Chapter 1686 Victor [13]

Chapter 1686 Victor [13]

Eris knew she would be transported when the beast died, but she expected to be in a corridor.

That was where the path to the finish line was. It was where she rightfully deserved to be.

But what was this?

Why was she stuck in eternal darkness, unable to decipher anything?

Those questions really only existed in her mind for a few moments. Almost instantly, her mind processed exactly what had happened.

'That little...'

"BASTARD!"

She roared.

There was only one person who could mess with the mechanisms of the central room, and that was the one person who had interacted with them.

August Void.

The genius that was originally supposed to be her stepping stone...

Had he used her as a stepping stone instead...?

"Unbelievable..."

She truly couldn't fathom it.

Some random bastard from a clan she didn't care to know the name of dared to provoke her?

He dared to play her for a fool?!

This was the space where he was supposed to end up. It was a place where he'd be trapped until everyone else in the trial had finished.

But, now that it was her prison instead...

'See what happens.'

Her eyes were practically bloodshot.

She meant it.

He would see what happened when someone decided that a member of the Noct Clan could be messed with.

This place couldn't hold her.

Nothing could hold her.

Nothing could stop her from finding him and slaughtering him.

That much, no matter what her circumstances were, she could guarantee.

Eris' power roared to life.

The blackness around her started to shrink as she consumed it, taking it into her body.

August thought he'd gotten off easy because he didn't understand the exact nature of the trap he'd sent Eris to deal with.

Little did he know that his troubles were far from over.

Whether it be the last few moments of this event or the remainder of his life once he left...

...Eris would ensure that he'd suffer.

***

As expected, August and Valerie ended up in the corridor that Eris was expecting to see.

"Huu..."

August took a deep breath.

"We made it!" Valerie exclaimed.

"We made it, but we still need to hurry," August replied.

He was certain that Eris wouldn't come for them any time soon, but it was best to not take risks when dealing with people like her.

And this was the result of that.

A massive horde of dark beasts, loyal to her command, charging through the tight corridor that led to the finish line.

Three steps.

There were only three steps left before they crossed it, but that wave was already upon them.

Two steps.

August and Valerie rapidly put up any defenses they could, but the swarm tore through them like they were made of paper.

August felt something tear off of his leg. Luckily, it was the leg that was still dysfunctional from his previous injuries, so it didn't affect him much.

But, when one of those things gripped his other ankle in its mouth and thrashed around, August truly felt the pain.

"Khhh...!"

He put mana into that ankle to temporarily ignore the damage.

One step.

One step was all there was separating August and Valerie from the finish line.

That space filled with soft blue light, that very obvious indicator that their challenge would end in but a second, was right in front of them.

They could feel it. If they reached out, they could touch it.

But, that one step couldn't be covered.

Eris was already here. She teleported through the hall and arrived above them in the two steps they'd taken since the swarm appeared.

And she was still attacking.

August gritted his teeth and made a decision.

His foot was already moving to complete that last step, but instead of letting it touch the ground, he pushed off of his other foot and turned his body.

Bang!

"Ah...!"

Valerie made a small sound as his body collided with hers.

She stumbled and flew forward. She thought that was the end of her, but her fall was orchestrated with a purpose.

As Valerie flew forward, August's body naturally concluded its turn to face the incoming horde.

He couldn't see what happened to her, but he grinned anyway.

It wasn't like he could check.

The only thing he could feel, see, sense, and hear was the immense force crushing down on him from above.

It overloaded his senses and tried to drive him insane, but his mind didn't suffer the effects of its corrosion.

His body, though...

He tried to move his eyes up to see what was about to hit him, but he was perceiving time in milliseconds. He didn't have nearly the opening to do it.

August's body flew through the air, just barely touching the finish line as he fell towards the ground.

And...

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

That was the last thing he saw.

The terrifying beasts in front of him, Eris above him, and a wall of darkness crushing him flat.

His vision went black.

His mind left the world of the living.

And that was the end of it.

That was the last memory August had of the labyrinth.