“What should we do now?” Thalia asked, her voice trembling as she stared at the monstrous creature perched atop the building.
It remained eerily still, its grotesque form looming over them like a dark…. omen!!
Only its minions, those horrifying severed-head spider-like creatures, were attacking the professors with relentless aggression.
’It’s waiting for something,’ Aqualina thought, her eyes narrowing as she tried to decipher the creature’s intentions.
Her gaze shifted to Aether, who was still asleep on Helena’s shoulder, seemingly oblivious to the chaos unfolding around them. Then she looked at Victor and Raven, both of whom were intensely focused on the Artifact.
“Did you find anything?” Kai demanded, his voice laced with impatience and fear.
But neither Victor nor Raven responded immediately. They were too engrossed in analyzing the intricate circuits of the Mechanical Spiders and the Artifact.
“Come on, say something—” Kai began, his frustration boiling over, but Vesperine gently placed a hand on his shoulder, calming him before his panic could spiral out of control.
“There is one option,” Raven finally said, her voice heavy with dread.
“W-What is it?” Leon asked, his voice trembling, fear evident in his eyes.
Raven held up one of the broken spiders, “These Spiders contain a significant amount of stored energy with a unique signature. It’s enough to power their movements, and even cause them to blow up. If we—” she started, but Aqualina quickly interjected.
“To filter that energy signature using the dome, right?” Aqualina’s eyes widened as she realized where Raven was going with this.
Raven nodded, adjusting her sunglasses.
For a brief moment, hope flickered in their eyes, but it was short-lived.
“But there’s a problem,” Victor cut in, his voice indifferent but carrying the weight of grim reality.
“What is it?” Kai frowned, frustration etched on his face. There always seemed to be a catch.
Victor continued, “The Dome’s filtering function was designed with only one filter in mind. If we switch the energy signature to the spiders’, Arcane energy will flood into the dome. And since there’s a trigger function that activates when Arcane energy is detected… We’re not sure what the outcome will be.”
As Victor spoke, the colour drained from everyone’s faces.
“Come on, guys! If we’re going to die, we might as well do our best!” Thalia shouted, her voice filled with a desperate energy that cut through the fear. Her words echoed through the stadium, rekindling a spark of determination among the students.
They stared at Thalia, her fierce resolve igniting something within them, ’If we’re going to die, at least we’ll die fighting,’ they thought, nodding in grim agreement.
Victor glanced around at the group, “It will take some time to change the filtering signature,” he warned.
Everyone nodded, steeling themselves for what was to come.
But then,
“KYYAAAA!!”
“T-Those monsters!!!”
Screams erupted as the minions began to appear near the stadium, their grotesque forms advancing with deadly intent.
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“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of it!!” Thalia shouted, her voice brimming with fiery determination. She launched herself at the spiders, slamming one into the ground with all her strength.
Those who were still able to fight joined the fray, battling the nightmarish creatures with every ounce of strength they had left.
And very soon,
“We’re ready!” she shouted over the chaos, signalling everyone.
Every student moved to the side of the other dome.
Victor slowly turned the controller, and the dome flickered.
For a moment, it seemed like the plan had worked… the small spiders and minions suddenly froze, their movements halting as if their strings had been cut.
Relief washed over everyone.
But then—
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The small spiders began to explode one by one, sending shockwaves through the stadium. The minions, instead of exploding like them, seemed to grow stronger, and more vicious, their movements fueled by an unsettling new power.
“Tsk, looks like those minions are absorbing the Arcane energy,” Victor muttered, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at Aether, still lying unconscious on Helena’s shoulder.
“Revert it!” Aqualina shouted, her voice tinged with urgency as she watched the minions grow more formidable by the second.
Victor immediately reversed the filtering signature, returning the dome to its original function. The minions suddenly lost their boosted power, their movements becoming sluggish and disoriented.
But the damage was done. The brief surge of hope had been crushed, leaving everyone in a state of dread.
“That’s it,” someone whispered, their voice filled with despair.
“We’re going to die,” another muttered, the hopelessness spreading like a plague.
“From the very beginning… I knew death was the only answer,” a student mumbled, their spirit broken.
The students lost their will…
Jack Sparrow stood apart from the group, an amused expression on his face, ’Never thought I’d die before achieving my dream…’ he mused, his gaze shifting to the chosen ones, ’If we’re going to die, should I kill them myself?’ he wondered darkly, a twisted thought crossing his mind as he looked at the chaos unfolding around him.
Just then, amidst the chaos and rising fear, a voice rang out from the crowd,
“Where is that Princess’s lackey? He might be able to find the solution!!”
… Of course, it was Taylor!
No one knew who shouted but hearing that, The students suddenly remembered Aether, the man who had been instrumental in finding the artifact and aiding Victor in entering the dome.
He had been pushed to the side because he was acting strangely, hugging everyone in his inebriated state…. That’s why they put him to the side!
But now,
“Is he still not sobered up?” someone in the crowd shouted, anxiety evident in their voice.
“Please, wake him up!!” another pleaded.
“Yes, he was the one who found those crystals! He might know what to do!”
“Please wake him!!”
“Does anybody have water?”
More voices joined in, their desperation growing as they looked towards Aether, who was still asleep on Helena’s shoulder.
Kai’s lips twitched in frustration, seeing everyone now turning to Aether for help. He stepped forward, ready to slap Aether awake, but Vesperine quickly grabbed his hand, stopping him.
Helena, her heart filled with a flicker of hope, softly called out to him, “Aether, we need your help.”
“…Hmm” Aether merely hummed in response, his eyes still closed, oblivious to the urgency around him.
“Please, Aether, wake up!” Helena’s voice was more pleading now, but still…
“…Hmm..” Aether only hummed, lost in his drunken slumber.
Kai, his patience wearing thin, stood in front of Helena, his frustration boiling over, “Eth—Aether, wake up!” he yelled.
“….”
But Aether remained unresponsive.
“WAKE UP, YOU BASTARD!!!” Kai finally screamed, raising his hand to slap Aether awake. Just as he was about to strike, Aqualina appeared behind him, catching his hand mid-air.
Aria clicked her tongue because she was a few inches away from reacting.
“Calm down, Kai,” Aqualina said, her voice cold and serious, with a hint of something darker—perhaps even a bit of killing intent, “What would you do if he actually fell unconscious?”
Kai glared at her, unwilling to back down. “We don’t have time! We need to wake him up!!”
Aqualina frowned, their confrontation escalating as they stood face to face.
Meanwhile, Helena, feeling the tension between them, quietly stepped back, away from the argument. She glanced down at Aether, still sleeping peacefully, and bit her lip hard, frustration and desperation mingling in her heart.
Then, she leaned in close to his ear, her voice barely above a whisper, “Please, protect me… Aether.”
[+5000 A-]
Aether’s eyes snapped open instantly as if her words had pierced through the haze of his drunken stupor.
He looked at Helena with dizzy eyes, but there was a flicker of clarity within them, “I will…” he murmured, before staggering to his feet, his legs wobbly but his resolve evident.
’Ba-dump’
Helena’s heart skipped a beat….. ’A-All it needed was my words…’ she thought, her mind reeling in shock.
He was moving just for her…. for her alone!!! The realization made her heart race faster and faster, a warmth spreading through her chest.
[+5000 A-]
Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over as she bit her lips, overwhelmed by the emotions surging through her.
Aqualina and Kai stopped their bickering when they noticed Aether walking toward Victor, his expression still dazed and drunken.
Aqualina sighed in relief, while Kai gritted his teeth, reluctantly stepping back to stand beside Vesperine.
Aether, with hazy eyes, listened to Victor as he explained the situation, nodding occasionally as he absorbed the details. He then stared at the Academy’s map and the Arcane-Less Dome Artifact, his mind slowly piecing together a solution.
Everyone held their breath, the tension palpable, as they waited for Aether to speak…. Waiting for his final words!!
It felt like an eternity before he finally mumbled, “Yes, there is a way.”
“….” Again they hold their breath in shock… but not because of Aether’s words rather,
“Can you hear me now?” a mechanical voice echoed through the air, sending a shiver down everyone’s spine.
Aether turned slowly, his eyes narrowing as he saw the disgusting monster standing over the building…. It was a grotesque fusion of flesh and machine, its eyes glowing with malevolence.
’Let’s call it… Mechaflesh Arachnid Disgusting Monster,’ Aether thought with an amused expression.
The monster grinned, its hideous mouth stretching impossibly wide as it laughed, “Hahaha… Look at my creation!! Hahaha… The finest one in the entire world, Alaric!!!” it bellowed, its voice a twisted mixture of pride and madness.
The creature moved freely now, unlike before when it had been moved like a broken robot.
It leapt from the top of the building, its enormous body crashing to the ground with a deafening
BOOM!!
Trrrrr
The ground trembled beneath its weight, the very earth quaking in response.
“Hahaha… The time has come… I will show you all what true power means!” it roared, its voice dripping with satisfaction as it revelled in its own strength.
Those numerous metal legs clenched before slowly moving towards the Professors who were fighting!!
’He’s really cooking something up, isn’t he?’ Aether mused, his lips curving into a smirk. Then, with a lazy shrug, he thought, ’Well, it’s time to cook my own dish~.’