Chapter 299: The Approaching Danger, Chased By An SSS-Rank!

-----

Daniela’s face went pale as she felt it, the aura that rose from her body pressed down onto the area, heavy and unmistakable.

"S... SS... No...! Eeek! SSS RANK?!" she screamed in pure horror. "R-RIVEN! RIVEN PLEASE WAKE UP!"

Daniela started slapping Riven’s face constantly with all her might, her hands stinging from the force as she tried to wake him up. Tears mixed with panic on her face while she kept hitting him. Then she started calling for Noir in a desperate voice.

"Noir! NOIR! We have to go; here eat all the potions you want!!!"

Noir quickly ate a dozen potions one after another, his body swelling as he regained most of his mass and strength. At the same time he grabbed both Riven and Vladimir with his shadowy tendrils and started running at full speed away from the battlefield.

"We have to go deeper, into the dungeon core! Then we make Riven touch the core and he conquers it... automatically? Let’s hope or we’re all super dead!"

As Daniela cried out in fear, the woman in the distance narrowed her eyes. She glanced at the green-haired girl wearing a jester mask from afar, her expression turning cold and focused.

"Halt right there, terrorist!"

With a righteous roar the woman pointed her gleaming spear forward and launched it toward Daniela with perfect aim. The weapon cut through the air like a bolt of light, humming with divine power as it closed the distance in a single second.

"Hyeeeee!"

Daniela screamed in pure horror and ran even faster, trying to dodge the incoming spear. Her mask tilted slightly from the sudden movement and her colorful clothes fluttered wildly behind her.

By all laws and based on that woman’s incredible ability and stats, Daniela should have been impaled to death in that moment along with Noir. The trajectory was perfect, the speed unmatched, and there was almost no room for error.

However...

BOOOMMM!!!

The Divine Golden Lance pierced the ground right to her left instead of her body. It generated a huge explosion that sent a shockwave of light outward, further propelling her and Noir in the direction they were already running.

"Uwaaahaaaaa?!"

Daniela screamed again as the blast threw them farther ahead, the force nearly knocking her off Noir’s back. Dust and debris filled the air while the ground cracked from the impact. They disappeared from the woman’s sight within seconds, swallowed by the chaotic terrain of the dungeon.

As she watched them vanish, the blonde woman gasped in disbelief. Her face twisted in confusion and mild anger.

"My attack missed? What? I... I have never missed my mark!"

It was bizarre. She stood frozen for a second, staring at the crater left by her own spear. Her mind raced through every possible explanation.

"Was it luck? Did she save herself by luck?"

She was taken aback by the rare failure, but she quickly called her spear back. The weapon flew to her hand as if it were alive, settling firmly into her grip once more. She tightened her hold and scanned the area with sharper focus.

By her side there was a young woman with long white hair and sharp red eyes. She wore a crimson dress and looked thoroughly annoyed as she tapped her foot against the ground.

"Lady Guinevere, when are we getting there?! It’s taking way too long! Did you get who made this mess?! And where’s Elias?! Do you know that your entire family is going to get in trouble if Elias has been hurt in any way?!"

Guinevere narrowed her eyes as she glared at the woman, Rose Bloodmoon, Elias’ mother. She was a Vampiress Countess that owned over a dozen gates and worked with Claymore Enterprises on the extraction of Mana Stones and Blood Crystals. Her position gave her considerable influence in certain circles, yet it still fell short of the authority Guinevere carried as a direct member of the Claymore family.

And who Guinevere was? Well, someone way above her own rank, but that was respectful enough to not intimidate her with her immense aura and power. She kept her presence restrained on purpose, knowing that flashing too much strength in front of a business partner could create unnecessary friction later.

"Who do you think you are?" she asked with an annoyed expression. "You’re talking to the first daughter of Arthur Claymore. Your son will be alright; I will NOT miss my next attack."

She pointed her Divine Spear, Cagliostro, forward. Even if Daniela was not within sight, her spear allowed her to see everything like a 3D map, the girl, and the two mysterious men she was carrying with her strange black dog. The weapon fed her a constant stream of spatial data, outlining every movement and every shift in position with near-perfect clarity.

"I cannot believe such a small group caused this much destruction," she sighed. "There has never been such a massive terrorist attack before... well, a Mana Reactor was once blown up by those Avalanche guys, but they’ve been captured and imprisoned ever since... hah. To be so bold as to think they can go against Claymore... who can be foolish enough?"

She adjusted her grip on the spear while reviewing the last few seconds of data it provided. The readings still showed the targets clearly, even if they had moved deeper into the ruined structure.

As she narrowed her eyes, she already locked onto her mark. The spear’s tip began to glow with condensed divine energy, ready for another launch.

"Die."

RUMBLE!

The spear flew at lightning speed through the sky and the air, reaching Daniela at 100% accuracy. The girl’s face panicked as she screamed, mixing into the shadows of Noir and then disappearing as Noir flew into the ceiling from one moment to another. One second she was there, the next she had vanished completely into the dark shape of the dog.

"Huh?"

BOOOMMM!!!

A massive explosion ensued, but to Guinevere’s disbelief, her divine spear once more missed her target by a hair’s breadth, which made absolutely no sense at all the more she thought about it.

"This is ridiculous and preposterous, how am I missing again?!"

-----