NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 177. Run, child, run!
"Whatever comes out, don't attack right away," Leo quickly warned. "There is always a chance that it will just die after a minute or two in the Sun."
Lily raised an eyebrow at him. "That's pretty optimistic of you. Do you even believe that?"
He snorted. "Nope. But at least give me enough time to scan it and read through Bestiary, okay? We're not going in blind."
His sister nodded while Nyx sent her agreement through their link. A moment later, another tremor traveled through the earth, forcing them all to steady their feet. For some reason, he doubted most buildings around them would survive the next few minutes.
"Here it comes," Leo muttered as the debris in the middle of the ruined Graveyard exploded outwards. A high-pitched wail pierced the air next, almost bursting his eardrums. He winced and narrowed his eyes at the settling cloud of dust in the distance.
Shit.
Dozens of Collectors and Scouters flowed out into the open, their skin already covered in bubbling blisters as sunlight took away their strength. Then there were the few Phantoms that flew high into the air, only for their bodies to pop like a balloon after a few seconds.
Yet, despite the many Nightmare Voidlings coming out, Leo didn't care much for them. They were already dying after all, and in a minute, if even that, nothing would remain of them. No, what truly captured his attention was the thing that freed them from their prison.
A giant millipede?
At first glance, that was the only thing that came to his mind. However, aside from the long worm-like body and dozens of tiny legs, it didn't really resemble the said anthropoid. For one, this beast's skin looked more like dragon scales that glinted in the sunlight. And then, there was its head equipped with a mouth full of giant, razor-sharp teeth and three pairs of massive mandibles on each side.
Indomitus Myrdrak (Nightmare Voidling) | Rank: D- | LVL: N/A | Type: Special, Armor, Lightning
The what? What the hell does that name even mean? Leo growled as he spared the worm another glance. It still struggled to free the rest of its body from the debris, so he at least still had a bit more time to get more info.
Bestiary.
Race: Nightmare Voidling | Subspecies: Indomitus Myrdrak
Expected Potential: E+ to D+
Arsenal: Lightning, Mandibles
Known weaknesses: Speed
A special Nightmare-type Voidling usually designated as a nest mother. Indomitus Myrdrak evolution descends from lightning-void dragons that shed their wings and lost most of their power. They are still dangerous and can easily kill most enemies of the same rank. Despite being a Nightmare, they can resist sunlight much longer than their lesser kin thanks to their ancestry. Please note that their affinity is wild and uncontrollable; there is no pattern in its release.
"I swear, I'm gonna kill Holden," he grumbled. "Fucker just had to jinx us."
"Leo? What is it?" Lily shot him a concerned look.
"It's a dragon, or well, something related to dragons at least," he scowled. "It has a lightning affinity and scales strong enough to make them a problem. Sunlight won't kill it as fast as other Nightmares. Hell, you can already see that for yourself."
His sister nodded as she gazed down at the masses of Voidlings falling to the ground. Not even a minute had passed since they had emerged, and already, most of them lay in puddles of their own blood and liquified flesh.
In contrast, the Myrdrak seemed undamaged as it continued to crawl out of the debris.
"So what's the plan?" Lily asked. "Should we attack, or..."
Leo shook his head. "No, we wait. The sun is still doing work, just much slower. As long as this fucking thing doesn't go for Eden or us, we will stay out of sight and observe."
His sister nodded but didn't dismiss her bow. "We are killing it, right? That's a lot of experience just lying around. It would be a pity to waste it."
"We are, don't worry. We just have to be pat- Fuck!"
As the curse left his mouth, both he and Lily backed off as lightning bolts exploded across the entire area. They rained upon the earth, leaving scorch marks everywhere they hit. Not even the building they stood on was spared.
"So it begins," he muttered as the storm stopped, and his eyes fell on the freed Myrdrak. With its entire body out of the debris, it was as long as three or maybe even four school buses.
"It doesn't know we are here," his sister whispered.
And indeed, it didn't. Despite its initial lightning attack, the Nightmare wasn't trying to find the ones responsible for the collapse of the Graveyard. Instead, it ran around the mall's ruins and devoured all its kin's remains. It screeched between the bites, its voice probably echoing for miles.
'This can't be good, Leo,' Nyx stated just as she landed beside him. 'Look at its scales. It's healing, buying itself more time. We need to do something.'
No. He denied instantly. It can heal as much as it wants. Sunlight will kill it anyway if it remains in the open. We can't step in unless it is weakened.
'We might not have a choice.'
Just before Nyx said that, the Myrdrak paused its feast and rose its head high off the ground. Its massive mouth opened and closed several times, swallowing air in big gulps. A low hiss left its throat next, and with that, the beast was off, sprinting on its dozens of tiny legs right toward...
"Leo! It's going for the safe zone!"
"I can see that!" He growled, Reinforcement already activating in his body. "Get into the air and hit it with everything you have. Throw fucking flares if you must. Just stop it from going there. We can't let it catch up to the others. We will be right behind you."
Lily didn't need to hear more, and with a mighty leap, she spread her wings and flew off after the Myrdrak. He and Nyx followed, only they had to use rooftops and the Vetilim webs instead.
They still managed to catch up with their superior Grace attribute. Shadows stirred around them and formed hundreds of sharp projectiles. They flew right for the massive Nightmare, joining Lily's barrage of light from above. Only none of this did anything to its armor.
"Come on, you bloody thing, turn!" Leo hissed, letting bloodlust fill his veins and activate Ruthless Efficiency. He ignored the initial stage and instantly pushed it into Blaze, welcoming the primal instincts with open arms.
Essence stirred all over his right hand. The black and red affinity coalesced into a tight ball, ready to be released. His bloodlust sang in joy at the use of Ruination, and even he had fight back a grin as he threw the orb at the Nightmare.
"Ignore that, you fuck!"
The Void's true power crashed into one of the many scales at the end of the beast's body. It drilled right through, leaving exposed flesh in its wake. The Myrdrak screeched as it stopped, seeking the one who harmed it.
And that's my cue.
With Reinforcement at full power and bloodlust climbing to new peaks, Leo dashed away just as the Nightmare's body sparked with lightning, releasing a shockwave on the place he just vacated. He still risked a single peek over his shoulder to confirm that it was following him.
"Now what!?" Lily screamed as she flew a bit closer to him.
"Fuck if I know!" He shouted back. "This wasn't in my plan! I didn't expect it to sense the others and run right for them!"
"But you damaged it! I saw the wound!"
"That thing took over a tenth of my Essence," he explained and winced as the Myrdrak behind him collapsed another building by running right through it. "I play for time! You and Nyx can try to hit the spot I exposed. Go!"
While his sister left immediately, the feline needed another nudge through their link to follow his plan. In the end, she knew there was nothing she could do for him. He just had to run as fast as possible and pray to the gods that none of the stray bolts of lightning would hit him.
Hopefully, I can tank at least one of these. He thought, enveloping his entire body in a tight layer of shadows for good measure. Valron Protection also activated, spreading the dark green symbols across his arm.
With his backup plan ready, Leo released a bit of his bloodlust. As much as he needed its power boost, he didn't want to go into the Inferno stage by accident. Even with his newfound, almost perfect, control of Blaze, he doubted it would fully extend to the thing that made him lose his mind.
I will leave it as a last resort. For now, my little friend, we're going on a trip. Please buckle your seats and enjoy the sights. I know I won't...
