from the system gave her an idea of what was going on. Yet her priority was finding Nimin.
'You! Please help!'
She paused, a voice had entered her head and was pleading for assistance. Looking around she tried to find the source of the voice, a subconscious action.
'I'm outside! You were just barely in my range, Akiol needs a bit of assistance!'
"Who are you?"
'Don't worry about that! Just please help! If Akiol dies here I don't know what will happen to Givale.'
Para frowned, she remember Givale being the little girl who wielded quite the destructive power. Although she wasn't completely sure what Akiol's life had to do with that, she wasn't going to turn down a plead for help.
As she ran she found the path of destruction created by Perina, granting a path outside. Stumbling outside she looked up to see a blood red Hydra, beams of energy causing destruction everywhere.
'To your left!'
She looked over to see a sword in its sheath lying on the ground, "Wait, it's you?!"
'Yes it's me! The Link is messing with my ability to move, bring me over to Akiol.'
Para picked up Stars and looked around, "I-I don't see him!"
'He's that gray puddle over there.'
Para soon spotted the gray puddle. She frowned in confusion, but ran towards it. Placing Stars next to the puddle she asked, "What do I do now?"
'His core is struggling to stay alive right now. It stayed too long out of contact. I need you to cast a few healing spells onto it and push it inside the puddle.'
Para did as she was told. The core glowing faintly under the effects of her healing. It slowly sunk into the slime, yet nothing moved.
"It's not working!"
'You did plenty, it's up to Akiol now.'
~ ~ ~
Akiol's eyes opened, the area he found himself in was almost endlessly white. His being felt fuzzy as sluggish, his vision blurry.
A voice entered his head, "You- again? Why have you returned to this realm?"
Akiol tried to respond, but his body wasn't responding to any commands.
The voice sighed, "No matter, you cannot continue to exist in this Land of Between. I shall send you off."
Akiol waited patiently, but nothing occurred.
The voice grew interested, "No, perhaps you are here for a reason. I cannot send you off despite my authority. Currently your existence is perfect for this realm. A being dead, yet still alive."
Still unable to respond, Akiol floated.
The voice urged on, "While you may fulfill the right conditions, I cannot recommend you stay here. Your circumstances outside are looking less than pleasant. So leave."
Sighing in his heart, he continued to be unable to respond.
"Fight young one, the only way to leave this place is to will yourself an exit. Use your determination to leave."
Akiol attempted to use the voice's advice. But nothing occurred. Silence was all that was left, and time ticked on. He wasn't sure how much time passed. He lost count a while ago. Yet he still couldn't exit the strange place.
'Akiol!'
A faint echo entered his head. It sounded familiar.
'Akiol!'
He frowned, no it was very familiar.
'Get up!'
There was another voice, yet still so familiar.
'Everyone is in danger!'
These voices. . . it was Givale and Stars! Everyone was in danger? Only he was the one who died right?
Wait, the Link! If he died here, what would happen to Givale?!
His eyes snapped open and he found himself in battlefield next to the castle. Looking around he found Stars, Givale, and Para next to him.
Givale grabbed his arm, "You're alive!"
"What's going on-?"
A deafening roar filled his eardrums. Alarmed he looked towards the source.
Stars answered, 'That's the problem! We have to leave!'
Akiol leapt upwards, but then his body fell into a puddle. As he slowly reformed back into a human he said, "My body isn't fully functional. Givale, I'm going to need you to fly us out of here."
Givale paused, "I don't know if I can!"
Throughout the training they had spent, Givale had attempted multiple times to fly. Her progress was. . . slow. It didn't help Akiol had very limited knowledge on Dragons.
Still, the danger he felt from the Hydra was no joke. This feeling was something he rarely felt. It was on par with his first meeting with the Slime King. It approached the level he felt when he first met the Demon Lord in his previous world.
With such a danger present, his mind went into overdrive. He didn't doubt something similar happened to his Party.
Akiol grabbed Givale's shoulders and looked her in the eye, "Givale, you must not doubt yourself. That is the one thing keeping you from conquering the skies. You are a Dragon, prove it to the world!"
Givale's face turned complicated. She nodded and her body rapidly transformed. Spreading her wings she roared in defiance to the Hydra.
Perhaps with another Apex creature being nearby, the Hydra paused. Staring at Givale two heads began to open their jaws.
It sensed the next dangerous thing, and was aiming an attack towards Givale!
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