Chapter 128: Awakened Tournament Crisis (34)

The journey back to the stadium was nothing short of a nightmare.

Eden had long since stopped trying to count how many tentacles they had destroyed. Every time he devoured one, two more emerged from the surrounding ruins. Every time Jax smashed one apart with his golden fists, another came crashing down from above. And every time Lucy cleaved through one with her explosive Aura Blade, the resulting blast seemed to attract even more of the monstrous appendages.

It was like fighting an entire forest that refused to stop growing.

"How many of these damn things are there?!" Jax shouted, ducking beneath a spiked tentacle that swept through the street.

"Enough that complaining about it isn’t going to help!" Lucy yelled back.

"That’s easy for you to say! You’re not the one getting targeted every five seconds!"

A tentacle slammed into the ground between them.

Jax twisted aside, his golden brass knuckle flashing as he drove a punch into its side. The impact sent a shock wave through the street, tearing a deep gash through the creature’s flesh. Before it could regenerate, Lucy followed with a horizontal slash, her pink Essence detonating along the blade.

The tentacle exploded into chunks.

"See?" Lucy called. "Teamwork!"

"Yeah, yeah! Don’t get too excited!"

Eden barely paid attention to their bickering.

He was too busy keeping the things away from them.

Whenever a severed appendage threatened to crush one of his companions, Devour surged forward and swallowed it before it could land.

The first tentacles they had encountered were already dangerous enough, but the ones emerging now were faster and more durable. Their spikes had grown thicker, their surfaces darker, and the amount of force behind every strike had increased substantially.

It was as if the creature controlling them was gradually waking up.

Or perhaps it had finally decided that its prey deserved a little more attention.

’Wonderful. We’re being taken seriously by a giant eldritch nightmare.’

Eden clicked his tongue.

’Just what I’ve always wanted.’

"Left!" Elio shouted.

Eden moved without hesitation.

A tentacle shot through the space where his head had been a moment earlier, smashing into a building behind him. The impact sent debris raining across the street, but Elio’s whipblade was already moving.

His weapon extended with a metallic hiss, purple Essence coiling around the blade like a serpent. It wrapped around the tentacle, and the serpentine energy immediately began to drain its attributes.

The appendage shuddered.

Its movement slowed.

Then Elio yanked his weapon sideways, tearing through the weakened flesh and severing the tentacle before it could recover.

"That makes twelve," Elio remarked calmly.

Eden glanced at him.

"Twelve what?"

"Twelve times you’ve almost had your head crushed since we started moving."

"You’re keeping count?"

"I was getting bored."

"Try finding a hobby that doesn’t involve documenting my near-death experiences."

Elio retracted his weapon, his expression returning to its usual composure.

"You’re welcome, by the way."

Eden snorted.

The exchange was brief, but it was enough to reassure him that Elio had recovered from whatever had happened earlier.

Eden didn’t know what had shaken him so badly.

He intended to find out eventually.

For now, keeping everyone alive took priority.

They pushed forward through another wave of tentacles, cutting across a ruined intersection and climbing over the remains of a collapsed building.

They had finally arrived back at the stadium.

Or what remained of the stadium, anyway.

The outer walls had been torn apart in several places. Large sections of the reinforced structure were buried beneath rubble, and the surrounding streets had become a maze of broken concrete, twisted metal, and enormous black appendages.

The sight made Eden’s expression harden.

’This is getting out of hand.’

’The sheer scale of destruction is insane! Where even is the Association’s strike team?’

None of this had happened in his previous life.

Something had changed.

And Eden had a very unpleasant suspicion that his regression was only part of the reason.

A familiar presence stirred deep within his core.

Eden’s steps didn’t falter, but his attention immediately shifted inward.

Obsidian.

The Black Knight’s consciousness rested within the Dark Matter within Eden, silent and dormant for much of the journey. Now, however, Eden could feel the Retainer’s desire to emerge.

Not through words — His Retainer couldn’t talk yet.

But Eden could feel the unmistakable intent coming from Obsidian, wishing to fight by his Master’s side.

The request was simple.

Yet Eden could feel the restraint behind it. Obsidian had remained quiet while Eden fought the tentacles, but the Black Knight could sense the danger surrounding his master. He wanted to help. More than that, he wanted to stand where he belonged.

At Eden’s side.

’I know,’ Eden replied inwardly. ’And believe me, I’d love to let you loose.’

Another presence slipped into his thoughts.

Sylvia.

[Then why don’t you?]

Her voice was smooth and faintly amused, but there was no mistaking the seriousness beneath it.

[Obsidian is far more suited to this battlefield than you are. His attributes are exceptional even at his current state, and his Dark Matter Manipulation can provide us with the offensive power we are currently lacking.]

Eden silently agreed.

It was the obvious choice.

Obsidian’s raw physical attributes were monstrous, and his fighting style was far more suited to cutting down enormous enemies than Eden’s own collection of skills. With Sylvia’s assistance, he could strengthen the Black Knight considerably.

More importantly, Obsidian’s attacks would provide Eden with additional experience while giving the others some much-needed breathing room.

There was very little reason not to summon him.

Except for one thing.

’I don’t want to reveal Dark Matter yet.’

Sylvia fell silent.

Eden’s gaze remained fixed on the stadium ahead.

’The moment I bring Obsidian out, people will start asking questions. They’ll want to know what he is, where he came from, and why someone my age has access to a creature with that kind of power.’

[They are already asking questions about you,] Sylvia pointed out.

’Yes. And I’d prefer to keep the number of questions manageable.’

[You are remarkably stubborn for someone currently being hunted by a forest of tentacles.]

’It’s just that I don’t have any excuses for him. I can’t simply say I summoned him via a Necromancer skill either, since he doesn’t have an ounce of essence.’

But despite his irritation, Eden understood Sylvia’s argument.

This was no longer a situation where keeping secrets was worth more than survival. The stadium was collapsing, the Association’s strongest fighters were missing, and an unknown S-Rank threat was tearing through the city.

If he needed Obsidian to survive, he would summon him.

He simply wanted to avoid doing so until absolutely necessary.

[Fine,] Sylvia eventually said. [But if things become any worse, you will let us handle the situation properly.]

’Of course.’

A particularly large tentacle crashed into the street ahead, blocking their path.

Eden’s crimson Essence surged.

"Everyone, move!"

Devour erupted across the appendage, swallowing a huge section of its flesh before Jax and Lucy struck the weakened area together. Their combined attack tore it apart, opening a narrow path between the ruins.

The four Awakened surged forward.

And finally, they reached the arena within the stadium.

Or, more accurately, what remained of it.