Invincible
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#172
🕑 Added 2024-12-28 19:59:18 +0000 UTCSpirit Gate (3)
"Oh my, there are so many of them."
Bellen tapped her waist and straightened up. Piles of parasitic corpses lay scattered across the floor. Professor Gomon praised her efforts.
"You’ve worked hard, Dame Bellen."
"You've swept quite a few yourself. But that one over there…"
Bellen shot a look at Kerndel. Kerndel, shrinking back, pointed to a few parasites still writhing on the ground.
"If you and the professor hadn’t been so proactive, we could have caught even more."
"Yes, yes. Well done. Not bad for a student."
Though her tone lacked sincerity, Kerndel shrugged, seemingly pleased. After all, compared to her previous remarks, this was close enough to a compliment.
Bellen looked around at the group in the open space's center. Six people were professors and students they met after breaking through the wall. The remaining nine were students who had clumsily tried to melt the wall with flames, only to collapse from suffocation.
"How are they doing?"
Bellen asked, and the professor replied, "They should come to their senses shortly."
"Make sure to give them a thorough education after this. That mess happened because you didn’t teach them well enough."
"...Ah, yes. My apologies, Dame Bellen."
The oxygen level in the area was gradually decreasing. The more people present, the faster it would deplete. It would be wise to move to a room with more oxygen as soon as possible.
"Looks like we need to head to the next location."
Bellen placed her hand on the ground and activated her Sight. As information came through, she took out paper and pen. Beside her, Professor Gomon watched her sketching the map with a face full of curiosity.
"How about the others?"
"Judging from their new locations, it seems they're moving well as separate units."
The scattered students and professors appeared to have figured out a way to pass through walls without using flames. Still, some groups continued to stay in one place, just as they had before. These were Bellen's top priority, as they were most likely in danger, either suffocating or dealing with parasites—or perhaps already dead.
As Bellen continued drawing the map, she chuckled.
"Oh, look at this."
One particular unit was moving at an exceptionally rapid pace. While others struggled to get past one wall, this group moved through two. It was likely her nephew, possessing an extraordinary gift, often referred to as an ancestral prodigy.
"Mircel, perhaps…?"
The reason she assumed it was Mircel rather than a professor was the intentional movement pattern. They were heading toward the other groups, indicating a clear intention. That meant they likely possessed the Sight as well.
"To think this one has already mastered the Sight…"
Though it was likely not yet deeply learned, it was astonishing given that Bellen herself had only grasped the basics of the Sight at twenty. She felt reassured by the presence of Mircel, who could see clearly within.
However, a peculiar energy detected among the signals kept her on guard.
"Hmm, it’s the same as the parasites, but… it feels darker…?"
Regardless, the distance was far. The immediate task was to ensure the survivors' safety, confront the high-ranking spirit responsible for this mess, and either eliminate it or escape. With urgency, Bellen gripped her sword, ready to move.
"Ugh, my wrist aches."
Bellen grumbled with a frown, and Professor Gomon stepped forward, puffing out his chest.
"Now, take a rest, Dame Bellen. We’ll handle the rest, won’t we, Stone Bear?"
Stone Bear, who had been standing behind Professor Gomon, revealed itself. Its massive size was almost as large as Gomon himself.
“What... What happened? When did your spirit get so bulky?”
“It’s not bulk; it’s stone I accumulated on Stone Bear’s body with elemental magic. Since we’re inside, it took some time, ha ha.”
Elemental magic is heavily influenced by the surrounding environment. Without a natural supply of earth or stone, using Stone Bear to pull in materials from the spirit realm was the most efficient approach, though it still required considerable mana.
"Alright, let’s create a tunnel, then."
Sharp stone spikes emerged from Stone Bear’s belly, lodging into the wall and slowly transforming into a rounded pipe. Professor Gomon then called to the unit caring for the fallen students.
"All of you over there, bring the injured through here. The air’s a bit fresher on this side."
Bellen prepared to cross the tunnel but found herself drawn to the corpses of parasites strewn across the floor. Something in her experience might have been alerting her.
“White…?”
In natural settings, white creatures were rare, whether magical or mundane. It was generally impractical since herbivores would easily spot them, and for predators, it would make hunting harder.
There were exceptions, like certain insects that lived among white flowers using petals as camouflage, or young creatures just hatched. However, Bellen doubted it was the latter, considering their location—inside an internal organ.
"There’s no need to be a predator or prey here. They wouldn’t have to worry about color for camouflage."
But her instincts kept hinting that there might be more to the situation. Perhaps it had something to do with what she sensed through her Sight.
***
Something was biting deeper and with more intensity this time. Merdilla opened her eyes, feeling the parasites nibbling at her flesh.
“Oh, you’re awake.”
Many larvae that had recently hatched had died at the hands of their enemies. Yet, some had quietly consumed nutrients, forming cocoons, and were now emerging, freshly molted. Merdilla channeled mana and energy into the newly matured creatures, which bit into her even more ravenously, strengthened by the fresh energy.
“Hmm, the young ones are all awake, but when will the queen wake?”
She looked at the queen, still hibernating in a hidden area. It was the first parasite that had come into this body and fed for the longest time. Yet, the queen seemed in no rush to wake.
"Lazy thing… Shall I wake you up?"
As she channeled energy into the organs surrounding the queen, the queen stirred violently.
***
Bellman and his group still hadn’t joined the others. They wanted to break through the walls to advance, but the swarming parasites kept slowing them down.
From a short distance, Riamon, swinging his greatsword, spoke with irritation.
"No matter how many I cut down, they just keep coming. Feels like there are even more now."
Erucel split a parasite in two and replied.
“Doesn’t tire you much, though. Their shells are softer than they look.”
Silla frowned with a look of disgust at the bugs, keeping her mouth tightly shut. She was likely doing this to avoid any splattered blood from the cut parasites getting into her mouth.
Despite everyone’s complaints, Bellman could clearly see how much they had all grown.
‘These guys… give them a bit more time, and their movements improve remarkably.’
He knew each of them had been undergoing intense training, though the same was true for their peers at the Adele Hall.
Especially Leana—her sword speed had increased alarmingly. The slicing sounds that used to come three times every two seconds had now increased to five. This change had occurred since the recent nightmare incident that had put the academy to sleep.
The third-year knights were blinking in astonishment at the first-years’ sword skills.
“Erucel’s strength is no surprise, but... you guys are amazing.”
“Right? Nothing like when you first entered.”
“If we fought now, I think I'd lose.”
These third-years were from the Adele Hall. Bellman felt pride as their peer acknowledged them, but there was also a sinking feeling inside. It stemmed from a question he had long been harboring.
‘Have I really grown like them?’
Just being on the verge of awakening his second sense didn’t seem enough. Bellman had also gone through trials just like the others, so he should have been growing alongside them. Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was consistently half a step behind.
“Hey, Bellman?”
At Edina’s voice, Bellman’s eyes twitched.
“Oh, I was lost in thought for a moment. My apologies. I shouldn’t be like this here.”
“It’s okay, as long as you’re back with us now. But look over there. That thing coming out of the wall—doesn’t its color seem strange?”
Bellman looked at the parasite Edina was pointing to. It had the same shrimp-like helmet as the others but had short, blunt horns protruding from its forehead. The brown creature poked its head out, snapping its teeth.
“Everyone, focus on the 3 o’clock direction!”
As the white parasites’ corpses lay scattered on the floor, the brown parasite emerged fully from the wall. It had several differences from the white ones aside from the horns and color. Its once-skinny arms now appeared muscular and thick.
As it took a step forward, a third-year senior knight confidently stepped up.
“You’ve all done enough. Take a break.”
Sensing something was off, the senior channeled his aura into his sword. Just as his aura flickered, the brown parasite lunged.
Tap!
It moved faster than the white parasites Bellman had seen earlier. Even so, the senior swung his sword with determination. His blade met the creature’s neck, but instead of a slicing sound, a loud clang like striking steel rang out.
Clang!
The brown parasite twisted its neck with a loud crack after passing by the senior. The impact must have been severe; the senior lowered his sword and clutched his wrist.
“Ugh, feels like my wrist is fractured. Everyone, focus on strengthening your resilience.”
The brown parasite’s combat abilities were clearly on a different level. Its outer shell, once easily cut, was now as hard as steel, and both its speed and strength had dramatically increased.
To effectively defeat the creature, Bellman assigned roles.
“Erucel, withstand its attacks with your shadow blade. Silla, be ready to strike its neck if you see an opening. Leana, stay on standby to switch in if Erucel is in danger. And Edina? If things go south, don’t hesitate to use transformation magic.”
Those called into action took their stances, while the others continued fighting the white parasites. Leaving the injured senior behind, Bellman raised his staff.
The brown parasite moved again, and Erucel blocked its path.
“If I can handle it alone, I’ll try.”
A thick aura rose from Erucel’s sword as he kept his eyes on the brown parasite. Just then, Bellman noticed more brown helmets emerging from the wall and was taken aback.
“Wait, there’s more than one?”
Hurriedly, he cast a barrier to prevent more from coming through.
At that moment, the creatures all turned their heads in unison to look in one direction. Even the white parasites followed suit.
“What’s going on? They suddenly stopped fighting.”
“Wait, do you hear something strange?”
A tearing sound, as if flesh were being ripped apart, echoed through the walls. Soon, a hole began to form, and an arm with three fingers thrust through it.
Thud!
Bellman concentrated his barrier’s strength on that spot. Then, a familiar voice, the voice of a high-ranking spirit, rang out.
“It seems the queen has taken an interest in you. Congratulations.”
Grinding his teeth, Bellman replied in a grim tone.
“So... the queen... it’s a matriarchal society, like ants or bees?”
A fight against the queen and her offspring. There were limits to the barrier he had used to hold off the young parasites. Witnessing the brown parasites’ combat abilities and realizing the number of them and the presence of a leader, Bellman felt death looming.
But, contrary to his expectations, Merdilla responded with surprise.
“Matriarchal society? Not at all. These creatures compete among themselves. They fight to become the queen.”
“They… fight to become the queen?”
“Yes, because they don’t have a lifespan. The current queen births offspring only to raise them as food. The young ones, in turn, try to kill her to break free from that fate.”
Regardless of whether this was true or not, Bellman had no intention of lowering the barrier. He was willing to exhaust all his mana to maintain it and escape.
Just then, the queen scraped the barrier with her claws.
Rip!
The barrier tore like paper. The queen emerged with steady, dragging footsteps, revealing a slender, purple exoskeleton.
Feeling an indescribable sense of dread, Bellman shouted urgently.
“Retreat! Everyone, gather here! Hurry!”
The group rushed toward Bellman. The queen, however, ignored them entirely and approached the brown parasites trapped by the barrier.
Slash, slash.
The queen shredded the barrier effortlessly. Even as Bellman prepared an escape route, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Could the high-ranking spirit’s words have been true?
Rrrrrr—
The brown parasites, baring their fangs, swarmed the queen, surrounding her like a ball of string. Only after breaking through the wall did the group manage to escape to the next location. Bellman, who was the last to escape, shuddered in fear upon seeing the brown exoskeleton being ripped apart. The queen wasn’t even fighting; she was calmly consuming them, as one might pluck an apple from a basket.
Crunch!
***
Screams rang out from various directions, assaulting my eardrums. As I ran to save those who were trapped, I occasionally glanced at the bat.
“Why does it feel like it keeps staring at me?”
‘You’re right, Hersel. It hasn’t looked away from you since a while ago,’ confirmed Donatan, sealing my suspicion.
I hid behind the towering Aslay, casting spells from time to time. After a few minutes of professors clearing the path at the front, the body of a slug began to approach. The exhausted faces of our allies showed how much strength they had expended for the rapid advance.
With no one paying attention to me, I seized the opportunity. Carefully surveying my surroundings, I began casting inventory magic.
