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 beca much more refined and complex.
The higher ranked the monster the more complex their mind beca.
This was sothing 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 an 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 mont the eye appeared close to .
"...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 , but I had no choice.
This was necessary for .
Soon, the liquid managed to reach my mouth, invading my taste buds with an acrid, and repulsive taste that made want to puke.
Gulp, gulp!
Despite every part of my mind telling 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 tis, 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 sothing slowly rise from within .
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 feel normal once more.
"Haaa..."
It felt euphoric, and for a brief mont, I almost forgot about everything around .
But that was only for a brief mont.
Rumble-!
The sudden, terrifying rumbling that engulfed the entire space jolted 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 .
Squelch, squelch, squelch!
At the sight, I felt my blood run cold, and my scalp tingled with a creeping sense of dread.
"Ti to go.'
I had already gotten what I needed to get.
It was ti for to leave.
"Huup."
Propping myself up, I imdiately 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 ca from.
Swoosh!
Hands erupted from every direction, lunging at from all sides, while eyes materialized seemingly from thin air, glaring down at from every direction.
"Kh.
My mind felt as though it was being split into thousands of pieces as the ntal attacks started to rain down on relentlessly, hamring my thoughts continuously but I was able to keep myself focused.
If there was one thing I wasn't worried about, it was my ntal ability.
"Наа... Наа..."
But just because I could deal with it didn't an that I could be leisurely about my escape. It only made things harder for as it took extra ti for to focus, but I eventually did manage to retrace my steps back to the narrow gap that I had co 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.
anwhile, hands continued to erge 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 and the hole was only one ter.
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 seed to erge.
The sa was true for the eyes, casting their gaze on from all directions.
It slowed down further.
Half a ter.
"Huu... huuu!"
It felt as though I was dragging a massive plane behind with every step, each movent
sapping my strength and draining my energy.
"Ukh!"
But I persisted.
Hands relentlessly gripped from all sides, clutching my shoulders, arms, and head as they
tried to pull 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 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 sa ti, more hands gripped my entire body, slowing 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 severing several of them. Imdiately, 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 loosened.
So tried to grab my ankle, but I used the threads to protect .
Not this ti!
... And before I knew it, I managed to reach the hole.
Thump!
"Наа... Нааа... Нааа..."
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 seed 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 mont 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 co 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 sa.
Unlike , he didn't have to torture himself to beco stronger.
He was extrely 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 tis before standing up.
Back then, I had defeated Leon using the first leaf. He wouldn't fall for the sa trick again. Furthermore, with the second phase of the Summit in a week's ti, 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 ca from.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble-
The Queen's sack rumbled violently behind as chunks of the ceiling began to collapse.
Leon glanced around, his eyes widening with shock when he finally spotted . After a
mont of surprise, he quickly shifted his gaze back to the Queen's sack and, understanding
the situation, nodded his head in acknowledgnt.
'Go, I'll cover for you.'
He didn't need to tell this as I was already running for the entrance.
Clank! Clank!
The fierce sound of clashing echoed behind 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
.
His speed was so blinding that I felt a rush of wind slam into . 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 imdiately 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 .
"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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