Chapter 641 The Runic Hivemind

The noises buzzed around Keng as he stood in a condensed moving ball of runes. Every Earth rune possible was condensed in this one place. At the center was the largest ball of runes. It pulsed a red color that then made the other smaller balls pulse the same light. Keng cocked his head as his tails deflected runes away from him. The balls turned to look at him. They had finally noticed him.

,m "I've never met a human brave enough to infiltrate me." The largest ball spoke in English. It had a thick accent that couldn't be placed in a single region or country. The smaller balls pulled towards the big one, making it grow bigger as a large eye appeared. "You're not a human! You're just a defect! What did I tell you and the others? I would kill you if you entered my realm!" The runes shuddered as they fired at Keng. Keng sighed as his lips whispered something. The runes instantly froze, and the large runic eyeball's pupil shook, surprised.

"How do you know that?" The runic eyeball asked. "How?!?" Keng chuckled as he took a bold step forward. The runic cold beneath his feet rotating different runes as he cautiously looked up at the Runic Eyeball.

"I pick up on stuff, quick." Keng shrugged. "What can I say?" He smiled at the Runic Eyeball. The Runic Eyeball's pupil narrowed like he was glaring at him. "Say, you're the 'collective Hivemind', right?"

"Why should I tell you that?"

"Well," Keng puckered his lips and tapped his chin. The Runic Eyeball didn't like the way this defect was acting. It was too cocky. "I can tell the difference between what's alive and what isn't. Your runes breathe life, full of energy." The entire runic hivemind shook as the eyeball retracted a bit.

"And you somehow got inside with me?" The Runic Eyeball scoffed. It moved downwards looking directly at the strange multi-tailed Fox. "A defect brave enough to enter the collective mind of one of the people I'm supposed to watch and decided to enter mines? Ha! You must have a death wish, defect!"

"You keep calling me a defect." Keng spoke in Terran-Runic. "I'm not. I'm a Fox Spirit. Do you know what that is, 'all seeing eye'?"

"You mock me?!? How dare you! Blazing Salvo!" The Runic Eyeball screeched in Terran-Runic. Some runes along the runic matrix code running all around Keng began to light up. Balls of pure fire grew, tossing themselves straight at the Fox Spirit. Keng quickly wrote something with Hydrosphere's water. The Fox Rune shimmered in the air as a dome of water exploded from the rune.

"What is that?!?" The Runic Eyeball screeched. It pulled back to watch the water shoot out balls of water at the Blazing Salvos. Steam hissed as the remnants of Blazing Salvo slammed against the water dome. "I… I don't know that one! What is that?!?"

"You mean you don't know Fox Runes?" Keng cocked his head. He scribbled a set of runes in the air and looked up at the Eyeball. "You got a lot to learn Eyeball… I would play with you, but I need my annoying friend's friend back." The Fox runes burnt into pure energy as Keng pierced it with Hydrosphere. The energy exploded outwards, shattering the dome of water as it flew outwards like a galaxy being born.

'',

"W-w-what is this? No energy used, either?!?" The Runic Eyeball shrank further back as the energy pulled into Keng.

"Wanna know a secret?" Keng asked the Runic Eyeball. He slashed the air sending out a cosmic strike across the eyeball. The Eyeball shrieked as blood and runes fell. "I just learned the rune, too and it didn't even work right!"

"Lightning Storm!" The Runic Eyeball commanded. Bolts of lightning fired out from all around Keng as he jumped out of the way. Another lightning bolt connected with him, deflecting off as the Runic Eyeball shook. "What did you just do?"

"I didn't do much." Keng answered truthfully. He didn't cast anything to deflect the lightning bolts. He only strengthened his defense with multiple layers of cosmic energy. His aura burned brightly as he bounced around the field, dodging lightning bolts and "deflecting" the others without a care in the world.

What the Eyeball saw was different from what Keng was feeling. Each lightning bolt that hit him, cracked his enhanced aura. Keng faked the rune writing. He wrote using his light magic and simply scattered light energy everywhere. Each bolt that hit him, cracked his shield and with each hit he took, the more he could feel the pain.

"Howling Abyss!" The Eyeball shouted. Wind whipped around the runic matrix field as it nervously watched Keng lift off the ground Keng grunted as the wind made tiny cuts in his cosmic barriers. He slashed at the eyeball, watching the wind easily rip the cosmic slashes away. The Eyeball began to laugh. It had realized Keng couldn't do anything in here.

"You should've stayed out if you wanted a chance to kill me, Fox defect!" The Eyeball cackled. "Now you'll die with your human friend! Elemental Heresy!" All of the runes lit up as an energy began to grow from the Eyeball's pupil. Fire, water, earth and air circled each other like a twister as a beam shot out of the pupil. Keng marked his blades and let them go. They whipped in different directions as the laser beam flew straight at him.

[Distortion has been used.]

The beam slammed against the wall spilling like waves slamming against rocks. The colorful energy washed around the field, becoming nothing as the Eyeball pulled back. It chuckled as it noticed Hydrosphere fall to the ground.

"You were no match for me, Fox defect! No one's a match for m— Argh!" The Eyeball reeled forward as a cold blade pierced its back. The eyeball rune particles moved across the sphere and noticed Keng was floating in the air. He was burnt in four different colors. His tails were fluttering as he bobbed up and down with little energy.

"H-how did you—Argh!" A blast of energy fired from Hydrosphere. Blood and runes spilled as Keng slashed, over and over. The Eyeball tried to pull away, but Keng relentlessly continued to attack it. "How—argh – did – argh – you even – argh – pull that off!?!" The blade turned as Keng jabbed it into the Eyeball's body. A large hole exploded, releasing Hydrosphere down into the sea of elements.

"How did I do it?" Keng smirked. His body was tired, but he needed to finish his job. He dropped a couple of feet as he raised his head to look at the scared Eyeball. "I told you… I will kill you!" He lashed forward as the Eyeball screamed.

"Teleport, Max! Vanishing!" The Eyeball commanded. As Keng slashed the Eyeball, he appeared in the middle of the sky. His arms grew tired as his eyes rolled back.

'ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ N(ov)elBin',

[Soul Requirements have been met! You have leveled up! Do you wish to Evolve now?]

'Yes.' Keng thought as everything went black.

A loud whistling noise spooked Manny. He looked up and noticed millions of runes appearing all around him. The whole city ripped apart as the runes began to scatter.

"What the fuck is going on?!?" Manny asked, standing. A loud pop noise made him look directly upwards. Something was falling straight for him. "Shit!" Manny instinctively ran. Keng's body slammed into the runic concrete. His tails wrapped him as a large vortex opened. It pulled Keng in as it began to suck everything else into it. Manny's feet picked up as he tried to scramble forward.

"Shit!" Manny cursed as he was pulled backwards.

"Argh!" Manny cried as millions of runes flew out of his body. Ritsuka, Evan, Olivia and Liz turned to watch as Manny's body lifted upwards. The runes flew past the Imprisonment as a green energy flew outwards. A large body spat out of Manny's body, rolling towards the edge of the dying Imprisonment spell.

"What is this?!?" The Orc Magician barked. "Someone broke the spell?!? Who did?!? You!" The Orc pointed at Manny as he continued to scream.

"What's going on?!?" Liz screeched. Wind, fire, earth and water flew out of Manny's body as the green energy flew inwards, surrounding Manny. Manny's head flew upwards as his feet hovered above the ground. His eyes opened as he took a large deep breath.

"What is this?" Manny asked, looking at his hands.

"What're you doing, idiots! Capture them!" The Orc Magician shouted. He waved his staff and began to chant in a language none of the group understood.

"Who's that?" Olivia pointed at the wrapped, pulsing energy.

"Keng." Manny answered. He dropped to the floor as the Orc Magician finished his chanting. The green energy seeped into his skin as his scrawny body became a bit more defined with muscle and meat. He rushed forward past Evan and Ritsuka as the Orc magician blasted a black beam at them. Manny lifted his hands and watched as the energy connected with his hand.

"Argh!" Manny grunted. His hand withered, pushing backwards as millions of runes fluttered in every direction. Manny pushed back at the energy, making sure to hold onto it. His body healed furiously as a green energy began to eat at the black energy.

"W-what is this magic?!?" The Orc Magician shouted. "G-get them you idiots! Get them!"