229 – Prelude to Awakening
Phew!
Lucas’ sword pierced the creature’s body.
With this, you have already killed the 124th creature.
The surrounding area was full of corpses of creatures created by Eve.
There are creatures set at a fairly strong difficulty level that Lucas couldn’t have even dreamed of a year ago.
“······.”
However, Lucas was not very impressed.
Even though he had clearly confirmed his ability to do daily work.
His eyes were pitch black and dead.
Because now he no longer feels any motivation to become stronger.
‘What does it mean? ‘There’s no one to look after me now.’
My mother and Ed made eye contact.
Not only that, but even Claire became Ed’s woman.
How did it end up like this?
If you think about it, the series of events was force majeure.
Edgar Fix was a man who could not be overcome no matter what he did.
He was not only his friend, but also a mentor and teacher, and a goal and milestone in his life.
He is infinitely weak and lacking. How can he possibly surpass him?
I could rationally understand Claire’s passing.
Because he was a perfect man in every way.
‘······.’
But even if I understood it with my head, my heart did not.
It felt like his heart would break.
At one time, I thought of Claire as my soul mate.
Even though we haven’t dated yet.
Even though we weren’t officially dating.
He had more opportunities to talk to her, and surprisingly, she came to think that he was a good match for him.
She had thought that her favor and her heart had reached out to her.
‘I didn’t even know it was an illusion.’
But it was his own illusion.
A momentary dream that even memories will fade when you wake up.
The harder you try to hold the sand, the more it slips through the cracks in your hands.
A mirage in the desert that gets farther and farther away the closer you get.
“···Lucas.”
At that time.
Claire came over and looked at Lucas carefully.
I said to Lucas while looking at the wound on his shoulder.
“I think I need treatment… Stay.”
Claire immediately prepared a healing technique.
The green light that bloomed from her hand wrapped around Lucas’ shoulders warmly.
“······.”
However, Claire’s expression was stiff.
This is because treatment techniques rarely work well.
This was proof that Lucas had closed his mind.
If you want to accept someone else’s magic, you have to keep your mind somewhat open.
In other words, since the mind does not accept other people’s mana, the body also reacts and blocks the other person’s mana.
Claire felt like her heart was being stabbed by the fact that Lucas had blocked her.
“It’s done…”
In that way, a wound that would have normally required 10 effort was healed with 50 effort.
Lucas silently brushed off the blood on the sword, and Claire fell back with a downcast look on her face.
【How pitiful, you little creatures who are not free from desire.】
It was then.
An ominous voice echoes throughout the cave.
Lucas and Claire were able to immediately realize that the owner of this cave had appeared.
Black smoke billowed from ahead, and a huge monster stomped out. Thud. It started to approach making a noise.
-Keee!
However, Lucas was not afraid.
On the contrary, he was filled with enthusiasm at the thought of having someone to express the anger boiling inside him.
He prepared to use his specialty, Igigeo Sword Art, and rotated dozens of swords in the air.
【It’s funny to think that a toy like that would work on me. I am Cassandra, a high demon. He is the master of ‘corruption’.】
Cassandra, a high-ranking demon with a hideous appearance that is a combination of a human woman and a spider.
At first glance, it looks similar to a centaur, but the spider’s appearance, which occupies the entire lower body, aroused disgust.
Lucas rained down 15 swords floating in the air on Cassandra as if it were a question-and-answer dance.
【hehehehe… It’s laughable…】
But this space is inside the inventory created by the emperor.
No physical law could escape the Emperor’s control.
The Emperor, who was watching the situation through a crystal ball, used his power to apply pressure to Lucas’ sword.
Elena applied ancient and modern techniques to create an appropriate effect.
As a result, the black vapor emitted from Cassandra’s body blocked all of Lucas’ swords.
“······After all, it’s not possible to use ordinary methods.”
But Lucas was not embarrassed.
Lucas used the ‘Art of Space Control’ again and cleverly used gravity to raise the sword.
I attacked Cassandra with a stronger force than before.
【It’s quite good, but it’s not enough… Kihihihihi…!】
But as expected, it seemed difficult to win.
All swords are blocked by that unidentifiable vapor.
So Lucas began to use the power he gained through his recent ‘awakening’.
It causes distortion in space and time, causing the time zone of a specific space to diverge from that of another specific space.
In other words, it is the ability to create a rift in the time zone of the space where Cassandra’s face is located and the time zone of her body part, thereby manipulating her face and body so that they are on a different timeline.
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As a result, Cassandra’s face and body were distorted as if the graphics were broken.
Her face and body seemed to be separated like that…
– Cheezy!
The distorted space found its origin and returned to its original state.
At this time, Lucas looked embarrassed for the first time since entering this cave.
“···! How···.”
【Wow, that’s pretty good… Hee hee! Ha, I almost got screwed… No, I almost inflicted fatal injuries on this body.】
And Ed was equally embarrassed.
Because Ed did not know that Lucas had awakened to this ability, he did not prepare at all.
I almost literally got screwed.
It was a disaster because there was insurance from the Emperor and Elena.
‘Lucas, you’ve really become stronger.’
However, on the other hand, I was also happy.
I only gave him direction, but Lucas has become strong enough to develop this secret technique.
But now is the time to awaken Claire and fix Lucas’ weak mentality.
There was no time to admire.
Ed began acting with all his heart, feeling like a father who played the role of a villain and played as a doll to his 7-year-old son.
【Since you showed your sincerity first, there is no reason not to repay the favor! Try to stop it!】
So Ed began to perform the stage he had prepared.
Steam was spread everywhere, creating a space similar to ‘illusion magic’.
【Really realize your helplessness…】
From this point on, Ed took on the role of snooping around and throwing harsh remarks.
Elena and the Emperor took care of all the physical pressure and creepy atmosphere.
“Big!”
Then Lucas also began to shake.
No matter how early he was in his awakening, he couldn’t handle the trinity of Ed, Elena, and the Emperor.
【I can see your desire… Because you are so weak, everyone around you leaves.】
“Shut up!”
【Hmm─. While you suffer, Adela Elmar will be held in the arms of her four friends. Ah, is it about to become Adela Fix?】
“Shut up!”
And Ed’s skill in seeking out people was top-notch.
The free time I had as a graduate student is gone.
Of course, Ed couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable mentioning Adela and Claire in order to corner Lucas.
If he were who he was, he would never have said the worst.
‘······But.’
But if the fate of the world depends on Claire’s awakening.
If Lucas can grow further through this incident.
‘I will say the same thing a hundred or a thousand times.’
There was nothing he couldn’t do, even if he claimed to be a villain like this.
At any time, he could say something vicious that should not be said.
【Oh… Poor Lucas. I see your future. Your half-brother will monopolize your mother’s love. Because I would love your younger brother, who is perfect in every way, more than a defective product like you.】
“aaa!! I’m dying!!!!”
Lucas began to break down.
He fought strategically by carefully calculating the numbers he had and the numbers his opponent had.
He was controlled by his emotions and began to unleash his magic at random.
Igi gear sword, space distortion, space leap, dimensional warp.
He tried everything he had to silence Cassandra.
【But there is no need to get so upset. Maybe it will be Claire’s child who will monopolize Edgar Fix’s love. If it were the young and beautiful Claire, he would give birth to many of his children ─】
“Shut up!! Die! Die! Die! “I’m dying!”
In this way, Lucas became a demon dominated by anger.
Recently, several incidents and Ed’s harsh words were eating away at his spirit.
And the ‘space of emotional amplification’ created by Elena completely broke him down.
“Lucas! No! “If you get caught up in it, it’s over!”
However, in the process, Claire was crying out loud.
You must not fall for the opponent’s provocation.
If you get consumed by anger like this and waste your mana at random, it will be the end.
I continued to shout at Lucas.
“I’m dying!!!”
But her words did not reach Lucas.
No matter how much he shouted and shouted, Lucas eventually forgot his own existence and only listened to the words of his enemies.
Tears burst out of her eyes.
‘No. If things continue like this, Lucas is in danger.’
However, Claire did the best he could.
She supported Lucas using various buffs and auras, and replenished mana for Lucas, who was wasting mana indiscriminately.
‘Lucas… Please.’
But most of all those efforts did not reach Lucas, who closed his heart to himself.
As long as he didn’t open his heart to himself, no buff or aura would be of any use.
【Kuhihihihi! Thank me! If you die, you won’t have to go through all that unfortunate future!】
At that time.
Cassandra’s poisonous needle stuck in the back of Lucas, who was exhausted.
Lucas gasped! He fell to the floor with a sound.
Cassandra circled around him and insulted him with all kinds of insults.
【It’s okay, it’s okay. Adela and Claire will be happy without you. They won’t even recognize you like the corpse in front of the cave. I will suck out all your bodily fluids to the point where my face is unrecognizable.】
Cassandra hummed her tune and spun out her web.
Lucas, who had been hit by the paralyzing poison, was increasingly entangled in Cassandra’s web and his movements were increasingly blocked.
【Ah! Cancel what I just said! After I eat you, I will eat that woman right away. Then your love will also be complete. Your bodily fluids and that woman’s bodily fluids will mix in my stomach and the two will become one! hehehe! Well, it will come out as my poop in a few hours!】
Ed’s harsh words destroy Lucas’s spirit to the extent that even Satan would utter his tongue.
But Ed decided to do his best to play the role of a villain.
As the feelings of negativity reach their peak, the feelings of hope that follow will also shine brightly.
“Ugh… Zen… Jean.”
Lucas, completely wrapped in the spider web, lost consciousness.
Claire screamed and tried to stop Cassandra with all kinds of attack techniques, but it was not enough for Bernhard, who specialized in buffs and auras.
【Then just sit there and watch. After 3 hours, I will eat you too.】
With those words, Cassandra brought Lucas, who was wrapped in her web, into her arms.
Then it opened its mouth and stuck its long tentacles into the cocoon.
Soon, a crunching sound was heard and bright red liquid began to rise up the translucent tentacles.
“No, no!”
Claire cried out and jumped at Cassandra.
***
“Whoa…”
After completing step 1, Ed let out a long sigh and stopped operating.
From now on, Cassandra, who has entered ‘hardening’ mode, will focus only on sucking up Lucas’ bodily fluids, so there is nothing for Ed to control.
Because of this, I was able to come to the empty space of the suit and freely observe the situation.
“I’m sorry, Lucas.”
Ed, whose heart throbbed every time he spat out harsh words, first apologized and washed his face dry.
It was something I had no choice but to say in order to put pressure on Lucas, but that did not mean it was an excuse.
It may not be as bad as Lucas, but Ed also had to endure mental pain by spewing out harsh words.
“Please stay comfortably like that for the time being.”
Ed looked at Lucas inside the cocoon with a guilty expression.
At first glance, it looks like Cassandra’s tentacles are sucking bodily fluids, but in fact, it is Lucas who is being injected with nutritional supplements built into the suit.
Now he is receiving a nutritional supplement containing a mixture of sleeping and hallucinogenic ingredients, and he may be perceiving the situation with a hazy mind.
In other words, you can hear Claire crying outside.
“Claire, now it’s your turn.”
So Ed waited for the moment when Claire awakened.
We’ve laid out all the steps as planned, so all we have to do is unleash her potential.
Ed waited for that moment and rubbed his eyes full of dark circles.
***
“Small-op… Little-op… Little-op…”
The worst situation that should never have happened has unfolded.
Claire poured all the liquor she could on Cassandra, who was concentrating on her meal.
But Cassandra is still focused on eating.
There was no response to her own attacks.
In the first place, she couldn’t do anything to Cassandra with her firepower.
Isn’t he a powerful enemy that even Lucas, one of the academy’s strongest cadets, couldn’t defeat?
“Ahh… Ah… Ah, no… Please…!”
Because of this, all she could do was cry like this.
Because she is trapped in a strange space created by Cassandra, she is unable to ask for help from outside.
“Oh, how… What should I do…”
In the end, it was a series of panics.
She couldn’t land a blow on Cassandra, she couldn’t get any outside support, and it was impossible to get Lucas out of her cocoon.
But at that moment.
“······.”
Suddenly, one last move to overcome this situation occurred to me.
If he can’t do anything about this situation from the outside, he can help Lucas come to his senses and get out of his cocoon.
In other words, all buffs and auras are used to purify Lucas from status abnormalities and recharge his mana.
“Lucas. I will never abandon you. “I will definitely take it out for you.”
Claire, who had gathered his thoughts, wiped away his tears with her sleeve and then hardened his expression.
Then, I placed my hand on the cocoon that trapped Lucas and concentrated my mind.
Mana was sent to feel Lucas trapped in the cocoon.
“······.”
However, a doubt was blooming in Claire’s mind.
Didn’t Lucas completely close his heart to himself until he entered this cave and was trapped in the cocoon?
Because of this, no matter how hard he tries, if Lucas inside the cocoon does not accept it, all of his efforts will be in vain.
In the end, even he, who wasted his mana in vain, did not get a chance to escape and was eaten by Cassandra.
In other words, if you wanted to survive, it was a wise choice to save as much mana as possible and wait for rescue.
“Lucas.”
However, Claire smiled faintly.
And after all this thinking, she began to convey to Lucas the choice she had made.
“I’ve been in love with you for over 10 years. “You didn’t know, right?”
And that choice was what opened Lucas’ heart.
Although we don’t know if Lucas, trapped inside his cocoon, will be able to hear his voice.
Still, Claire.
She risked her own life and calmly began to tell Lucas the story.
She tells the story of how she watched him for a long time and developed feelings of love for him.