Chapter 47: The Ten Seconds
Chapter 47
“Ten seconds, you said?! How are we supposed to distract it for that long when it notices everything around it?!” Elina shouted as she summoned her sword.
She swung it at the being standing before her. The blade struck its body, only to be violently rejected.
A tremendous force exploded from the point of impact, redirecting the attack straight back toward her. Elina's shoes were torn from the ground. The sheer force of the backlash sent her flying toward the wall.
BOOM!
The impact shook the entire hall. The sound was so loud that everyone froze for a moment.
Elina gritted her teeth as pain spread through her body. “Don't stop! Focus!”
She forced herself to move despite the pain. Ignoring it wasn't exactly the most optimal choice, but they didn't have the luxury of stopping. This wasn't the time to think about injuries. They had to create an opening for Rowen, even if it meant sacrificing everything.
But before she could push herself back up, the pain suddenly began to fade.
A bright light appeared beside her. Golden light surrounded her body, washing over her wounds.
The pain disappeared.
Elina stared down at herself in disbelief. Her back, which she was certain had been seriously injured,was completely healed.
She turned around.
“Nuri...”
It was him.
Nuri stood nearby, his expression completely focused as sweat dripped down his face. His body trembled slightly from the strain. The expression on his face was so forced that it almost looked as though using the spell itself was causing him immense pain.
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But Elina barely had time to process what had happened.
The avatar had noticed him. And judging by its reaction, that wasn't a good thing.
Its unreadable expression began to distort. Something about Nuri's power had clearly caught its attention.
“Watch out!” Alina's warning came too late.
The avatar raised its hand. A terrifying amount of power gathered around it as space itself began to distort. Astronomical amounts of energy condensed around its palm, forming countless streams of light that twisted around its hand. The radiance was almost impossible to look at.
It was even more terrifying than the ability Lucien had used before. And yet... it felt strangely similar.
Nuri couldn't help but stare in awe. His eyes widened as the creature prepared to unleash the attack.
Then, it fired.
The blinding light rushed toward him. Nuri instinctively closed his eyes.
His body refused to move.
Why can't I move?
If he moved quickly enough, maybe he could dodge it. Maybe. But his feet felt rooted to the ground. Something inside him was screaming that moving would only make things worse.
His eyelids trembled. Is this it?
The light grew closer. Yet the moment he had been waiting for never came.
Nothing happened.
Nuri slowly opened his eyes.
“Guys! You did it! Thanks...” Rowen stepped forward. “Now I can finally trap this thing!”
Intense black energy began to surround him. It moved like venom through the air, twisting and spreading around his body. The atmosphere itself seemed to bend to his will. Finally... he was displaying the power they had seen the first time they encountered him. The pressure alone was suffocating.
But it didn't last long.
The avatar suddenly released a shriek. A horrifying, unnatural sound echoed throughout the church. It sounded as though the creature itself was being torn apart from the inside.
Everyone immediately collapsed to the ground, clutching their ears. Blood slowly began to seep from them.
Nuri gritted his teeth. The sound was unbearable. He quickly changed his spell. A barrier appeared around everyone, shielding them from the worst of the sound. Only then could they finally breathe.
The screaming continued for several more moments before finally stopping.
Silence returned.
Nuri let out an exhausted sigh. He looked around, his eyes immediately landing on Rowen. The ritual had probably taken a tremendous toll on him.
Nuri quickly made his way over. But when he reached him, he froze.
Rowen's face was deathly pale.
“Hey... what's wrong?”
Rowen's expression was filled with fear. “The avatar...” He swallowed. “It's not trapped inside the necklace.”
“What?” Nuri's eyes widened. “No, how...?”
He stopped.
No. Wait.
He knew exactly what had happened.
Lucien!