The Guardian

Chapter 256: The Great Worm

The tremor spread, and Aurora heard the noise.

As if tens or hundreds of creatures were moving at the same time.

The tunnel was dark, but she could still see thanks to the concoction she had taken.

Still, the trembling that spread that impending noise of disaster and the pressure coming from the atmosphere made her tighten her grip on her sword.

However, her hand remained steady, and she advanced fearlessly as the auras surrounding her sword grew more intense.

This tunnel had no other way and was straight to the small goblin lair.

Being created in the middle of stone, it made it seem as if the creatures couldn’t get out from the wall, but that meant there was only one way out and in.

The shaking became stronger, and Aurora could see the creatures approaching in the distance.

Worms from one meter to four meters wide and ranging in length from eight to over ten meters, each with a huge mouth.

The downside was that not one or two, but dozens of worms came and each one was heading towards her, intending to devour her.

Aurora, with her sword in her hand, stopped looking at those worms that came advancing along the walls and ceiling, leaving no open space, giving the feeling that those creatures would swallow her, leading her to death.

Was she afraid?

Yes, everyone should be afraid of this scene and she was no different, but her fear did not change her response.

Her master taught her to move first, so she did.

She drew a second sword from her inventory and with the light blue aura, she extended a barrier and stabbed the sword into the ground, to prevent the creatures from passing into the hiding place.

It also prevented any point of retreat for her and she was locked in with her enemy, eliminating any thought of retreating.

Then she moved forward, accelerating with all her might, keeping pace with her adrenaline-fueled heartbeat and listening to the beastly grunts of the worms.

Her first aura to appear was the green aura that covered her entire sword and she swung it with all her might, getting the green aura slash to advance with greater speed than her.

“GRAhh!”

The first creatures fell, but she sped up even more and dodged the acid spitters, creating platforms at her feet to then slash at everyone she encountered with her red aura infused sword.

Stepping on those creatures, she opted for a grotesque murder approach as she moved forward without looking back.

The worms threw themselves off the ceiling, but she simply continued forward, slicing at the worms’ flesh, backs and stomachs without stopping.

More and more speed, faster and faster, until her figure blurred from her swift movements.

“Grahh...”

The worms were jumping to catch her, wanting to bite her body with their big mouths or shooting acid hitting other worms, but she kept stepping on them and slashing to keep moving forward.

Behind her back she could hear the worms she failed to slay turn around to follow her, enraged by the corpses that were falling by her blade.

Her red aura cut through the wall, cut through the floor, the worms and everything in her path as she left a reddish trail that grew more and more intense.

However, there were too many worms, so much that they covered her vision and that meant that in the end there were attacks she couldn’t avoid.

And that was the acidic spits they were throwing at her and she had to receive with her body feeling like it was being burned, but she didn’t give up and didn’t stop.

“Grah...”

“Ghaaa!”

The platforms at her feet allowed her to move forward between the middle of that seemingly endless worm tunnel, ignoring the grunts and many sounds caused by her destruction.

Her speed made it difficult for those creatures to catch her, but more and more appeared as if the tunnel had no end.

But her emotions were expressed through her sword... Through that red aura that wanted to cut everything in her path no matter how tough the skin of those creatures was.

Aurora was stained with the blood of those worms, hit by the acid, and she used her barrier intermittently so as not to wear it down and most of the time relied on her body as her best defense.

If with her sword she embodied her emotions in reality with that desire to murder everything in her path, her body was fueled by her emotions, strengthening her body, but also her stamina increased.

She swung her sword, again and again, cutting her enemies without stopping.

Her eyes were on her target and she didn’t need to look back to see the corpses she had left behind or the hundreds of worms chasing her. She could hear it.

“Grah...”

She could feel them by the shuddering, relentless roars and savagery the worms displayed to tear her body apart and devour her flesh.

Nevertheless, she kept moving forward, eliminating her enemies to see if she could make it to the tunnel that led to the cliff.

Her sword in her hands was a weapon... No, she was a weapon.

Even if she didn’t like the idea, and it was different from before when she enjoyed swinging her sword, enjoying her art as she followed her targets... She knew her master was right.

She was a weapon, and she proved it.

“Gah...”

She cut down three worms.

*Boom*

Her single punch shattered part of the wall with several other worms.

“GAhh.”

“Grah.”

“Ghaa.”

Her green slashes cut through everyone in front and behind her as she swung her sword, and even as her body was slowly being eaten away with acid that was impossible to avoid, she didn’t give up.

At her back was the entrance to the lair of those goblins and it didn’t matter if she didn’t know them or they were strangers, she wouldn’t give up.

No matter if she was a weapon... No, she had to be a weapon.

The most effective and lethal weapon that could possibly exist, because this was the only way to accomplish her goals.

She needed to be a weapon so that no one could stand in her way, so that no one could stop her, and so that she could defeat those who were superior to her.

Like now...

Killing those worms and creating a path of corpses. The pressure on her was increasing.

It was her instincts screaming a warning to her as that pressure pressed down on her.

A ferocity and strength that made her, as an S rank, feel instinctive fear... It was the Great Worm, an SS rank creature, biding its time.

Aurora could not stop and could not lose the attention of this creature that could take down the lair instantly.

It needed her to be its target, and that was why it advanced, cutting with relentless ferocity and after a short advance, the moment came.

“...”

The first thing she felt was her instincts warning her and the next moment she had used the blink ability to go backwards, she could notice a gigantic worm eating the entire area where she had found herself.

Finding herself in the high-speed state where the worms moved somewhat slowly, the worm moved at a surprising speed for its size.

The worst thing was its size... Nearly twenty meters long and with a thickness of about ten meters, it could swallow a human in one bite.

Aurora, the next moment, she saw that this large worm had swallowed the rock wall and created another tunnel. She thrust her sword into the ground, creating a light blue barrier.

“...”

Ignoring the noises, she took a deep breath as she tightened her grip on the handle of her sword.

The small worms around her struck the barrier, wanting to tear her body piece by piece to the point that the worms’ bodies completely covered her vision.

Those creatures could spit acid or use their mouths with hundreds of grotesque teeth to try to bite her.

However, Aurora sheathed her sword and used her lightning gloves to prepare herself.

She could feel the oppression of that Great Worm that wished to devour her and bring her down completely and she could feel it on the other side of the stone wall, biding its time.

All other sounds fell by the wayside, and now there was her, her target, and her enemy.

Aurora prepared to charge forward with her hands surrounded by crackling lightning, and the moment the barrier broke, she charged forward with a punch.

*BOOM*

Her punch opened a path into the tunnel of worms and she ran, using only her body to punch and sweep the worms away.

She pushed them aside, pushed and struck, extending the lightning, opening a path, which she immediately crossed.

She was setting herself like bait to lure the great worm.

“Ghh!”

Her body fed on the emotions strengthening her, which made her able to run over the worms that were trying to stop her.

While her body was small, the power of every push and punch was something the worms could not withstand.

Each thrust, punch or kick crushed the worms grotesquely.

Moving forward with momentum, at one point, she stopped and instinctively drew her sword forcefully, performing a powerful slash with her intangible, colorless aura.

*BOOM*

The strength of a fighter combined with her most destructive sword aura managed to create a powerful slash that split the wall where she had aimed.

It was a thick, deep slash and....

“GAAAAA!”

The earth shook as the beast on the other side let out a ferocious growl, making it clear that she had hit her target and she unable to celebrate, jumped back to dodge.

Part of the tunnel ceiling fell around her as she retreated, then the giant worm appeared, swallowing the ceiling and moved to the rear, staying there.

This tunnel had its shape... A cylindrical tunnel was created by the worm that devoured the earth, creating this path.

Now that worm was looking at her with a deep cut on its head, near its grotesque mouth.

Its open mouth revealed a dark and endless pit, full of fangs and teeth, capable of swallowing her and tearing her apart in one bite.

Aurora had gotten what she wanted, she had the attention... The attention of a powerful SS-ranked magical beast.

However, that creature was not the same as the other worms.

The rocks, spears and all sorts of piercing attacks that rose up in front of the worm showed that the creature had a high affinity for earth magic.

Aurora held her sword, knowing that the worm would not let it escape, and the reason she realized it was because of the spears aimed at her.

“Ugh...”

Her sword deflected the first shot from a thick spear, but she recoiled from the power and a slash spread across her metal shoulder pads.

Wearing her battle suit that was closer to battle armor, her defense was high.

Still, that was all.

Attacks came at her with such impressive speed that it made her have to put everything she had into trying to survive.

Cuts spread across her armor and body as she slowly backed away from the constant attacks.

The grotesque worm’s level for the use of earth magic was terrifying, and she could not escape, but neither was another worm allowed to approach.

Waiting for her moment, giving her best not to be pierced by one of those spears, Aurora saw a large rock approaching her when the worm revealed sign of a major attack.

*BOOM*

She, instead of cutting it with her sword, received the impact of that big rock with her body and because she willingly let herself be pushed without resisting, she flew through the air.

Contorting her body in the air and activating her barrier so that the other worms wouldn’t stop her, Aurora regained stability and after a glance at the worm... She ran in the opposite direction.

Heading to where the crevice and cliff she had fallen through would be, she didn’t have to look back to realize that the Great Worm was following her.

Her most powerful slash had managed to damage the creature and certainly the damage was enough to make it angry, but that was all.

How many slashes did she need to take down such a creature?

Her goal was to stop that creature from not going after the goblins and she didn’t have to fight to the death with that powerful enemy.

Adding that she could now be buried by that worm and its earth magic, Aurora didn’t think too much about it.

Aurora cut off the other worms that were trying to flee from the same worm that was following her, practically swallowing everything in the tunnel, and after a short and tense run, she reached the cliff.

As she was about to climb into the sky trying to use the height advantage to her advantage, she noticed a red light approaching in the distance, from the same place she had landed the first time.

It was like a meteorite... Literally a meteorite on a small scale and Aurora, with a smile, created platforms in the air.

*BOOM*

When the Great Worm came out of the tunnel, it erected a great wall to protect itself, but that meteorite hit it, causing the whole cliff to shake.

Different presences began to spread out, making them combined to feel powerful and the worm, with its little rationality, fled.

Aurora could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

She knew that that creature had watched her and after quite some time, when the worm realized that she was not its rival, the worm attacked.

Just as the old goblin had said, the worm was affected by Chaos, but still maintained certain survival instincts.

Seeing the danger receding, Aurora watched the people who were arriving.

Mainly, Alice in her ‘warrior form’ as they both called it... That five meter tall creature disappeared, revealing her pretty sister.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Alice said with an overly complicated expression.

It was relief and happiness, but also concern and self-blame combined with fury and spite.

The first was directed at seeing her health, the second was placed on herself, surely blaming herself at the sight of that creature... Blaming herself, that maybe she could have managed to become strong long ago.

Leaving the third one that was surely aimed at who brought her to this situation.

People said Alice was indifferent, but Aurora knew that the few emotions she felt were always magnified.

Looking at the others who were arriving with serious expressions, perhaps at the Great Worm, Aurora looked back at Alice and let out a laugh.

Her body was battered from the blows and the acid burned and ate her skin away, but she was still alive.

With the adrenaline rush, the aches and pains took a back seat and so did the worries, leaving her in an altered enough state to laugh at having survived and especially at having reunited with her group.

She then fell silent at the strange looks from her companions and as she felt Urfin use a scroll on her to help her recover from the damage, her expression turned serious.

“Come on. There’s some business to deal with,” Aurora said after calming down.

There were not only ‘some’ but too many issues to deal with.