“Wait… no.”
After looking closer, the red stain on the ground wasn’t from the two of them being reduced to meat paste, but rather from a few of Gemini’s tentacles that got sacrificed!
Looking around, I quickly found the two about thirty meters away, both panting and heavily wounded. It seems that my attack did hit them, though it wasn’t to the level of being fatal.
“D-Damn it…!”
The one wearing gauntlets as weapons, Aries, cursed as he vomited blood. Across his chest, a wide wound could be seen, exposing some of his pulsing organs.
“… I need to retreat. Gemini, you take that monster on!”
Without hesitation, Aries turned around and was about to escape… But the tentacle around him didn’t budge.
“B-B*stard! Gemini! Let go, you f*cking newbie!”
“Hehehe…”
Instead of answering, however, Gemini only let out a creepy laugh.
“With-With-With your body, I, I, I can become as po-po-powerful as G-God Agor!”
His words were hard to understand, probably because of how severe his head injury was. Practically a quarter of his head was chopped off, after all. Rather, it was a mystery how he’s still able to move and talk.
“B-B-Be proud that you c-can be a part of me!!!”
With maniacal laughter, the tentacles moved to pull Aries to his side before the two were covered by a wall of tentacles.
“…”
I could do nothing but watch, as the rebound from using the Myriad Phantom Blades isn’t really something I could ignore. Even with potions, the muscles in my sword arm took a bit longer to repair.
Just when I was done recovering, the wall of tentacles squirmed, opening up and revealing what was hidden underneath. However, I quickly regretted looking at the space between the tentacles right then.
“Ugh…”
Inside, nothing but squirming reddish orange tentacles, as if made out of meat or intestines, were squirming disgustingly. It was a little disturbing just looking at it. Now imagine the thing going bigger and multiplying to hundreds, approaching thousands, of tentacles.
‘Aries and Gemini vanished… But they must be somewhere within that wall of tentacles!’
I readied my sword, about to charge in and finish the battle before it became a lot more complicated. However, I realized that I was a step too late.
Energy started amplifying, spreading around in waves. The buildings around us cracked under the powerful waves alone, and those that got hit by the rampaging tentacles were reduced to rubble instantly.
“This power… God Level?!”
For whatever reason, Gemini’s energy rose to a god-tamer’s level. It was a large boost, no matter how I think about it. It wasn’t as simple as Aries’ energy being passed to him; it was like he was using some sort of artifact to enhance his energy reserves!
The powerful waves prevent me from approaching, making it hard to even breathe. Just as I was adjusting to the energy waves, something moved from the corner of my view.
“…!”
I spread my arms wide, letting myself be blown back by the wave. As soon as I did, dozens of tentacles passed right where I was before. If I didn’t move, then I’d probably end up skewered by all of those!
When I recovered my stance, a few more tentacles crept up behind me, attacking. With the wave of my sword, I managed to stop them, but at that point, I realized that I fell into his trap.
“… I’m surrounded!”
“He, Hehehehe! G-God… I am a, a, a, God!”
A creepy voice echoed from the central part of the tentacles, where Gemini should’ve been. Judging from his tone, he still hasn’t recovered his proper mental facilities. This could be the only chance I have!
Still, even without a proper mind to control his attacks, it would still be hard to remain unscathed right now. After all, I’m literally surrounded by hundreds of tentacles that are ready to attack at any moment.
Without any warning at all, the tentacles started darting around, aiming to impale my body at all costs. I was managing to dodge through jumping here and there with most of my energy gathered at the tips of my toes, creating a powerful blast that not only saves me from danger but also creates a distraction for the attacking tentacles. 𝒍𝙞𝙚𝒂𝓭.𝒄𝙤𝙢
A few seconds in, the tentacles started to predict my movements and prepared to attack the spots where I would land. For those, I was required to switch from full energy on dodging to about 70% for dodging and 30% for swinging my sword.
Like that, the situation became a stalemate, but I was slowly being cornered. After all, moving around causes a lot of energy to be lost. At this rate, I can last at most five minutes before I run dry.
‘I can only force my way through!’
A battle of attrition places me at a disadvantage, so I need to end this quickly. I quickly increased Lifeblood’s output beyond the limit, reaching 120%. I could feel my skin burning from the hot energy rushing all around my body. However, I had no time to mind something minor like that.
“Shhhhh…”
Breathing through gritted teeth, I lowered my stand and gathered most of my energy to my legs and feet. The tentacles seemed to hesitate as they stopped attacking entirely. However, although they stopped moving, they left the main part unguarded.
*BANG!*
With an explosive dash, I reached the center of its body in an instant. However, now that I’m up close, I noticed that the wall of tentacles covering him was too thick. It would take too long to strip them away slowly, so I quickly selected a form that I could immediately use.
“Myriad Phantom Blades, Seventh Form! [Piercing Illusion]!”
With a heavy step, I focused the majority of my energy on the tip of my blade. Just as the blade started shaking, about to break from too much energy, I thrust the blade forward, aiming for the center of the wall of tentacles.
*SHIIIING!*
A powerful ray of illusive blue light spread, as if there were hundreds of phantom blades gathering around and hitting the same spot over and over. In a short instant, a large hole opened up, revealing Gemini’s body from within. A few tentacles came, disturbing me, so I needed to move a step back. After quickly handling the distractions, I prepared to use the same skill again.
“This is the end…”
I readied my sword hand, relaxing my grip as I thrust forward. However, something appeared between the sword’s path and Gemini’s body.
“…!”
Realizing what it was, I quickly pulled my hand up, letting the attack miss by a large margin. However, that wasted a large part of my energy. Still, seeing the one between the two of us, I couldn’t help but roar in anger.
“You coward! Release Hekate now!”
Held by one of the many tentacles was Hekate, who was still struggling in vain, trying to release herself from captivity. However, every time she moved, the tentacle tightened its hold on her body, releasing cracking sounds, probably from her bones. To add to that, not only Hekate but a lot more civilians were held by several tentacles, creating a wall of meat shields that he could use as protection.
“Ehe, hehehehe. D-D-Drop y-your weapon, and I, I, I’ll release he-her!”
“Ugh!”
I really didn’t want to follow his demands, but seeing the tentacle tightening its hold on Hekate for every passing second, mixed with the intense feeling of pain and despair being sent to my consciousness from our link, I had no choice.
*CLANG!*
I threw my sword forward and raised both hands, appealing that I wasn’t holding a weapon any longer. As soon as I did, I could see the tightening around Hekate’s body stop. I felt a slight wave of relief, but that lasted for only an instant.
*THWACK!*
A tentacle slapped my face hard, sending me flying by a few meters. As I fell, the taste of iron spread inside my mouth. I spit out a mouthful of blood before trying to stand up. My gaze was straight at Hekate the whole time, while her scared and sorry gaze was locked onto me.
“Aha, Ahahahahhahahah!”
Gemini laughed as a few more tentacles came for me, smacking me all over. Each attack could be fatal, so of course, I made sure to use my energy in secret to defend myself. Still, the damage accumulating inside me was getting worse.
Regardless, I didn’t even mutter a single word, only receiving the continuous barrage of attacks without a complaint. Gemini was seemingly enjoying torturing me. If not for that, then I guess I’d already reached my limit. All my limbs are hurting, and there’s not a single part of my body that wasn’t covered in blood. From an outsider’s point of view, it might look like a miracle that I’m still even standing.
“…”
Still, I waited. I know that the chance will soon come. And just as I prayed, all the tentacles suddenly stopped moving. Not only the tentacles but even Gemini himself and the hostages stopped, as if they were all part of a video, when someone suddenly hit the pause button.
“…!”
I knew that it was the moment I was waiting for, so I quickly dashed forward, grabbed my sword from the ground, and waved it against all the tentacles holding a hostage. Although the tentacle was cut off, their bodies stayed in place, as if an invisible hand were holding them.
Just as I finished cutting all the tentacles, I caught Hekate and took a bit of distance.
“Well done, Will.”
At that moment, a stern voice echoed from above. Turning around, Yu Na was there, floating, with the two child-like twin monsters wearing veils over their faces. Yu Na’s gaze was filled with anger as her words echoed with a chill enough to freeze one’s soul.
“Leave the rest to me.”