*Thud*
Someone suddenly fell to the ground.
*Thud*
*Thud*
As if being a signal, several other people followed right after, falling on the ground, immovable.
"Wha-!?"
"MONSTER!"
"Kill it!"
"Retreat to a safer position!"
As soon as the monster revealed itself, everyone had mixed reactions.
Some jumped up from their chairs and formed their groups to charge at it; others, mostly the examinees from the rearguard, retreated to get a better grip of the situation and to not engage with the unknown enemy.
"Heal!" – However, in the middle of their confusion, the acolytes and servants from the Cathedral swiftly noticed the abnormal condition the ones fallen on the ground were in and started to heal not only them but also all the nearby people.
"…" – Akihiko scanned the area with his senses but he couldn't find any trace of the instructors or priests from the Cathedral coming to their help.
"It seems they are keeping the instructors busy." – Elizabeth commented while getting up.
The others also followed her and they started to retreat to a corner of the hall.
The examinees closer to the stage started to run toward the monster while the mages chanted their magic.
"May justice shine upon the sinners!" – The monster yelled and black tentacles spurted from its back before thrusting forward at high speed.
*Puchi*
A tentacle pierced through an examinee's combat suit without any resistance.
"Retreat!" – The others who were going to attack the monster quickly abandoned the idea seeing that it was way above their league with this little demonstration.
However, the tentacles didn't stop and even with a corpse weighing on one of them, it didn't diminish its speed as it swiftly pierced another nearby examinee.
"R-Run!" – Finally, the examinees that tried to attack the monster realized that this one heavily outmatched them and started to retreat at full speed.
"What is that?" – Melissa asked while a tinge of fear could be seen in her eyes.
"A 7-star monster." – Melody's answer made the whole group look at her.
"Wha-?" – Lathz's jaw almost fell to the ground, and the others weren't much different except for Akihiko and Elizabeth.
"Indeed, that thing's mana is no joke." – Elizabeth added, however, her comment didn't help the to lift the already down spirits.
"It can use mana!?" – Eric almost yelled but Melissa quickly put her hands on his mouth.
"Yeah, it can." – Elizabeth confirmed as her crimson eyes glowed with an eerie light.
"…" – Akihiko made four purple talismans and threw them around the group before joining both hands and making a strange hand gesture.
"AAAHH!"
"HELP!"
"PULL BACK!"
"HEAL THE INJURED!"
The group observed the slaughter happening in front of them with mixed reactions.
Akihiko and his group were more used to such gruesome things since the nest's episode but most still found the scene before them hard to digest.
On the other hand…
"Blergh!" – Elizabeth's group wasn't doing so well.
The two younger women and surprisingly Melody, vomited at the sight of mangled bodies, blood splattered on the floor and walls, and organs lying around.
"What should we do?" – Darlan asked while glancing at Lathz.
The latter noticed his glance and the group also looked her way – "I… I don't know." – She had acted as the leader of the group until now, however, she wasn't delusional enough to think she knew how to solve this situation, much less how to deal with a 7-star monster, something they never thought they would meet.
"For now, let's try to find an exit." – Elizabeth suggested. Going against a 7-star monster was suicide, even with all the people present in the hall attacking together.
*Boom*
Suddenly, a distant explosion was heard in the hall before several others followed, becoming increasingly louder as everything started to tremble.
"Huh?" – The dark being looked up – "It seems those sinners are stronger than what we anticipated…" – It commented unperturbed by the trembling.
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and they glowed even brighter. A second later her face contorted in a mix of displeasure, apprehension, and concern – "Change of plans, we need to stay inside here if we want to have a chance of surviving." – The others were obviously stunned by her words and disbelief could be seen in their eyes – "I can use clairvoyance magic, and I just observed the situation outside. Unless we want to get caught in the crossfire between the instructors and high-level monsters, we shouldn't go out." – Her words were nicer than the truth.
The situation outside was beyond chaos and maybe not even a miracle would save them if they exited the hall now.
"Back to square one…" – Lathz mumbled and nervously looked back at the being on stage, continuing the slaughter.
'Our chances are dangerously close to zero.' – Akihiko assessed their current situation. Even if he counted Elizabeth and her protagonist's luck, it is a fact that in the game the player could die as Elizabeth, so in reality, it shouldn't be impossible for her to die too.
"Barrier!" – The acolytes and servants from the Cathedral yelled as a golden barrier appeared and reflected the tentacles away, creating a small safe zone where examinees and students were.
"Tsk, annoying." – The being muttered, clearly displeased, and started to relentlessly attack the barrier.
"Hold It!" – The pressure on the people from the Cathedral increased and blood started to drip from the mouths of some. The safe zone wouldn't last long.
"I think we should fight it." – Elizabeth spoke after pondering.
"Are you crazy!?" – Melody asked as she finally recovered herself. This wasn't part of the plot, there was no 7-star monster at this time in the game; the difficulty had jumped from hard to impossible.
"It's suicide to fight against that thing, however, it's a sure death if we get out of here now. The battle outside is definitely something we can't handle." – Elizabeth spoke – "I… think I can deal a blow on it if some mages help me chant a magic." – She commented unsurely, after all the highest level among the examinees was 2-star, while the students were 5-star, but even they were being slaughtered like lambs.
"…" – Lathz considered her words before looking at Elizabeth up and down – "Can you really pull it off?" – It wasn't that she was picking on her, but it was hard to believe a 2-star had magic able to affect a 7-star, even if she would be doing so with the help of other people.
"I won't say it will be extremely effective, but I'm sure if it lands, it should do some damage, at least." – Elizabeth replied with confidence.
"…" – Lathz considered it briefly but the screams in the background hurried her to decide – "How much time do you need and how many mages?"
"1 minute and 10 mages, myself included." – The reply, however, wasn't good.
"This will be hard." – Holding for a whole minute against that monster wasn't something anyone in this hall could do, but they also needed to convince others to cooperate with them.
"I will help." – Melissa spoke and Eric nodded, agreeing with her.
"M-Me too." – Beatrix also joined.
"Count with me, Elizabeth." – Melody recomposed herself before also volunteering. If anyone should be able to do something against a 7-star monster, it should be Elizbeth. She was their best shot to get out alive.
"We just need 5 more." – Elizabeth concluded and turned to Akihiko – "Aki, you can cancel your mystic art."
Akihiko did as told and the talismans broke into small particles of light.
"We will try to convince other mages in the meantime." – Elizabeth said and looked at the group before looking at the monster. She herself couldn't think of a way to distract that thing for long enough.
"Huh?" – Her attention went back to Akihiko when he tapped her shoulder. He did some hand signals and her eyes widened – "Are you sure? I know you don't like it, so you don't need to force yourself." – She persuaded.
Akihiko shook his head and replied through hand signals.
"…" – Seeing that he was going to follow with it, she reluctantly used her skill to activate her telepathy.
Akihiko trembled and his expression beneath the mask briefly changed to a disgusted and uncomfortable one. He felt a sudden urge to scratch himself but remained composed and ignored it.
The smell of blood and flesh had become too strong and some examinees and even acolytes were having a difficulty time breathing.
"What now?" – Darlan asked as he took out his two swords.
"We have to hold against it." – Roxanne spoke while taking out her rifle.
"We'll help." – The two women who were part of Elizabeth's group took out their weapons.
Lathz gulped while looking at the thing slaughtering people with a smile on its face. Her lips trembled as she tightened her grip on her axe – "Alright, let's g-"
Akihiko took out his two katanas on his back and pale blue blades formed on them.
"What?" – The others were surprised by the new voice.
"Huh?" – The group widened their eyes and looked at him just to see a blur.
Akihiko sprinted through the hall, using the tables to avoid the blood-splattered floor and the corpses on it.
Moving without making a noise, he soon arrived within 10 meters of the monster.
"It seems that there are some sneaky cockroaches." – The thing said before a tentacle shot toward Akihiko.
Tilting his head, the tentacle passed by, leaving a small gash on his mask, but he shrugged it off and kept running.
"Huh?" – The monster's smile became thinner – "Annoying." – It spoke in a voice tinged with annoyance.
This time, several tentacles shot toward Akihiko.
'Its emotional control is unstable.' – Akihiko noted that it had intelligence but seemed to be prone to provocations.
Jumping, he avoided a tentacle aimed at his heart before spinning, cutting another one with one katana, and using another tentacle as a foothold and jumping forward, avoiding several others that pierced where he was a moment ago.
"You cockroach…" – The monster muttered as Akihiko quickly got within 3 meters of distance from it.
Akihiko increased his focus to the maximum, he knew that at this distance if he timed wrongly, he would be hit. And a single hit would kill him on the spot.
'Here it comes.' – He felt tentacles coming from every direction, even from beneath the ground.
Akihiko jumped, avoiding being skewed alive.
However, as soon as he jumped, the monster's grin widened again.
*Puchi*
A black spear-like energy shot from one of the tentacles and pierced Akihiko's arm, throwing him off balance.
Akihiko swiftly corrected his position but the tentacles' speed almost doubled out of nowhere.
*Puchi*
In less than a second, one by one, the tentacles skewed him alive, piercing all his vital spots, giving his suit no chance of keeping him alive.
Not only she but the others felt the blood go cold when they saw his body impaled.
The monster's grin froze when it saw Akihiko's body wiggling and dispersing into some pale blue smoke-like energy, leaving the tentacles impaling air.
"Wha-?" – Confusion became visible in its inhuman eyes but before it could even finish its words, it felt some prickles on its body.
*Thud*
*Thud*
"Huh?" – The monster looked down and saw both of its arms lying on the ground.
Then it looked back and saw several shurikens embedded on its back and glowing in an eerie light while Akihiko was some distance away.
When reality settled in, the monster's smile completely faded and more than thrice the amount of the previous tentacles spurted out off its back while its arms melted and were absorbed through its legs before regrowing as if nothing had happened.
"For a sinner to dare profane not only the land but also try to do so to this body…" – Its voice took a sharper edge and became surprisingly calmer than before.
Akihiko adjusted his position and prepared himself – 'I got its attention.' – Now started the truly hard part.
Try not to die.
"Be gone." – The thing said.
And a black torrent came toward him.
.
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Curiosity: As the protagonist of the game, Elizabeth, aside from being extremely beautiful, is also an amazing fighter and strategist.
She is strong enough to take on Akihiko's group alone and win against them without a problem, as long as Akihiko himself isn't included.
However, when it comes to strategy although she is ahead of her peers, she trusts Akihiko more than her own judgment since his instincts border the realm of precognition, being seldom wrong.
If she makes a plan and Akihiko tells her he has a bad feeling, she will change the plain immediately.
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A/N: Hello there, I hope you're having a wonderful day!
So, what are your thoughts on the chapters so far? What about the curiosities? Please tell me in the comments or through a review.
Also, if you think that something is too much or too little, for example, the overall pace of the novel, the details, or some other thing, please do tell, I'm always open to criticism as long as it's with respect.
Give me your feedback so I can try to entertain you more (⌐■_■)
And add this novel to your library if you like it, it already helps me.
Well, that's it from me, until next week, folks.
Peace out~🍷😎