NOVEL WEB Chapter 167
Baek So-yul, having poured her magic to the point of exhaustion, suddenly plopped down onto the ground.
Her pale complexion said it all. No matter how much magic gathered, a human body isn’t exactly a piece of furniture. Unlike a balloon that gets inflated and deflated, using magic just plainly tires a person out.
Having exceeded her limits, she felt a strange disconnect, as if something was off. Magic whispered that she could still go on, but her body simply wouldn’t cooperate.
Gasping, Baek So-yul sensed someone’s gaze on her, but was it just her imagination? When she looked around, she found that nobody was watching her anymore.
A dizzying wind blew from the edge of the floating island, and clutching her heart, she reached for the leftover potion in her pouch, only to have her wrist grabbed.
“Don’t!”
Thinking it might be her teacher, she looked up, but it was Anela. Following Anela’s gesture as she pointed down, Baek So-yul glanced, but saw nothing.
All she saw was red. Just as Anela brushed her eyes, Baek So-yul suddenly perceived what Anela was seeing, even if it was just an illusion, it appeared the same.
Chasing after the Wolf was a tough task even for Anela, but with the Wolf’s injuries and Anela’s superior vision, she could at least catch a glimpse of the dark remnants.
At ease, Baek So-yul relaxed and fell asleep as if dead. Though her magic was still there, her mind was utterly drained— Anela shook her head at her persistent stubbornness.
Even after Baek So-yul collapsed and sighed in relief, the Disease continued to move. As always, it toughened out against magic and relentlessly pursued the Wolf, and as she swallowed her saliva, someone began to chant a spell.
—A scarlet magic circle floated in the air. Beautiful scarlet radiated from her eyes as the girl completed her final incantation.
***
Despite suffering, the Disease wasn’t dead. It had indeed been injured by the bombardment in the Square, but if it had been that easy to kill, it wouldn’t have been called a calamity.
The Disease was a monster too powerful to be killed that easily. The Wolf ran above the skies, pursued by the oncoming beast.
Though it could have slipped through the gap created by the white explosion like light, the Wolf was not in good shape. No, it was practically a ragged mess.
Most of its body had melted away, organs included. The brain and heart barely survived, but the stomach and intestines were critically burned and decimated. Even if regeneration kicked in, it would take a good amount of time.
In such a precarious state, the reason the Wolf still clung to life was due to Dragon Blood and resilience. Creatures with dragon blood don’t just die easily.
Even in such a dire condition, the Wolf did not stop moving. Its lungs melted away to the point it could barely breathe, yet the oxygen within the Dragon Blood kept it on its feet.
However, no matter how mutated it became, the body wasn’t cooperating well. The present Wolf could only run at about half its previous speed.
This is why Anela Morest and the mages could still see the Wolf’s movements.
In contrast, despite being injured, the Disease remained in a state capable of sufficient movement. Gritting its teeth, it jumped toward the skies, chasing right after the Wolf.
Yet, of course, the distance was still closing in. The Disease’s body squirmed and from its melted form, tentacles emerged, pursuing the Wolf.
This time, there was no way to avoid it. The tentacles’ movements were easy to read, but there was no strength left to execute an escape.
If not for the tactic of draining the Disease’s stamina through excessive exertion, the Wolf would have been dead several times over by now.
There was definitely a way to turn this situation around.
—The Mock Elixir. Drinking the mimicked God’s blood would heal these wounds in an instant. Not just a simple recovery, but one might even gain a vitality bordering on immortality for a brief period. That way, the Disease could be killed. If it managed to not die for just a short time, the Wolf was confident it could tear through the Disease. Plus, chances were high that its regeneration skill would level up.
It might even manage to slay the Plague too, the one fleeing and wounded.
Yeah. It was thinking about taking it. That was in mind.
With the Disease looming so close, it felt utterly hopeless. That gaping maw seemed like it was ready to devour the Wolf in an instant. The advantage had been used, and the storm had already been unleashed. There were no remaining means to escape by sheer force.
Still, the Wolf did not drink it in the end.
If it drank the Mock Elixir now, it would have no hope of overcoming an inevitable calamity that would come later. Faced with an unknown catastrophe, the Wolf ran relentlessly to escape, but the Black Forest was blocking its path and the giant jaws poised to swallow it were steadily closing in.
Even if it drank the Mock Elixir now, it would be too late.
In that life-or-death despair, the Wolf smiled.
This is not madness. Neither was it recklessness. Because, it had a firm belief that it could get out of this situation.
“―――!”
As the jaws of the Disease closed, the Wolf released a sigh of relief deep inside. The darkness reflected in its crimson eyes wasn’t just an endless void, but a clear view ahead.
“Are you okay?”
When it heard that voice, surprise washed over it. It seemed it was still alive after all… The Wolf nodded, watching the White Deer showering with cold sweat.
“I felt a bit lighter before. Phew. Anyway, how about coming down now?”
It wasn’t the fantasy world, but the real one. Just before being swallowed by the Disease, the White Deer had taken the Wolf to the fantasy realm. Thanks to that, it managed to narrowly escape with its life.
The Wolf expressed gratitude, but the White Deer shook its head.
“No need for thanks. But are you planning to fight that thing?”
“……”
“I won’t say anything bad. But…”
As the White Deer seemed to consider its words, the Wolf nodded. There was no denying the truth in what the White Deer said. It was still far from reaching the Disease.
However, that didn’t mean there was time for leisure. This time, they managed to collaborate with the Square and the fantasy realm, but the next time that might not be possible.
After all, the Wolf wasn’t aiming to fight the Disease. All it needed was for the wounded one to simply run away. As long as it didn’t intrude while it was fighting, that was all that mattered.
The Wolf’s target was purely the Plague. It was not the superior Disease, but the wounded one lost in the chaos of magic.
“What about the Fairy Dragons?”
In response to the Wolf’s question, the Deer nodded as if to show where to look, and they could see the Fairy Dragons buzzing from a distance. They would soon arrive. The White Deer had sprinted ahead using teleportation.
The dragons from the fantasy realm were coming… which also meant the Fairy would arrive. The Wolf, pushing its emotions down, looked down once more.
Since it was still in the fantasy realm, the Disease’s form was, of course, invisible. Meanwhile, the melted body was slowly regenerating, and by the time they finished their conversation, most of the wounds had healed.
—The Disease would soon be fleeing. While there was a slim chance it could die, it was more likely to survive. Awaiting the short time until the magical bombardment ended, the Wolf rose slowly into the air.
The key was how many wounds could be inflicted on the Plague.
The Wolf sat in a relaxed state, waiting for the fight to come, breathing slowly.
***
Hong Yu-ri, focused on her incantation, noticed the White Deer’s presence too late.
“……!”
As the Disease’s jaws clicked shut, Hong Yu-ri squeezed her eyes shut. Within her closed eyelids, her pupils trembled uncontrollably.
The unbelievable fact that Alpha had been hit… or maybe it’s still alive. After all, the Wolf had been eaten once but had managed to escape.
—It should be possible. If just a gap opened up, it could break free.
As the moment the scarlet magic circle glowed, Hong Yu-ri swallowed her agitation and manifested her magic. Just as it flashed, the dark point blasted towards the Disease, but at the last moment, it twisted its body. An explosion occurred where the dragon’s linch was torn out.
That caused sufficient damage. Still, Hong Yu-ri was not satisfied. The Disease was holding on till the end.
Somehow, she had to force it to open its jaws……?
“Why aren’t you getting tired?!”
As she gasped, Hong Yu-ri turned to see Dorothy bent over.
“I, I!”
It seemed like she was saying something, but Hong Yu-ri cleanly ignored her. If she had time to bicker with that brat, it would be better to chant a line of incantation instead.
But thinking it over felt strange. Why wasn’t it tired? This question hovered in Hong Yu-ri’s mind. Why? They had both chanted the great magic. In that case, it should be herself who tires first.
“What is this great magic even about?”
With that question swelling in her mind, although her mouth was mumbling, her head was filled with other thoughts. What in the world was great magic anyway? As her thoughts raced off, words began to whisper in her ears.
“Se înroșesc―”
……More. Just a bit more.
At that whispered urgency, Hong Yu-ri irritably slapped her ear. Blood was seeping from a burst eardrum, yet she felt no pain. For some reason, she couldn’t stop the incantation.
“Puterea cuvintelor mele Acoperă lumea.”
……Shout. Recite. Scream. Yell.
With those whispering words, Hong Yu-ri lost her ability to distinguish whether what she was seeing was reality or illusion.
“Prin urmare, Ceea ce vreau este devenit realitate!”
In truth, she might have already collapsed, dreaming her way through this.
In truth, everything could have already ended well, leaving her to wake up without having Alpha swallowed.
Even though she knew that wasn’t possible, weak thoughts persistently tried to rise.
“―Acoperit în foc negru.”
Whatever, it doesn’t matter. Whether it’s reality or a dream, she’ll still use magic. So just shut up. Clutching her heart, Hong Yu-ri felt her heart pounding like crazy. It was relentless, speeding up further and further. In the midst of it all, something began to overflow from within her outwardly.
“Arzând în abis și transformându-se în cenușă―!”
When she spat out the final incantation, Hong Yu-ri didn’t notice that something red was subtly protruding from the back of her neck.