Chapter 987 Overgrowth

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The blood barrier trembled under the relentless a.s.sault of ma.s.sive claws, but this time it held firm. Arthur furrowed his brow, trying to comprehend what had changed. Meanwhile, Seraphine was still undergoing her transformation.

"We"re aware of our weaknesses, which the G.o.ds exploited," Seraphine declared as fiery veins covered her face. Her eyes now glowed entirely scarlet, resembling blood coursing through them. "I won"t squander the life I"ve been given!"

Within the swirling blood, bubbles appeared as if it were boiling. Arthur noticed that whatever Seraphine was doing, it was taking a toll on her. Her face looked paler than usual, but her fiery blood seemed to transform into molten lava.

Lian appeared equally troubled. As the boiling blood made contact with his monster"s claw, the creature began to convulse and twist. Whatever work he had put into it was now thrown into chaos as the monster screamed and lost control of its own body.

"What have you done?" Lian asked, bewildered, watching his monster"s hand grow into a grotesque tumor. Seraphine grinned as her blood barrier dissipated, transforming into bubbling gas that diffused into the surroundings.

"I amplified its lifeforce," she explained in a single sentence. That revelation clarified Arthur"s earlier question about the change in her ability. It was a concept similar to what he had done with Amelio, exploiting uncontrolled growth akin to how cancer wreaks havoc on humans.

Lian attempted to regain control using his mystic art, but he failed. The monster continued to scream as its hand multiplied and grew larger than its own body, rendering it immobile. Gritting his teeth, Lian waved his finger, which turned red, and the hand detached before reforming into the original monster.

Disfigured and mutilated, the monsters emerged from the giant growing tumor, screaming in agony before succ.u.mbing to death and turning into lumps of flesh. Arthur felt sickened; it was his first time witnessing such a horrifying form of torture.

Seraphine showed mercy, slashing her blood arts to quickly dispatch the monsters and end their suffering. Lian, however, was more concerned about his masterpiece, which seemed to spiral out of control even after severing its hand. Nevertheless, it eventually managed to calm down.

"Demons are troublesome opponents, just as I feared," Lian said with a frown, glancing at Arthur. "The risk wouldn"t have been worth it."

Lowering his hand, Lian commanded his Thousand Wings to attack Seraphine, then turned and fled into the forest, escaping for his life. Arthur sighed, having foreseen this outcome.

"d.a.m.n coward," Seraphine cursed, raising her blood barrier to block the attacking monster. Arthur dismounted from the giant and landed on the ground, ready to give chase, but he hesitated.

Lian had suffered heavy losses and gained nothing from this battle. Losing two of his strongest tamed monsters, Thousand Wings and the Frost Giant, it made no sense for him to escape now and abandon his most powerful a.s.sets.

Choosing not to pursue, Arthur turned back towards the giant. After a moment of contemplation, he returned to Sith Town, leaving Seraphine to confront the homunculus. He walked through the breached walls until he reached the giant"s head.

Still unconscious, the giant displayed strange lights flickering atop its head. As he suspected, Lian was using himself as bait to regain control of his giant while Arthur was giving chase. However, Arthur saw through his ploy.

Black lightning crackled in Arthur"s hands as he shot it towards the glowing lights, shattering them. Gradually, the lights faded away. Placing his hand on the giant"s forehead, Arthur infused it with a pulse of creation mana, awakening the ma.s.sive creature.

With a low voice that seemed to shake the heavens, the blue giant growled, rising from the ground. Arthur appeared minuscule in comparison, but he maintained eye contact with the giant"s eerily blue eyes.

"You"re... the man who broke the chains," the giant rumbled.

"That"s what I"m best known for," Arthur replied with a smile, tilting his head to meet the giant"s gaze. "Have you regained your senses?"

"Thanks to that strange lightning..." the giant mumbled, shaking its head. The force of the movement stirred up gales of wind, rustling its golden and black robes. "Skaldice owes his life."I think you should take a look at

"And a wall," Arthur added, gesturing towards the torn-down barriers. Skaldice, as Arthur a.s.sumed the giant was called, erupted in laughter. The vibrations of its voice shook the entire city, nearly piercing their eardrums. Once it subsided, Arthur asked again, "How did you end up tamed by a human?"

"That sly human knows some peculiar arts," the giant replied. "I woke up one day, unable to defy him. For years, I followed his commands, traversing the path of this tower, until you saved me."

Though Arthur didn"t comprehend the words, he sensed that the tower"s magic was somehow enabling them to understand each other. Smirking, he asked, "And... do you seek revenge?"

The giant appeared puzzled, but its eyes showed determination at the opportunity presented.

As Lian hurried through the dense forest, his hands never ceased their fluid movements, manipulating the ethereal lights that danced around his fingers. However, to his bewilderment, the lights suddenly burst into nothingness, leaving him momentarily confused.

"Did something happen to Skaldice?" Lian muttered to himself as his intricate tattoos rearranged themselves on his skin. Instinctively, he reached into his shirt and retrieved a translucent stone hanging from his necklace. The stone had an otherworldly aura, and as he held it, strange characters briefly appeared atop it before vanishing once more. "It never malfunctioned before, so why now?"

Although he was tempted to turn back and investigate the anomaly, Lian hesitated, knowing it was too risky at this critical moment. Instead, he pressed on, tightly clutching the translucent stone, which now emitted a faint shimmering light. As he was halfway into the forest, his path was abruptly blocked by two imposing figures.

"As Seika said, he did run away indeed," stated the tall white figure among the two, his voice deep and resonant. The creature appeared to be human, but it was covered in a luxurious coat of pristine white fur, with long, sinewy arms and an imposing stature that exuded power. "Are you known for cowardice, tamer?"

Lian halted his frenzied sprint, his gaze locked on the enigmatic duo before him. If he wasn"t mistaken, the man wearing the black robes was indeed Seika. Had Seika foreseen Lian"s escape and cunningly dispatched these individuals to intercept him?

"Never let your guard down, even if he"s a coward," warned the cloaked figure, lifting his hands that resembled gleaming silver claws. The silvery appendages sparkled in the filtered sunlight, adding an air of mystique to his persona. "This man can control a frost giant. We can"t be too cautious."

With a sly smirk playing on his lips, Lian retorted, "Are you two his lackeys?" He swiftly moved his hand to hide the translucent stone, concealing its significance. "I never thought Sith Town would prove to be so troublesome. However, if I can"t even take down his minions, I might as well perish here."

"You are going to perish here," the cloaked figure declared with a fierce determination, his eyes fixed on Lian as he launched himself forward. Before Lian"s eyes, the figure"s silver claws struck an invisible yet impenetrable wall, causing sparks to fly and sending him hurtling backward. With a graceful twist, the cloaked figure regained his balance and landed beside the towering Waiga, who couldn"t help but snicker at the scene.

"This tamer has some sort of extraordinary protection," the cloaked figure muttered, his beast-like eyes scrutinizing Lian intently. "I knew tamers were cunning, but this one is especially so. He must have an extensive array of monsters under his rule."

Lian chuckled at their woeful underestimation of his abilities, drawing upon his power to summon a ma.s.sive, spectral jellyfish that enveloped him, forming an almost impregnable shield. "You all overestimate yourselves. You have no idea how many monsters I control. It would undoubtedly terrify you."

Just then, as if a harbinger of impending doom, an earthquake shook the ground beneath their feet. Lian"s grin widened with exhilaration as he realized that his most formidable soldier had returned. The trio turned in unison, beholding the awe-inspiring sight of the colossal blue giant advancing from between the trees. Each thunderous step sent trees crashing to the ground and reverberations that induced a palpable fear coursing through their bodies. Amidst the escalating tension, the only exception was Lian himself, who felt nothing but absolute elation and empowerment.

"Why is the giant back after Seika supposedly defeated it?" the cloaked figure questioned, perplexed by the unexpected turn of events. "Is he alright?"

"You"re worrying about the wrong person," the Waiga interjected, drawing his gleaming blade with a sense of readiness. His imposing presence matched that of a seasoned warrior. "We have a giant and a tamer to worry about, Whisky boy. It"s a matter of survival now. Make your choice, or we both perish."

The cloaked figure, Whisky, as they referred to him, seemed to have grasped the severity of their predicament and wisely opted to divide their forces, hoping to secure a victory in at least one of the impending battles. However, the other figure, Seika, remained unusually composed, a.n.a.lyzing both Lian and the colossal giant with a calculating intensity.

"If we kill the tamer, the giant falls," Whisky concluded, his voice carrying a tone of certainty and conviction. The ominous declaration hung in the air like a prelude to an imminent clash of t.i.tans.