Chapter 141 - Too late

The ends of Adder's coat fluttered aggressively as if a powerful wind had entered the cave. His eyes lit up with a blue glow, the same sapphire hue spread over his body.

“This human…he’s the one that shattered my barrier,” Larc observed.

Adder took a step forward and cracks split in the ground around his foot. The massive amount of mana that left his body funnelled above him like a tornado and wrapped around the air.

It shaped itself into large appendages, forming the skeleton of a colossal figure. From Adder's back, a spine made from blue mana shot up and guided the scattered mana around it. Bones for the arms and ribs were formed from the spine's sides and soon after, a skull.

The misty texture of the mana coated the bones and covered them like flesh.

The adventurers of Titans Helm stepped back so they wouldn’t be caught in the crossfires of the giant's attacks. Stunned expressions infected everyone in the room and soon, they had all abandoned their attacks and simply watched from a distance.

The body of the giant had fully formed from the waist up and hovered over Adder, mimicking his every move. The giant's eyes lit up with a red glow that provided Adder with vision over everything it saw. A true extension of himself.

“With this skill, I won’t let anyone look down on me. Your death is upon you, demon. This is my skill– Titan!”

Larc’s face contorted at the centre with a disgusted frown. “I don’t have time for this, I must–”

The titan’s fist flew through the air but before it could hit the mage, he extended out his hand and summoned a small shield of mana. The fist crashed into it and was held still by its unbreakable defence.

“Is that all you can muster?” Larc asked with an annoyed tone.

Adder smirked and twisted his waist, throwing out another punch into empty air. The titan above him mimicked his moves and threw its second punch. By the time the attack landed, he had already thrown another, and another, and one more after that.

Staggering waves of pressure exploded off the mana shield as it was pummeled by the relentless spree of attacks. Sweat rolled down Adder’s face but he never let up. He felt the drawback of his skill hit his body but ignored it entirely.

‘If I let up my mana output for even a second–I’ll fall behind! Just keep pushing…no matter what, don’t stop fighting!’ Adder convinced himself.

The mage’s mouth gawked open as a crack appeared in front of him.

“It can’t be…a human was able to produce this kind of power?”

The shield broke under the weight of the titan's punch and Larc was forced against the wall of the cave, pinning him in place with its strength.

Larc had protected himself with a small bubble of mana that squeezed to a near-breaking point under the Titans fist. Even in a situation as dire as that, his attention was elsewhere.

Heavy grunts erupted from Adder's mouth, “Take this seriously, bastard!”

Larc’s eyes were glued to Eshner and Rei as he watched her hand reach out over him. Rei was badly wounded and on the floor, with her standing over him, exuded a dominant aura. No matter how you looked at it, she had won.

Yet the terrified expression on Larc’s face hadn’t subsided.

“If she dies…nobody will be safe from the master's wrath!” Larc’s pupils shrunk.

A surge of electricity blew out from the wall where Larc was pinned and with a wave of his arm, a bolt struck the titan and greatened the distance between them. It lit up the room with a bright flash.

Adder brushed off the effects of the lightning and pushed on towards Larc but was intercepted by a blast of scarlet flames.

At the end of Larc’s hands were two large magic circles stacked over one another. Both circles rotated in opposite directions and produced a cracking explosion of sounds as flames burst from the front circle's centre.

The flame engulfed half the room, with Adder at the front of the attack. He held against it, shielding his guild mates with the titan's body. The intense pressure of the flames pushed him back, the full weight of a wall pressed against him. Adder buried his feet in the ground and didn’t allow himself to fall, he kept himself standing.

“I…won’t…FALL!!!!” He cried out.

‘This is one of the strongest flame spells in my arsenal and this human still hasn’t fallen…I suppose there’s a strong one or two in the bunch after all.’

The titan locked its arms into a cross and held strong against the demonic flames. The longer it endured, the more of its body was burnt away.

Larc’s brows caved in just above the line of his nose, a furious expression matched only by the flames he released. He looked truly devilish and had completely disregarded his composed demeanour.

Suddenly, amidst his assault of flames on Titans Helm, he sensed a rise in bloodlust from behind him.

Larc’s eyes shifted away from the adventurer and angst, he turned to Eshner. He abandoned his spell entirely and the flames faded from the cave.

Suddenly, the bony hand of the titan crashed into him with an open grasp. The fleshy mist of the titan had been completely burnt away and all that remained was a skeleton. It held Larc to the broken remains of the cave walls and forced him in place.

Dust filled the room as the ceiling shook and rubble rained down like a meteor shower. Large chunks of purple and black stone crashed around them as a result of the titan's struggles.

‘They’re far too persistent! If I attack the big one, the other mages down there will just monopolise the situation…they’re too organised to take out in a hurry. Curses, I’m locked in!’ Larc grimaced.

“I can’t let her be killed, I have to make it! I have to make it there before she’s…It’s too late.” Larc looked down in a distraught manner.

***

Rei placed his hand over Eshner's wrist and her eyes flickered. She couldn’t hide her suspicions and glared down at the human with a furious growl. Her fangs were bared and moved to take a bite out of him.

“This ends now, demon.”

{Shadow Spike has been activated}