Chapter 146

Mikhail stood rooted in place, watching Ethan's back as he held the line against the basilisk's assault.

The mana spheres the basilisk had fired were slamming into the ground around them.

Each impact shook the floor. Each one carved a crater deep enough to swallow a person to the knees.

"……"

Yet there wasn't a trace of hesitation in the way Ethan swung his sword.

He simply cut through every mana sphere that closed in—cleaving one after another without pause.

FZZT!

Mikhail watched the spheres shatter to pieces the instant they met Ethan's blade.

But his gaze soon lifted toward the basilisk.

Ethan's offer had caught him off guard, but now wasn't the time to question his motives.

The tension coiled around his body had only sharpened with every passing moment.

"……"

Mikhail swallowed hard. He knew exactly what fed this unease that refused to fade.

The dark-violet mana that had triggered a sudden shift in the reptile's eyes—right when it should have lost consciousness.

The force that had conjured a crisis out of thin air.

He didn't believe for a second that it would stay quiet.

…The dark-violet mana never weakened over time. It only grew stronger.

Mikhail fixed his eyes on the basilisk's form and movements, visible over Ethan's shoulder.

While Ethan held the front, he needed to catch any warning sign the moment it appeared—and be ready for whatever followed.

He couldn't afford to let his guard slip until the final chance to stun the beast arrived.

…!

It happened in an instant. Mikhail's eyes flew wide. His gaze—tracking the beast's every shift—snagged on something that demanded attention.

Grrrrrrr….

An unnatural gleam flickering across the basilisk's eyes. The way it bristled its scales and twisted its body. And the mana condensing inside a mouth that was being forced open against its will.

The encroachment… it's progressed further.

Mikhail read the situation beneath the surface and held his breath.

The mana sphere gathering inside the basilisk's jaws.

Apart from being slightly larger, it looked identical to every projectile that had come before.

But the aberrant power must have seeped into it. The force it carried would be incomparable to anything the beast had fired until now.

We can't take this one head-on. We have to dodge—!

TAP!

It happened in a flash. Ethan gripped his sword and launched himself forward—straight at the incoming projectile.

"!"

Mikhail's heart dropped like a stone. But his voice was already tearing free as he sprinted forward.

---

That makes seven.

FZZT!

Ethan cut down the mana sphere that had come barreling in and raised his head toward the basilisk.

A lizard of staggering scale.

Despite unleashing attack after attack, the basilisk seemed furious that Ethan and Mikhail were still standing. A seething hiss rumbled from its throat as it raised its scales and opened its maw.

Grrrrrrr….

Mana crackled inside the beast's mouth. Ethan dropped his stance and studied the projectile taking shape.

Tszzzzz.

The color forming across its surface. The speed of its construction. The intensity of the light rippling through it.

Aside from being slightly larger, it looked no different from every mana sphere he'd already cut down.

Ethan factored in one more detail—not a single attack from the beast so far had broken from its established patterns—and let a scornful huff escape.

Stubborn bastard. What, did I piss it off? Trying to throw something extra at us?

FZZT!

That was the moment. The condensed mana sphere blazed with blinding light and launched from the basilisk's gaping jaws.

TAP!

Ethan gripped his sword and sprang forward. He was confident he could cleave the incoming sphere.

The only concern was that, given its larger size, the shockwave might reach Mikhail behind him—so he needed a bit more distance—

"—Ethan!"

The blade angling toward the projectile lurched sideways.

The shout drove into his ears and locked every joint in his body. He recognized the voice as Mikhail's only after he'd already frozen mid-stride.

…No—only after his upper body had pitched sharply forward.

"Wh—!"

The startled cry never finished. A powerful force slammed into him from behind, and Ethan tumbled to the ground—rolling across the stone together with the person who'd shoved him.

"Gakh!"

Acrid dust flooded his open mouth. But before that sensation could register, a single question consumed every corner of his mind.

"Mikhail… why did you suddenly—"

He'd barely forced the words out.

Roughly six or seven paces back—a deafening impact split the air from the ground behind them.

KA-BOOM!

Ethan forgot what he'd been saying and went rigid. He turned his head, slow and mechanical, toward the source of the blast.

The stretch of ground a handful of diagonal steps behind them.

The surface had caved in. Unlike every scar that had come before, the fracture carved this time was deep beyond measure.

So deep it was nothing but black.

What… the…?

Ethan stared at the scene, replaying it over and over, then raised a trembling hand to the back of his neck.

The spot where the basilisk's mana sphere had grazed closest. Cold sweat had pooled there.

"Ah…"

A broken sound fell from his lips as his hand dropped. His wide-open eyes wavered like something unmoored, and the blood that had been running hot through his veins turned to ice. He murmured, chewing through the images that had just unfolded.

"It was all… a miscalculation?"

Self-recrimination surged like a flood tide. Just as Ethan's consciousness threatened to drown beneath the black wave, a cough erupted from beside him.

"—Cough. Hk."

Ethan turned toward the sound. Mikhail was staggering upright, already forcing words through his teeth.

"It's not… over yet. Don't drop your guard."

Mikhail raised his head and fixed his gaze on the basilisk.

Even after its last shot had missed, the beast showed no sign of relenting or probing their defenses. A shrill cry leaked from its throat as it prepared its next attack.

GRRRRRRR…!

Golden light flickered behind its scales, and shards of dark-violet luminescence leapt from the ridge near its forehead.

Patter. Tap.

But the accumulated damage from every barrage it had already unleashed was taking its toll.

More than half the golden crystals studding its body had cracked and were dropping to the floor piece by piece. Its scales and claws were split with deep fissures—far from whole.

"……"

Mikhail took in the sight, then felt the rumble building beneath his feet and spoke to Ethan.

"The basilisk's going to try to pin us down no matter what. It'll warp the ground, throw up structures, and chase us."

"……"

"So you break left, I break right. We dodge by counting the rhythm as we run. One, two, pause, three. Change direction every time you hit three—until we reach Salvator's formation."

Ethan's expression was unreadable. Mikhail held his gaze for a moment, then let his face soften into a slight smile and turned forward.

"Nothing to worry about. Once we reach the others, everything will be fine."

"……"

"This is the real last stretch. Let's go."

Mikhail sensed the tremors beneath the floor growing sharper, pushed off, and ran.

GROOOOOO—!

From the far side of the chasm, the basilisk let out a long, drawn-out cry—like a hunting hound driving its prey.

At the same time, it hammered the ground with one massive fist.

The aftermath was instant. Stone shrieked and buckled, the surface crumpled like paper, and jagged pillars of rock erupted upward.

KA-BOOM! CRACK!

The surging rock chased them like a predator's footsteps. Mikhail shoved his ragged breathing down behind his throat by sheer force of will.

"Hhrgh… hk."

He grimaced. Every time a shard of stone grazed his cheek, his nerves screamed. Every time the shaking ground buckled his knees, dread crawled up his spine.

CRACK!

Another section of ground ripped apart beside him. But Mikhail kept his eyes locked forward and ran.

Hesitation in the face of danger meant a fatal wound—he knew that much. He couldn't afford to flinch at the threat bearing down on him.

There was only one thing to focus on. The count running inside his head.

One, two… and three.

Mikhail poured every ounce of concentration into the rhythm and changed direction again and again.

Ethan, flashing past at his side, mirrored the pattern—weaving left and right, dodging every razor-edged strike the ground hurled at them.

"—Mikhail! Ethan!"

The voices calling their names rang sharp and clear. The distance to Salvator's formation had closed in a rush.

Beyond it, further down the path, the clustered shapes of others were coming into view as well.

Almost time… to strike back.

The instant Mikhail's foot landed on the edge of the formation, gasping for air—

He ignored the flood of stares and spun toward the basilisk without pause.

He thrust his arm high overhead and detonated the mana at his fingertips.

FZZZZT!

The compressed mana exploded in a blinding flash. The blue blaze carved sharp shadows across the basilisk's face as the beast twisted low and coiled its body.

"Everyone, ready to attack!"

His cracked voice carried a message that rang crystal clear.

Mikhail heard the chorus of ringing steel answer from every direction, scraped together every last thread of mana in his body, and roared.

"—Charge!"

The instant the sharp command cut through the air—

FZZZZT!

The mana condensed at Mikhail's fingertips blew open like a cannon's first volley and hurtled toward the basilisk ahead of everything else.

The vivid blue streak moved like a comet.

It trailed a faintly dark tail behind it as it screamed toward the mountain of golden crystals jutting from the beast's body.

KA-BOOM!

A single, deafening impact—like a war drum signaling the charge—shook the entire cavern.

Crk-crk-crk.

The dense golden crystals armoring the basilisk's body crumbled without resistance, raining down to the floor in a cascade of fragments.

"Yes! Let's finish this!"

The sight was overwhelming. Those who sensed victory let their cheers soar.

Blades flew toward the beast from every angle.

Carried on the wave of that roar, the weapons blazed brighter than at any point in the entire battle.

---

"How… is this possible."

The reinforcement unit had just cut through the magical beasts blocking the tunnel and reached the cave's center.

Germain Lowell could do nothing but exhale empty breaths as he stood frozen in place. The scene before him stole every word from his tongue.

A beast bristling with golden crystals across its entire body—fully, irreversibly mutated.

It should have been several times more powerful than the original basilisk.

And yet the ones who had brought it down were the very people he'd been praying would simply survive.

"……"

Germain swallowed hard and turned his head.

He already knew who deserved credit for this victory.

Even now, the fluttering broadcaster was shouting it for everyone to hear.

"—What a remarkable display! Every person present—half-collapsed from exhaustion—achieved victory over the mutated beast under the command of Mikhail Senit!"