Chapter 121: Awakened Tournament Crisis (27)

For one glorious instant, he soared above the ruined stadium, both golden blades held at his sides. His gray hair fluttered dramatically, and he could almost hear the imaginary soundtrack accompanying his heroic entrance.

Then he looked down.

Hundreds of enormous tentacles were rising toward him.

Their black surfaces bristled with spikes, and their movements were far faster than something of their size had any right to be.

Kael’s expression went blank.

"...Oh."

One tentacle swung toward him.

Kael reacted instinctively.

"JUDGMENT BLADE!"

His two golden weapons flashed.

The first tentacle split apart beneath a brilliant arc of Essence. Kael twisted in midair, bringing his second blade around to cut through another before it could strike him from the side.

A third came from below.

He severed it with a downward slash.

For a brief moment, everything seemed to be going well.

’See?’

Kael’s confidence returned.

’This is exactly what a main character would—’

The severed tentacles began to move.

Kael’s smile disappeared.

The cut surfaces writhed violently. Black flesh surged together, sealing the wounds before his eyes. The severed ends swelled, their spikes lengthening and thickening as their Essence surged.

Within seconds, the tentacles had regenerated.

And they were larger than before.

Kael stared.

"...I’d like to take the time and apologize—"

The newly regenerated tentacles struck.

Kael barely managed to cross his blades in front of himself before the first impact sent him hurtling through the air.

He crashed through a section of broken masonry and slammed into the ground, rolling several times before finally coming to a stop.

For a moment, he lay there.

Dust drifted around him.

His ears rang.

Then he slowly raised his head.

"...That was not in the script."

A massive tentacle crashed down nearby.

Kael scrambled to his feet.

"ALL RIGHT! FINE! IMPROVISATION!"

He raised his golden blades and charged back into the chaos.

Several meters away, a young woman was fighting desperately to survive.

Her hair was divided into two distinct colors, black and white, and her face was pale beneath the dust coating her skin. She clutched an enormous amethyst spear, its crystalline surface glowing with concentrated Essence.

Sophia.

The same C-Rank Awakened who had fought Eden in the quarterfinals.

She thrust her essence spear forward.

A sharp burst of purple light erupted from the weapon, piercing through the tentacle approaching her from the front.

The creature’s flesh split apart.

Sophia immediately pivoted, sweeping her spear toward another tentacle that had emerged from the ground beside her. The weapon cut through its spikes and carved a deep wound across its surface.

But the wound began closing almost immediately.

Sophia’s eyes widened.

"No, no, no..."

She had already noticed the pattern.

The tentacles regenerated almost as soon as they were damaged. Worse, every time they healed, they seemed to become stronger and more durable.

She could injure them.

She could even sever them.

But she couldn’t keep them down.

And unlike the stronger Awakened who had participated in the final rounds, Sophia had no overwhelming combat ability that could destroy dozens of them at once.

She was a C-Rank.

A talented one, certainly.

But still a C-Rank.

The tentacle she had just wounded surged toward her again.

Sophia ducked beneath it, thrusting her spear upward into its underside. The impact forced the creature aside, giving her just enough time to retreat behind a broken slab of concrete.

Her breathing was becoming ragged.

She had already spent a significant amount of Essence fighting her way through the chaos.

Yet she couldn’t leave.

Not while her friend was still somewhere deeper inside the battlefield.

’Please be safe.’

Sophia tightened her grip on the spear.

’Just hold on a little longer.’

Three enormous tentacles suddenly emerged behind her.

Their shadows swallowed the ground.

Sophia didn’t notice them until the last possible moment.

She turned.

Her eyes widened.

There wasn’t enough time to dodge.

The first tentacle descended toward her head, while the other two swept inward from either side, cutting off every possible escape route.

Sophia raised her spear.

’I’m sorry—’

Then a golden flash cut through the air.

Shing!

The first tentacle split apart.

A second golden arc followed, severing the other two before they could reach her.

The enormous masses of black flesh crashed to the ground on either side of Sophia, shaking the ruined street.

She stared in disbelief.

A gray-haired man landed between her and the fallen tentacles, his two golden blades gleaming in his hands.

His clothes were covered in dust, and one side of his face had acquired a fresh bruise.

He looked thoroughly irritated.

"Seriously? Can’t a man have one dramatic entrance around here?"

Sophia blinked.

"Uhm?"

Kael glanced over his shoulder.

"Oh. You’re one of the contestants!"

"And you are...?"

"Ah. I’m Kael."

"I’m with the Association."

Sophia stared at him for another moment before glancing toward the tentacles.

"Thank you. You saved me."

Kael waved a hand dismissively.

"Don’t mention it. Saving beautiful young women is simply part of a main character’s daily routine."

"How else is a Protagonist supposed to earn his Harem?"

Sophia’s expression went blank.

"...What?"

"Nothing."

Kael cleared his throat and turned toward the battlefield.

"Now, get out of here. Find the evacuation teams and get somewhere safe."

Sophia immediately shook her head.

"I can’t."

Kael turned back.

"...Excuse me?"

"I have a friend who’s still inside the battlefield. I need to help him."

Kael stared at her.

Then his eyes widened.

’Incredible.’

He could practically hear the imaginary background music rising again.

’She, too, has a precious person she refuses to abandon.’

His imagination began filling in the gaps.

’A courageous heroine, standing defiantly amid the ruins. Her hair fluttering in the wind, her weapon raised against impossible odds, her heart burning with the determination to save someone dear to her.’

’A heroine who would undoubtedly become an important supporting character in the protagonist’s journey.’

’Perhaps even my very first Romance Option!’

Kael nodded solemnly.

"Your sense of justice is admirable."

Sophia looked confused.

"My... sense of justice?"

"Yes. Your courage. Your determination. Your willingness to put yourself in danger for someone you care about."

He placed a hand over his chest.

"I understand your feelings perfectly."

Sophia hesitated.

"...Right."

Kael raised his chin.

"But even a protagonist must know when to protect the people around him. You can’t save your friend if you get yourself killed first."

Sophia tightened her grip on her spear.

"I know. But I can’t just leave him."

Kael studied her for a moment.

Then he sighed.

"Fine. I won’t force you to leave."

Sophia’s expression brightened slightly.

Kael pointed one of his golden blades toward the battlefield.

"However, if we’re going in there, we need to find the fastest route. I can cut through the tentacles, but there are far too many for us to waste time wandering around."

He turned.

Then stopped.