noveldrama
Chapter 229
Chapter 229
Dozens, hundreds of tentacles tore through the air.
The scene resembled a storm of machine gun fire.
Kkong, Sibylla, and Seol Hayeon were struck with shock.
So fast...!
I’ve never seen such speed, not even during Special Training!
Damn it, wasn’t she supposed to be weakened after all that screaming!?
Their astonishment stemmed from the sheer speed.
Though they’d been told Yujin’s divine essence would weaken the boss,
and although the boss had screamed as if her flesh were melting in acid…
Even in this supposedly weakened state, her attacks surpassed the speed of bullets.
Even the S-Class trio couldn’t afford to let their guard down.
The fact that this was her "weakened" state only deepened their shock.
Glance.
The others are in danger…!
An alarm rang in Kkong’s mind.
His trait, the ability to glimpse a few seconds into the future,
revealed the trajectory of the tentacles.
They were targeting the rear—the four weakest members of the raid team.
Among them, the most vulnerable were:
"ALICE! WINTERER! WATCH OUT!"
Kkong’s sharp warning echoed.
Yujin had previously explained the boss’s tendencies:
As her allies fell, the boss would freeze their souls.
Given that, it was obvious she’d go for the weakest members first.
And the rear guard, with their weaker close-range combat skills, made for the easiest targets:
Ice mage Winterer and fire mage Alice.
Even Kkong, who could predict the attacks, found it difficult to respond to their speed.
The idea that those two could block them seemed impossible.
If only my foresight were clearer, I’d feel less worried… sigh, no choice then.
Stance.
But Kkong stood firm.
He didn’t rush to their aid. Instead, he remained in his position,
deciding that maintaining the middle line was more strategic.
I’ll just have to kill as many as I can…!
Let’s beat them down for now.
Sibylla and Seol Hayeon also held their ground,
ready to fight to the death.
The tentacles soon clashed with the three.
Flash!
"……!!!!"
Kkong’s sharp black eyes glinted.
His rapier multiplied into dozens.
Though his foresight was blurry, he could trace the trajectories.
All he needed was to bring the blade to meet them.
The overwhelming speed of the tentacles turned against them,
as they impaled themselves on his blades.
Shlick. Thud.
The sound of tentacle cores being pierced.
The disintegration of attacks into dust.
The thirty tentacles within Kkong’s reach disintegrated into nothingness.
This side’s clear. Now, Sibylla...
BZZZZZZZ!
"Time to get shredded!"
Sibylla rampaged with her chainsaw.
Specially designed for her as an Awakened,
the chainsaw had the horsepower of a helicopter motor,
tearing through everything in its path.
Blood and gore splattered everywhere.
Though her large, flashy movements meant she destroyed only about ten tentacles,
the fact that she achieved this in less than a second was remarkable.
Tch. Those wide, reckless swings... what if she gets ambushed?
Unlike the others, Seol Hayeon used only her body.
She faced the onslaught of tentacles with nothing but her bare fists.
At first glance, it seemed suicidal.
Well, with Kkong and Sibylla next to her, that won’t happen.
Step. Tap. Tap.
Yet, none of the tentacles even grazed her.
Her kicks and punches, guided purely by instinct,
lightly tapped the tentacles as if knocking on a door.
With those precise movements, she avoided every attack,
crushing the cores hidden within the tentacles.
Despite her relatively unassuming power,
her optimized movements obliterated fifty tentacles—
outperforming both Sibylla and even the Gate Specialist, Kkong.
Whistle.
Miss Seol Hayeon, you’re impressive.
How is she even sixty years old…?
While Sibylla marveled and Kkong was mildly unnerved,
Seol Hayeon herself frowned.
Flash!
"Tch."
I missed about twenty. Damn. I could’ve gotten five more if I wasn’t so rusty.
The tentacles that slipped past her sight moved toward the rear.
For Seol Hayeon, a veteran educator, the rear guard was essentially a group of fledglings.
But worry didn’t cross her mind.
Well, they’ll manage.
BOOM!!!
They’re quite competent, if not as much as Yujin.
Alice’s fireball exploded, taking out several tentacles.
With this speed, she would’ve been caught while casting alone, but…
Step. Flash.
[Five meters to the left next. Two coming.]
[Got it!!!]
Sia is so reliable at times like these!
Sia darted between shadows, effortlessly evading the tentacles that chased her.
Her agility, rated S-Class, shone as she carried Alice like a princess.
All Alice had to do was trust Sia and prepare her spells.
Sometimes, she even closed her eyes while attacking.
Her strikes hit the sides of the incoming tentacles, causing massive explosions.
The disintegrated tentacles turned to ash.
Their complementary mobility and firepower allowed the duo to hold their own.
[But Sia, could you tell me in feet next time? I’m not used to meters yet!!]
[What?! You’re still using the imperial system—ARGH!!!]
BOOM!!!
[You nearly got me killed, you flaming fox!!!]
Had their unit measurements matched, they might have been more efficient,
but regardless, they destroyed twelve tentacles—surpassing even Sibylla.
Wow. Sia and Alice are so strong…
Shatter.
…And those two as well!?
The mochi siblings, Haru and Winterer, weren’t idle either.
In a space frozen blue with ice,
Haru darted forward, her body radiating red energy.
[Remember, Haru? When we were starving and got ambushed!]
[Yeah. Just like then, I’ll carry you while you ice stuff!]
Tap-tap-tap.
Haru activated her dormant ability, "Awakening,"
temporarily boosting her stats to S-Class at the cost of exhaustion.
Though her overprotective sister had left her with no real combat experience,
her newfound agility was enough to evade the tentacles.
[Leave it to me, Haru! This villain Winterer will freeze them all!!]
Flash.
As Haru evaded, Winterer cast brilliant ice magic,
freezing the incoming tentacles mid-air.
Now we just need to break them…
Thunk.
[I’ll let you handle that part!]
[Got it. Ice, shatter~.]
BOOM!!!
[….Sigh. That’s so embarrassing.]
Though Winterer lacked physical coordination and was a crowd-control specialist,
her younger sister handled the finishing blows.
Even as Winterer nuzzled Haru’s back like a sulky mochi,
the two destroyed eight tentacles in total.
The final boss’s first wave of attacks ended without inflicting any damage.
The team’s gaze turned forward.
We survived the first attack, but what about the second…
"……!!!"
They suddenly realized something.
Despite the overwhelming onslaught, they’d endured it surprisingly well.
For an EX-Class Gate boss, wasn’t the attack a bit underwhelming?
The reason became clear as they shifted their focus to the vanguard.
Shiiing…
My fox-like wives and bunny-like children! I’ll protect them all!
At the forefront was Yujin.
He stood in the perfect position to intercept any attacks aimed at the rear.
Around him, katanas floated,
created through his mastery of soul manipulation.
Each katana shot forward, leaving trails of light in their wake.
They moved so fast, they resembled railgun projectiles.
SHING-SHING-SHING!!!
It might look silly, but this is the most efficient way.
Yujin’s method was surprisingly simple:
he struck the bottom of each katana’s hilt, launching it forward.
While the act of swinging his arms everywhere might have looked ridiculous,
it was the pinnacle of his skill—something only he could do.
The katanas, propelled with precision,
carved countless paths through the air,
destroying the tentacles as they emerged.
Shatter!
Yujin’s incredible…
It’s like a game of whack-a-mole, but epic.
That degenerate fool. I adore him so much!!
The S-Class trio watched in awe.
Gulp.
But what about Aika…?
Their attention shifted further ahead, to the other Transcendent:
Ninomiya Aika.
Everyone wondered how she was holding up.
Then, their faces turned pale.
BOOM!!!
"Kyaaaaaa!!!"
"……!!!!?"
She’s losing?!
Aika, the one even Yujin admitted he couldn’t surpass physically,
was losing.
"Master!!!"
Not the arm again!!!
For Yujin, one of his deepest PTSD triggers was his severed arm from the first timeline.
Now, Aika was being attacked in the same vital spot.