Chapter 467: Crimson Hyena Queen
The thousand hyenas wavered like mirages in desert heat. The lava beneath his feet lost its burning intensity, becoming nothing more than harmless stone. The hellish landscape that had seemed so absolutely real moments before revealed itself as nothing more than an elaborate mental projection.
Arthur’s perceptions snapped back to true reality with jarring abruptness. He stood exactly where he had entered the Bone Cathedral, surrounded by the macabre decorations that marked the hyena pack’s domain. His legs showed no signs of burning, his equipment remained intact, and his abilities responded normally to his mental commands.
The entire nightmare sequence had lasted less than a second in real time, though it had felt like minutes of genuine torment within the illusion’s compressed timeframe.
Arthur found Aether looking at him with obvious worry, the little dragon’s void-black eyes reflecting concern that exceeded his usual enthusiasm. The small creature had apparently been watching Arthur’s brief moment of disorientation with growing anxiety.
"Master?" Aether’s voice carried uncertainty that Arthur rarely heard from his companion. "You looked really strange for a moment there. Like you were seeing something scary that wasn’t really there."
Arthur’s mind immediately began analysing the situation. If Aether had been watching him throughout the illusion, it meant the void dragon had been completely unaffected by whatever psychological attack the Cackle Queen had launched.
"Aether, were you affected by anything just now?" Arthur asked with curiosity. "Did you see or feel anything unusual when we entered this cave?"
The small dragon shook his head with obvious confusion. "No, Master. Everything looked normal to me. But you just stood there for a few seconds looking like you zoned out."
Arthur nodded with growing understanding. The Cackle Queen’s illusion talent was powerful, but it appeared to have limitations regarding the number of targets it could affect simultaneously. Rather than attempting to trap his entire group, she had focused her full power on him specifically, probably recognising him as the primary threat that needed to be neutralised.
It was a tactically sound decision that had nearly succeeded through its unexpected timing and overwhelming sensory detail.