Chapter 22 – Last Struggle
Violet missed her second Implosion, destroying the bridge instead of wiping out the beholders.
The monsters were stuck on a crumbling pillar, waiting for the Evil Eye to finish its Dimension Door spell to save them.
Violet’s party safely landed at the bottom of the cave thanks to the harpies.
The pace of the battle had shifted in Violet’s favor, as she started a new decisive spell, one step ahead of the Evil Eye.
The top of the pillar detached, taking the beholders in its fall.
Spreading its tentacles in midair, the Evil Eye cast its spell. The space was torn open, as a gaping rift swallowed the falling beholders along with the rocks.
Spat out from the magical door at the floor, they fell horizontally between heaven and earth.
Finally, gravity pulled the rubbles. The beholders and the rocks crashed into the clay soldiers. They tumbled and rolled on the ground until they slowed down to a stop.
BOOM!
Pieces of the broken pillars landed in the splashing underground river.
The roughened monsters got up on their tentacles and stumbled to gather around the Evil Eye. The rocks that fell with the beholders crushed a few unfortunate ones.
A blinding light erupted near the closing Dimension Door
“O spirit of Earth... Answer my prayer. I call upon your power, Crown!” Violet said.
A ground trembled as a ten-meter rock giant rose in front of Violet. Floating rocks orbited around its head.
“Slade… I leave the rest to you,” she said as she sunk into Lorely’s arms.
Wait, how do I reach that golem? he thought as he perked up on her head.
“Don’t get cold feet,” Lorely said.
She grabbed the slime and threw him upwards.
“Slade, goooooo!” Milia called his name for the first time, having forgotten it until now.
“Avenge my troglodytes!” Shaki shouted, supporting the minotaur.
“I’ll protect Violet, so don’t worry about us!” Lorely said.
“Ughhh…” Metiva groaned as she was lying on the ground. The surviving gnolls fanned fresh air for the fainting matriarch.
A harpy pawn snatched him mid-air and dunked him into the nape of the crowned golem.
Woooooh! He fell into a hole, reaching deep inside the elemental.
[Symbiosis activated.]
The world around Slade blackened when a stone plate sealed the golem’s nape. As his body spread thin throughout the golem’s network, he fell deep in thoughts.
Together with the girls, they went through pain and tears to survive. Though he didn’t get along with them, he felt grateful for their help and guilty for everything that went awry.
It’s finally my turn to protect them!
Violet risked her life on the battlefield, and he carried everyone’s life on his shoulders.
Don’t fuck this up!
“Huoooooooooh!” the giant shouted as Slade steeled himself.
He dashed towards the shocked beholders, trampling the clay soldiers.
The disintegration rays bounced off his massive body, lightly scraping its surface.
I’d take more damage from turning on and off a flashlight into my eyes! Slade thought.
He smashed into the crowd of enemies, sending them flying.
This is for ruining a cool tomb!
The golem grabbed a mature beholder, stopping its spell casting. His rock fingers tightened on the struggling monster.
This is for trapping the gnolls!
Spinal bones cracked loudly and its screaming ended in an explosion of blood as it popped inside the golem’s hand. A shiver of disgust swept Slade.
Angry beholders focused fire on the golem’s face, irritating Slade.
This is for hurting the monster waifus!
Slade then threw the compressed carcass into shooting beholders. He stubbornly hammered them with his blood-soaked fists until only minced meat was left.
Spatial rifts opened around him. The older beholders sneakily finished their spells while Slade focused on the crowd of shooters.
The mistake instantly cooled his mind because large tentacles slithered out of the rifts to grapple the golem.
He yanked one of them, tearing it. The phantasmal limb faded away as its caster screamed in pain.
However, six other tentacles appeared, completely rooting him in place.
Damn, I’m trapped! Slade thought. Pulling the tentacles had no effect.
Friend? a voice resounded in Slade’s mind.
What?! His senses focused on the golem’s insides.
He noticed a warm light near his true body.