Chapter 176: Settle the scores (12)

The hybrid bird stood on the ground amidst the rising dust, its wings blocking a portion of the sky, while Malrik was still on the ground staring at it cautiously.

A hint of panic crept into Malrik’s heart. A terrifying, oppressive aura had accompanied the hybrid creature’s descent.

Malrik decided not to take any chances, and he was about to summon all his Fallen-rank undead souls immediately...

But suddenly... he felt small, cold fingers grab his neck tightly from behind.

At the same moment, a cold, emotionless voice pierced directly into his mind.

"So... you possess other Fallen-rank beings besides the Awakened-rank ones you showed, don’t you? Hahahaha."

Malrik’s entire body stiffened.

Terror gripped his chest as he tried to turn his head as far as the hold would allow. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the short-statured Morveth standing directly behind him.

He was gripping his neck with a spindly hand, while his long black hair cascaded over his face, hiding most of his features from view.

Malrik desperately tried to activate his bond and summon his undead souls.

But what happened next was even more terrifying than the Morveth’s sudden appearance behind him.

His body didn’t respond.

Not a single muscle moved. His body was completely numbed, as if those cold fingers had stripped him of the ability to control his limbs.

He couldn’t resist, not even to turn around and see his enemy clearly. All he could do was stand stiffly in his grasp, his eyes wide with shock.

"I was about to run away..."

The short Morveth’s voice echoed in his head again, with an icy tone that sent a cold shiver down his spine.

"That Demoness has very strong mental defenses, and this trap won’t last long. I only wanted to kill you before making my escape..."

A brief silence fell within Malrik’s mind, before the voice returned with a tone carrying a dark mockery.

"But what a surprise... an insect like you has six Fallen-rank followers? Isn’t that... completely ridiculous?"

Malrik’s pupils dilated until they nearly bulged from his eyes.

How... how the hell does he know that?! Can he read my mind?!

"Don’t tire yourself too much trying to figure out how I found out..." The mocking reply came immediately inside his head.

"The important thing is that you will be mine now. And all your followers... will be mine too."

Before Malrik’s terrified eyes, the short Morveth slowly raised his other hand.

Along his spindly arm, a glassy red eye embedded in his flesh opened, and its pupil dilated, releasing a strange, bloody gleam.

A sharp pain lanced through Malrik’s head, as if a flaming nail were being driven into his skull.

The pain swept violently through his mind, and his vision began to distort. The sounds around him gradually faded, and his limbs felt farther away from his senses, as if his body no longer belonged to him.

His consciousness began to waver. For a moment, he felt the ground shifting beneath him despite his feet being firmly planted, while his head grew heavier and heavier.

His own heartbeat hammered wildly, each beat seeming weaker than the one before it.

His vision began to blur, and the shadows and shapes blended together until he could no longer distinguish them clearly.

Darkness crept into the edges of his vision, gradually narrowing his field of sight, while he felt his consciousness being pulled into a bottomless abyss. He tried to hold on, but his thoughts began to scatter, and his awareness of the world around him slowly faded.

But amidst that darkness and sharp headache, he heard another voice.

It was a familiar voice, echoing in the depths of his mind with an anxious tone.

"My King... are you alright?"

"..."

"My King..."

Malrik’s eyes widened slightly, and a flash of realization pierced the fog that was beginning to swallow his consciousness.

Lokris?

Even in his darkest nightmares, Malrik had never imagined he would feel such overwhelming joy and relief... just from hearing this parasite’s voice!

"My King... wake up!"

Lokris’s voice rang out inside Malrik’s mind, and his last word was like an alarm bell piercing the dark silence.

Malrik’s consciousness felt as if it were sinking into a swamp of sticky mud, but Lokris’s voice pulled him back for a moment. He clung to it with all the will he had left.

"I won’t... surrender... to a coward who hides behind mind games!"

Malrik roared inwardly, and rallied what strength he had left to resist the mental intrusion. He fought through the headache that was tearing his head apart, and pushed his consciousness to the surface with all his might, trying to shatter the invisible chains that had tightened their grip on his mind.

With immense difficulty, Malrik finally managed to break the numbing effect, and the feeling in his body returned.

He felt the cold air brush his face and the hard ground beneath his knees. He had somehow fallen without realizing when, and he didn’t have the strength to stand up.

His limbs trembled weakly, while his body felt as heavy as lead, and his muscles barely responded to his commands.

He forced his heavy eyelids open.

His vision returned, but it was blurry and hazy. And at that moment, the sounds of a fierce clash taking place nearby struck his ears.

Claaang! Claaang!

He slowly turned his head toward the source of the sound. Through his blurred vision, he finally managed to make out what was happening.

The short Morveth was no longer standing in front of him, holding his neck. He had retreated several steps backward, and was engaged in combat with another entity.

A massive creature resembling a bull stood nearby, its skin as dark as charcoal, wielding two enormous battle axes.

The entity swung its axes savagely, trying to tear the short Morveth apart with a crushing assault.

But the scene was entirely bizarre and illogical.

Despite the gray entity’s ferocity, its strikes weren’t reaching the short Morveth at all.

The axes swung with all their might to crash down on the Morveth’s body, but they stopped abruptly in thin air!

They let out the sharp sound of metallic impact as if they were colliding with the blade of an invisible sword protecting the Morveth.

Malrik kept blinking, trying to regain his clear vision, and after a few seconds the red haze began to gradually fade, until he was finally able to see what was happening in front of him clearly.

But when he recognized who was fighting the short Morveth, his eyes widened in genuine astonishment.

Biggie?!

****

Author’s Note:

A Little Something for My dear Readers!

Many of you have asked for an official Discord server, so I decided to create one as soon as possible!

The server is still a work in progress, and I’ll be adding more features and improvements over time.

You’re all welcome to join, connect with other readers, and discuss the story. I’ve also shared my personal vision of the Short Morveth there, and I’d love to hear your thoughts!

I hope to see you all there!