Chapter 31. The Art  of Disrespect

“Levin, don’t strike unless I signal you!” I barked, my voice sharp. “Stay at a safe distance and be ready. I’ll distract them.” I didn’t wait for an answer. The Tusks were already charging, their jagged tusks gleaming like spears, heading straight for us. But I was faster.

Lyra’s wind magic surged through me, coursing like electricity, sharpening my senses and amplifying my power. I was faster, stronger, and right now—I had a plan. I moved forward, positioning myself just a few meters in front of the charging Tusks. Then, I stopped.

My body shuddered, and I expanded—growing, pushing myself to my limits. In an instant, I was about one meter in diameter, a hulking presence on the battlefield. The transformation drained some of my mana, but the cost was negligible compared to what I was about to do. I took a deep breath. The air around me hummed, thick with the power I was about to unleash. With that, I opened my mouth wide and let out a roar, amplifying it with mana until the ground itself seemed to shake beneath me.

“RRRROAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!!!”

My roar sounded savage and primal, echoing through the forest like a thunderclap. The first step was successful. Now for the second. Slowly, I drew in more mana, gathering it within myself before opening my mouth wide as if preparing to unleash a devastating blast, some kind of massive beam.

Mana crackled and sparked in the air around me, the tension building like something ready to explode. The Tusks slowed. Their momentum faltered. Eyes wide, they skidded to a halt, confused by what I was doing. They froze. Hesitant. Their tusks twitched. For a brief moment, the ground seemed quieter. Their charge that had been unstoppable only seconds ago evaporated, replaced by wariness.

Now, for the final step—time to bring out the secret weapon. The one thing that could push them over the edge.

The Savage Tongue.

Yup, that’s what I’m calling it.

Damage: Almost zero.
Sass Function: Unlimited.
Flexing Function: Unhinged.

And just like that, the secret weapon was ready. I let it slide out, my tongue wagging in the air, swaying side to side with absolute confidence. It was a gesture meant to taunt, to mock, to let the Tusks know they had no chance. I turned toward them, barely containing the smirk tugging at my lips. Then, with all the flair of a rap battle champion, I let loose.

“NYE NYE NYE, STUPID TUSKS, YOU’RE DUMB! WHY YOU TRY SO HARD WHEN YOUR WHOLE FAMILY’S CRYING ‘CAUSE THEY KNOW YOU’RE THE FAILURE OF THE FOREST!

TRY HARDER, YOU BIG DUMMY—YOU LOOK LIKE YOU’RE STILL WAITING FOR YOUR MOMMA TO BRING YOU A SNACK!”

I dragged out the last part, practically singing it, letting the absurdity of my words sink in. Honestly, I don’t even know if the Tusks understood half of it, but one thing was for sure, they were pissed. They could feel it.

You know, like when you taunt a neighbor’s dog or a bull—they don’t need to understand your words. The gesture alone can make them mad.

Their nostrils flared wider, their tusks twitching with rage. And just when I thought they’d had enough, they roared back, furious. Perfect. Now I had their full attention. They were completely locked onto me. Lyra? She should be safe for now. I had them exactly where I wanted them—aggro’d and ready to fight without worrying about them turning on her.

Now all I had to do was create the right moment, the perfect timing, to signal Levin and let him strike. I picked out the environment, scanning for the best route I could use.

I saw Lyra, still recovering from the earlier chaos, couldn’t help but crack a smile. “Dummy dice…”

Levin, stunned. “I’m readying myself to prepare to die for this show?”

I looked up and saw Kevin, just smiling and complaining... “That was… excessive. Effective. But excessive.”

“Hmph, as always, I’m a top performer. Everything I do? Everyone’s in awe!”

No time to daze around, though. I shrank my body back to my normal size, of course, small is better for maneuvering. But, damn, why do I hate the word “small” so much?

I surged forward like a tiny cannonball of confidence, racing across the cracked stone path that cut through the clearing, straight into the path of the frontmost Tusk. Its eyes locked onto me—burning, wild, dumb and just before it could ram into me, I juked hard to the right.

“Go home, boy! Do your homework!!” I shouted mid-spin. Inside my dice-body, I flailed both arms like I was conducting an orchestra made entirely of insults. It bellowed in confusion, but I was already gone.

I zipped under its tusks, wind trailing behind me, and rocketed toward the second one. This one wasn’t as fast, but it was bigger. Dumber. My favorite combo. I darted in a tight figure-eight between its legs, then zipped up toward its face.

“You call that a charge? I’ve seen Lyra’s laundry fly faster!”

It let out a wheeze that was probably meant to be a roar, but I was already diving low, slinging myself around toward the third. This one didn’t wait, it lunged. I dropped, spun under its tusks, and shot upward beside its shoulder. A heartbeat later, its tusks slammed into a tree where I’d just been. Bark exploded in every direction.

I leaned in as I zipped past its head. “You almost got me, by accident. Keep swinging, buddy. One day you’ll graduate from tree-slaying school.”

Then came number four. I saw it but too late. No time to dodge. I gritted my teeth, narrowed my eyes, spun in midair—and slammed myself full-force into its glowing left eye.

SPLOT.

“AWGH—EW! GROSS! I REGRET EVERYTHING!” I shouted, ricocheting off like a tennis ball soaked in trauma. The Tusk shrieked, reared back, and kicked up dirt like it had just stepped on a bonfire. Its eye clamped shut, goo leaking down its face.

Great. I just gave a forest beast pinkeye.

I zipped higher, circling above them like a possessed mosquito, buzzing, annoying, impossible to swat. I pelted them with nonstop insults, taunting like a gremlin with a megaphone.

But something felt off. A beat later, I realized what it was. One pink eye? Not enough.

I dropped low again and charged the same Tusk from the other side. Another clean hit.

SPLORKT.

Disgusting. The beast reeled, screeching louder than ever. It stomped in circles, tossing its head like it had just seen its ex with someone sporting bigger, shinier tusks.

“I better get a raise for this,” I muttered as I bounced away, covered in eye goo and personal shame. I targeted the next Tusk, ready to go full optometrist on it. But this time, just before impact, its eyes snapped shut.

Damn it. Guess someone saw what happened to Eyeball-Boy over there.

BONK.

I ricocheted off its eyelid like a rubber ball off a brick wall, absolutely unfair. Before I could recover, the other Tusks surged forward, giving me zero room to breathe and just like that, the tables turned. Three of them were now hot on my tail. Charging with their eyes narrowed and murder in their hearts.

They’d learned. Eyes shut. Ears locked on my voice. Charging blind… but charging smart. Ugh. Why do I suddenly sound like a smartphone ad? And the fourth? Still flailing, crying, screaming for its momma like someone canceled Tuskmas.

Perfect.

I still had momentum. Time to weaponize it. I curved low, looping around the poor mana tree that Tusk #3 tried to murder earlier. Its trunk now splintered and still sparking faintly—drawing the three Tusks behind me like furry wrecking balls with no brakes. I made sure to shout something every few seconds just to keep their ears locked in.

“This way, brainlets!”
“Is that tusk size or dumb inflation?”
“Bet you get lost in your own forest!”

Three’s enough. Didn’t need to tag the whole family, just a few idiots with momentum issues and the right angle. If I lined them up, got the distance tight... They wouldn’t hit me. They’d hit something worse.

They roared louder, picking up speed, and that was all I needed. I angled my trajectory—fast and low—right toward the waiting disaster at the end of this little roadshow.

The Mega Tusk.

Still standing there like an angry wall with daddy issues. Its breath steamed. Its muscles twitched. I kept my speed high, skimming just above the ground like a mana-powered bullet, with the three Tusks thundering behind me in a death parade.

Closer.
Closer.
Almost there.

I spun around mid-glide, slowing just slightly as the three Tusks locked on even tighter. I hovered right in front of the Mega Tusk.

I grew again. My body expanded midair to about a meter wide. Big enough to be a target. Big enough to sell the bait. I let out another roar, louder this time.

“ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRR!!!”

Not for the Tusks. For the Mega Tusk. It couldn’t see me, but it could feel sound. Feel pressure. And if I roared while growing, maybe it’d feel the shift—just enough to hesitate.

“Alright, boys,” I muttered, flashing the trio Tusks the most smug grin I could muster, “say cheese~”

And just before they could crash into me—

SHOOP!

I shrank back down and shot upward like a yoyo on a mission.

Behind me?

BOOM.

Three Aether Tusks slammed into the Mega Tusk at full charge. The impact shook the clearing. Trees trembled. Dirt exploded. The air itself seemed to wince. The Mega Tusk didn’t fall. It didn’t budge.

But it did get angry.

Its tusks snapped outward with a violent CLANG, and in the next moment—it roared. Not a normal roar. A ragequake. Then came the counterattack. The Mega Tusk spun in a half-circle and crushed the stunned trio. Flinging them like broken wagons, their bodies rag-dolling into trees and dirt mounds. Perfectly scattered.

“Levin!” I shouted. “They’re all yours!”

“Great! Too tired of waiting already!” Levin snapped back, voice sharp and focused.

I hovered there, spinning smug in midair. I swear, my performance? Top tier.
Even Lyra, the Chaos Goblin herself was wide-eyed, mouth half-open like I’d just rewritten the laws of physics using pure sass. The fog woman was muttering something indescribable. I’m not sure, but I think she was complimenting me.

And Kevin? Kevin looked… surprised. Actually surprised. That alone deserved a trophy. All that, without a single flashy spell. Just speed, positioning, and peak-grade spite.

Yeah. That was the last clean plan that worked. Because after that? I was just about to say, “Nothing could ruin this moment” and of course, that’s when...

…everything broke.

The sky didn’t just darken, it turned pitch black.
The air? Wrong.
Heavy. Suffocating.

Kevin was stopped—held back by the fog. Lyra didn’t scream. Didn’t shout. She just... stopped. Didn’t even make a sound.

And Levin?

He howled.