Noan was startled to see Vylyss bound in midair by countless strands of what looked like woven light.
Her eyes were tightly shut, her face peaceful as if she were only sleeping, but swirling around her were three distinct aurasâpink, black, and purpleâmoving like drifting smoke.
"Vylyss!" Noan shouted, his voice echoing throughout the grand hall, but Vylyss seemed unable to hear him, her eyes remaining closed.
He frowned, not acting recklessly but instead scanning the surroundings as if searching for something.
Silence... an overwhelming silence...
The quiet was so complete that every sound was thrown back at him, like a stone splashing on the surface of a perfectly still lake.
Gripping his sword tightly, Noan slowly advanced toward Vylyss.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Noan sensed something. Instantly, he swung his sword.
Whoong!
A brilliant sword light illuminated the entire hall, slashing toward the source of the sudden gust.
KENG!
A harsh metallic clang rang outâthe impact was so intense it shook the entire space, sending out waves that rippled all around.
"ACK!" Noan gritted his teeth, both hands gripping his sword as a tremendous force pressed down on him.
"GAH!!!" Noan roared as crimson lines blazed across his body like rivers of molten lava flowing under his skin.
At that moment, a strange new power surged within him, helping him withstand the terrifying force pressing down on him.
Noan frowned, staring ahead and realizing it was a blinding orb of light radiating destructive energy.
He could sense it clearly... if that sphere touched his body, he would dieâno question.
Gritting his teeth, Noan unleashed all his power and energy. The lava-like lines on his skin glowed even brighter.
"AGH!!!" Noan roared, his sword trembling violentlyâthen...
WHOONG!!!
A piercing bell-like sound echoed, reverberating through the grand hall, amplified again and again.
The space quaked, forming a rippling shockwave.
The orb of light before him exploded, scattering into countless radiant sparks like fireworks.
Seeing the sphere vanish, Noan finally let out a breath of reliefâbut... the real terror was just beginning.
He hadnât even had a moment to rest before a shadow slowly rose into the air, hovering in front of Vylyss.
"Youâre..." Noan barely had time to think before a System panel appeared before him.
đ [Congratulations! You have found the Insect King. The quest âEliminate the Insect Kingâ has been initiated.]
"Kill that thing..." Noan muttered, his eyes wide, full of disbelief. "System, are you kidding me? That thing... how am I supposed to kill it?"
Even with the effect of the âExtreme Challenge Medalâ, he couldnât help but feel a tremor of fear and anxiety.
The creature somewhat resembled Lepi, but was one and a half times larger.
Its two wings were actually insect arms fused together, looking utterly grotesque.
Its head was nothing like an insectâinstead, it resembled a humanâs head, encased in a helmet-like exoskeleton.
Above its head hovered a golden halo, blazing with dazzling light.
It floated in the air, radiating such overwhelming pressure and killing intent that Noan found it hard to breathe.
đ [Due to the Insect Kingâs overwhelmingly high rank, the debuffs of âExtreme Challenge Medalâ are ineffective against it.]
"What the hell?!" Noan stared at the notification, eyes wide, a wave of fear and unease spreading through his mind.
For the first time, he felt such overwhelming fear and anxiety in the face of a monster.
Before, even in the most dire situationsâeven when heâd first been thrown into the âSingularity Pointââhe hadnât felt fear like this.
This... this was the first time he truly felt terror so clearly.
Every instinct screamed at him to run from this place, as fast as he could.
Without thinking, Noan took a step back, ready to flee. But then his eyes landed on Vylyssâs face.
"Vylyss..." he whispered.
At once, he gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and slowly calmed his mind.
His gaze became more determined than ever, fixing on the Insect King and Vylyss.
He raised his sword, thinking to himself: âIf I run now, then whatâs the point of having an SSS-rank talent?â
In his mind, Noan asked the System, "System, does the effect that gives me a 5% chance to instantly kill my opponent still work?"
đ [That effect is not a Debuff, so it is still active.]
Hearing this, Noan thought silently, âYou called me your successor, Elvaria... youâd better help me now...â
He didnât know if Elvaria could hear him, but if that 5% didnât trigger... he would definitely die.
The Insect King looked at Noanâhe couldnât see its eyes, but he could feel a killing intent and absolute contempt.
âMy space talent is still useless here,â Noan thought. âIts speed... is probably even greater than Lepiâs. Without Space, itâll be nearly impossible to fight.â
Noan took a deep breath, and thenâ
BAM!
Suddenly, the Insect King attacked.
"What?!" Noan didnât even have time to react before it was already upon him.
In a mere instant, the Insect King appeared right in front of him, and thenâ
Noan could see it, but his body couldnât keep upâhe could only watch as its long, spear-like claw shot toward the center of his chest.
âDamn it! I havenât even had a chance to fightâam I really going to die here?â
In that split second when his life was balanced on the edge between life and death, the crimson energy inside him suddenly erupted.
Just as the Insect Kingâs spear-tip was less than five centimeters from Noanâs forehead, a surge of terrifying power burst from within him.
BAM!
KRIT!!!
The Insect King was caught off guard, blasted backward by the force of that energy.
Noan felt the power coursing through himâthough it was brimming with hatred and darkness.
But he didnât have time to careâif there was power to use, heâd use it, no matter where it came from.
As long as he was alive, that was enough.
"Die!!!" Noan roared, swinging his sword and unleashing a blinding beam of sword light.
The sword light shot upward like a pillar, then crashed down on the Insect King.
Krit!
It screeched, crossing its spear-like arms in front of itself.
BAM!
A deafening explosion shook the hall. Though the Insect King managed to block the attack, the force slammed it down into the ground.
Rumble! Rumble!
Its arms dug into the floor, which caved beneath the pressure, cracks spreading out like a spiderweb.
Whoosh!
BAM!
Suddenly, the Insect King vanishedâthe sword light struck the ground and exploded, gouging a scar through the grand hall so deep it nearly split it in two.
"Damn it!" Noan knew the Insect King wouldnât die that easily, so he immediately retreated.
But in that instant, he sensed death behind him. A cold chill ran down his spineâhe could feel the end was nearâ
Smash!
"Pff!" Noan coughed up blood as his body was jolted to a stop.
He looked down, seeing a sharp, spear-like claw piercing through his chest from behind, making him spit out another mouthful of blood.
Noan clenched his teeth, wanting to raise his sword one more timeâbut all his strength was draining away.
KENG!
His sword fell to the ground with a harsh metallic clang.
Smash!
"Pff!"
Afraid Noan wasnât finished yet, the Insect King stabbed its other claw straight through Noanâs throatâblood spurted like a fountain, the scene utterly gruesome.
Smash!
It withdrew both claws, the holes in Noanâs chest and neck gushing blood.
He staggered forward two steps, his eyes fixed on Vylyss, then...
Phá»ch!
Noan collapsed to the ground, lying in a pool of blood. His body was perfectly still, unmoving, not even breathingâhe... seemed to be dead.
Krit! Krit!
The Insect King let out a sound like cicadas, as if extremely pleased with the outcome.
Whoosh!
It flicked its claws, spraying Noanâs blood everywhere.
Then, lifting its head, it turned to Vylyss. The two "wings" made from countless insect arms began to move, slowly lifting it up.
The silence was overwhelmingâonly the sound of rushing wind echoed through the hall.
As the Insect King hovered next to Vylyss, it extended its claw, where a strange magical sigil appeared, blazing with dazzling gold light.
It slowly brought the sigil closer to Vylyssâwhen its claw was less than five centimeters from her head, suddenly...
WHOONG!!!