Chapter 174: Ragan

Chapter 174: Ragan

After she was certain the guards didn’t know that an illusion had just washed over them, Astrid smirked, then erected a Mind Barrier over the door. The plan was simple–stop any noise from being emitted from the door opening.

She may be able to trick their eyes, but their ears were different. The only way she could do that was by utilising her Mind Barrier.

It covered the area behind and in front of the door, then she simply pushed it open. It was as she thought. Once the door was opened, she watched for the reactions of the guards–but they didn’t move. Not even a twitch or a suspicion that she had just entered the stairwell.

She then covered her team in her Mind Barrier and snuck up the stairs. They approached the guards face to face.

Brett looked like he was struggling internally, only for his inner thoughts to get the best of him. He took a step forward, right in front of the guard, and waved in front of his face.

Since the air was stuck inside the Mind Barrier, even if the guard was sensitive to the air’s movement–it was of no use.

They were about to move on, but the guards started to talk. All of them were wearing a cap, but the one in front of Brett was different. He was wearing a golden hairband that kept his long hair from falling down on his face. Unlike the other pirates, he was much younger than them. Just from the way he differed his style, it was clear he held some other rank.

Relative of Umair? Astrid made a guess.

Level 116 - ???Read latest chapters at nov(e)lbin.com Only

It was a surprisingly high Level for how young he was. He was no ordinary young man.

“Craig, how much longer do we need to be stationed here?” One guard with a moustache continued. “The sound of their groaning is going to haunt me in my dreams for a hell of a long time.”

The young man with the golden hairband leaned against the railing. “The pay is worth it, stop complaining. Besides, it won’t be for much longer. I hear my father and the king are going to be making a move soon.”

“A move on Re–”

Craig snapped his leg to the man’s chest as his face twisted into that of fury. “Keep your mouth shut and don’t forget your orders. If there’s one thing I despise, it’s incompetence.”

“Sorry.” The man cradled his chest, pain seethed through the gaps in his teeth.

Astrid frowned, then a thought crept into her mind. She used Mind Domain, sending the connection right into the man's mind.

The room was exactly the same, the only difference between the real world, and Astrid’s illusionary one was that she now looked identical to Craig.

Standing in the same spot, she thought about what his personality was like. Astrid took a breath as the others looked at her, or well, him.

“Well, it’s not like anyone can enter anyway.” Astrid leaned against the barrier. “But yes, we will be making a move. What do you think Kyle? To join them, or not?”

Kyle, still cradling his ribs, looked at Craig in confusion.

“Well?” Astrid turned her head and looked straight at him.

Level ??? - Ragan.

It was as she thought. There was no point in checking. She would find out if she could beat him on her own.

Once again, her blood boiled. It wasn’t the same feeling as when she faced Avemoth, but at least he would be a decent opponent. It wouldn’t be a quick death. It wasn’t what he deserved.

Astrid spawned a clone of herself. The more she created, the weaker they became. But with only one clone, it was even stronger than herself thanks to the eye of the Tree King.

“I’ll help you fight with the others, while my clone deals with the leader.” Astrid announced.

Daniel nodded. He was well aware that right now, Astrid was the strongest amongst them. It was her duty to take the brunt of their attacks. Thankfully, her clone helped them considerably.

“Monsters,” Ragan stretched out his arms as he addressed his team. “Descend.”

In his words, strange body parts grew from his team. Whether it was Spawn-like arms, monstrous tails that grew from the bottom of their spines, or their faces changed completely–they underwent a diabolical evolution. Each and everyone of them were Corrupted.

And it was clear that they didn’t have the same mental fortitude as Ragan did. The moment they descended into their corrupted form, they instantly lost their rationale. From a human, to something lesser. Or maybe to them–something more powerful.

They rushed forward in a mind altered fury.

Daniel took the lead alongside Astrid. It was difficult to use her attacks from behind her team in a corridor, so she simply created a sword of her own making, and charged for the corrupted.

However, Ragan wasn’t going to allow them to simply cut through his team. He shot forward, each booted step causing the floor to warp under his might. In only a matter of seconds, he had rampaged past his team, and swung his fist at Daniel.

As he did so, his corrupted arm grew. Like a balloon, it expanded to triple its regular size. Veins bulged like squirming snakes as the air tumbled from the incoming fist.

Because Daniel was next to Astrid, the fist struck her Mind Barrier. Two layers shattered under the might of the hit, and the third trembled.

Astrid witnessed the lines within Daniel’s eye to flash, just like she had seen many times before. He slashed his sword through her barrier, slicing past the weakness of its structure as if he could see it with his own eyes. It continued through, then cut into Ragan’s mutated arm.

The blade managed to reach a few centimetres into the flesh, but it wasn’t enough.

However, unluckily for Ragan–Astrid was not an onlooker.

Unlike Daniel, she thrust her sword forward. Explosions fractured the air behind her Psychokinetic blade and caused it to streak forward at an unnatural speed.

It struck at his suspended fist, and entered the bone.

Noticing the pain, he growled, and took a step back. But all that awaited him was a sudden explosion at his back. Astrid had [Crashed ] the air behind him, causing him to stumble forward.

It wasn’t something she could always use as her opponent had to be caught unaware for it, but as a surprise, it was enough. Her blade shot through the man's heart.

She was expecting him to fall to the floor. But there was no notification of her kill. The only change that occurred was in his eyes. From a bloodshot red, to an all consuming scarlet.