Chapter 80: Insane Struggle

It happened too fast. Far too fast.

The crushing pressure accompanying the attack was overwhelming, and Penelope was immediately forced down onto all fours by its sheer force, the ground beneath her cracking apart under the weight of the descending hoof.

The others could only watch as the massive hoof slammed down upon both her and Emiris, blasting open a five-meter crater in the ground.

From within that abyss, something suddenly rolled through the air, spinning several times before finally coming to a stop.

It was the red gemstone earring that had caused all of this in the first place.

Norald stared blankly at the earring for several moments before slowly turning its gaze away from it and toward the side, where Emiris stood holding Penelope, who had already been knocked unconscious.

The fact that the creature had taken its eyes off the earring and was now completely ignoring it made the truth immediately apparent to Emiris.

"It no longer wants the earring," he muttered, turning toward the creature who slowly pulled its enormous hoof from the crater, more lightning arcing violently across its skeletal limb.

"It wants to kill us all!"

BOOOOOOOOOM!

The ground shook once again as Norald launched itself high into the air, its massive hooves descending toward Emiris.

Emiris immediately moved, placing Penelope down behind him before raising both hands toward the descending hooves.

The flesh on his arms burned away, revealing a layer of nanotechnology etched with golden lines that immediately flared to life, forming shifting glyphs in the air before him.

A golden barrier expanded from his hands, rapidly encasing both him and Penelope just as Norald’s enormous hooves came crashing down.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

What followed was a tremendous explosion of white lightning and golden energy erupted from the collision, sending a massive shockwave rippling throughout the hall.

"VAAAANNN!"

Emiris’s roar blasted out from beneath the barrier as both of his arms spasmed violently, struggling to withstand the enormous force pressing down upon him.

Immediately...

CRACKLE!

The sound of lightning crackling echoed from another section of the hall, and it came from none other than Van.

His appearance had changed dramatically, with the clothing covering his right arm blown apart to reveal pitch-black nanotech beneath it as dark lightning crawled violently across its surface.

The energy rapidly swirled and converged, eventually forming a five-meter-long spear in his hand that crackled with dark, destructive power.

Van took a single step forward, raised the spear overhead, and hurled it.

KAAABOOOOM!

Another wave of devastation rippled through the hall as Emiris forcefully detonated the glyphs supporting his barrier just as Van’s black lightning spear collided with Norald’s foot.

The creature’s leg was violently pushed backward, throwing it off balance, while its other leg slammed into the first, further destabilizing its enormous body.

Immediately, Norald came crashing down from the sky.

"NOW! DESTROY HIM NOW!"

Emiris’s roar echoed through the hall, and all four young men immediately leaped into the air, converging upon Norald.

A massive ten-meter-long black spear writhing with lightning appeared in Van’s right hand, while another formed in his left, and both were hurled toward Norald’s skull.

At the same time, a massive five-meter-long broadsword materialized in Emiris’s hands.

His golden mechanical arms gripped the weapon tightly before he swung it downward, releasing a powerful arc of golden energy toward Norald.

Zeke’s arms had fully transformed into enormous bomb nozzles, their tips crackling with destructive crimson energy before unleashing twin beams of devastating light toward the creature.

Then there was Declan.

He held one gauntlet toward Norald while his other hand gripped his shoulder, stabilizing the targeting mechanism as it locked onto the creature’s skull.

"Maximum Destruct Protocol: Absolute Erasure!"

KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A storm of destructive attacks erupted simultaneously, causing the entire space to rumble and distort beneath the sheer force of the combined assault.

The fate of the Goatearring Protector seemed sealed.

But that destiny was forcefully altered.

CRAAACKKK!

A violent cracking sound erupted as all four of Norald’s enormous horns suddenly rotated outward, their tips pointing directly toward the four attackers.

White lightning immediately began gathering around their tips, carrying an overwhelming amount of arcane power.

Then...

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!

A massive shockwave erupted with every crackle of lightning, blasting outward toward the four attackers and colliding with their incoming attacks.

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!

To Declan, it felt as though he had slammed both hands directly into an immovable wall.

CREEAAAAK!

The sound of his bones creaking rang through his body as the white lightning completely tore through the destructive rays from his gauntlet before slamming directly into him.

BOOOOM!

His body was blasted backward.

BOOOOM!

BOOOOM!

BOOOOM!

The ground shook violently as he repeatedly crashed into it before finally being sent flying into the wall, disappearing into the human-shaped crater his body created.

Van’s two enormous spears were shattered into countless fragments, while the lightning beam slammed directly into his chest and sent him flying into the ceiling.

Emiris’s broadsword cleaved through the lightning for several seconds, but the white energy was unending, eventually forcing his sword backward and sending him flying along with it.

His weapon stabbed into the ground as he was dragged continuously across the floor.

Zeke’s destructive nozzles, which had replaced his arms, were blown apart, and he was sent flying upward.

But he hadn’t even traveled far when Norald suddenly shot out one of its claws, catching the chubby young man in its devilish grasp.

CRACK!

The wall split apart as a hand tore through the cracks, gripping the edge tightly.

The figure was none other than Declan, his teeth clenched tightly in pain as he dragged himself out of the hole.

His pained expression quickly faded, however, replaced by sheer disbelief.

He looked forward just in time to witness Zeke, the chubby young man, caught within Norald’s claws.

"HEL—"

Zeke’s scream was abruptly cut short as the claws folded inward.

They pierced straight through him, two tearing into his torso while another stabbed through his head, its tip bursting out from his forehead.

Norald immediately widened its claws.

BOOOOOM!

A miniature explosion erupted, sending blood and organs splashing through the air as Zeke was torn to pieces.

"He... he died!"

Declan’s voice trembled in disbelief as red blood rained down upon him, his heart pounding violently within his rib cage.

"YOU WILL PAYYY!"

An enraged roar thundered through the hall as a figure charged forward.

"Van, no!"

Emiris shouted, reaching out a hand, but the lanky young man had already moved too quickly.

Two massive spears, each twenty meters long and crackling with furious lightning, rose from Van’s arms.

Norald’s claws immediately slashed toward him, but Van leaped into the air, weaving through the gaps between the bony fingers.

Racing across Norald’s hand, he surged forward at incredible speed, becoming a blur of darkness before leaping away just as Norald’s other claw smashed into the spot where he had been standing.

"DIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEE!"

Van roared as both spears thrust forward with every last ounce of power within him.

They smashed directly into Norald’s bony skull, one piercing through its forehead while the other drove into the hollow gap where its eye should have been.

Half of each spear disappeared into Norald’s head as Van exhaled roughly.

But then, a roar rang out.

"BEHIND YOU!"

Emiris shouted.

Van turned his head just in time to see a claw reaching toward his back.

In an instant, he darted away in a blur of black, narrowly avoiding the claw by a hair’s breadth.

But then Norald’s head jerked forward.

BLLEEERRRRGH!

Blood burst from Van’s lips as he looked down at his chest.

There, the sharp tip of one of Norald’s horns had pierced clean through him, crackling with white lightning.

It was over.

"HEHEHEHE!"

A devilish laugh rang out from Norald as it looked at the pathetic creature hanging from its horn.

Van slowly raised his head, staring up at the creature whose maw was wide open as that devilish laughter continued to echo through the hall.

In that moment, veins of anger and insanity rippled across his face.

His right arm shifted upward, forming a massive spear more than thirty meters long.

Immediately, Van stabbed it forward, driving it into Norald’s maw, where it was barely stopped by the creature’s bony teeth.

He used the spear to pull himself forward, and even though the horn continued cutting deeper into his chest, he ignored the pain, gritting his teeth as he dragged himself closer.

When he was only half a meter away from Norald, his hand reached out and grasped the side of its maw.

Immediately, a spear erupted from both of his hands, tearing violently into the creature’s mouth.

"Come laugh with me in hell, then. Hehehehe!"

Van roared, throwing his head back and laughing like a man who had nothing left to lose.

His entire body flared with dark light, most intensely around his chest, where his Core was located.

Norald immediately tried to shake him off its horn, but then...

KAAAAAAABOOOOOOOM!

A terrifying explosion rocked the world, releasing a massive wave of energy as Van detonated himself directly before Norald’s face.

The protector’s head jerked backward from the explosive force, smashing into the wall behind it and crushing straight through as rubble descended, burying its enormous body.

Emiris and Declan, the only two who remained conscious, could only stare at the ashes drifting through the air.

The ashes of Van.

"He... he detonated his Core!?"

Declan murmured in disbelief.

Van, having been stabbed through the chest and realizing his time was almost up, had ultimately chosen to drag Norald down with him.

"GRRRRR!"

The sound of teeth grinding together rang through the hall as Declan turned.

Emiris stood there, his hands clenched so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palms, blood dripping onto the ground beneath him.

He slowly rose from where he had crashed, but before he could take another step...

RUMMMBLE!

A deep rumble echoed through the hall and both snapped toward the rubble that had buried Norald.

It was shaking, violently.

ROOOOAAAAAR!