Advent of the Three Calamities - Chapter 834: Runes [2]

Chapter 834: Runes [2]

’How do I… H-how do I get past this?’

I could still feel the cold sweat on the back of my shirt.

Thinking about what had happened in the moments prior, the back of my shirt was soaked with even more sweat.

I had never intended to use the eye.

The cooldown for the skill was too long, and unless I had no choice, I never planned on using it. However, it was obvious that the situation I had found myself in required the use of such a skill.

Had I not used the skill, then…

“Why?”

Overhearing Evelyn’s voice and seeing the string of notifications in front of me, I knew that I had to come up with something quickly.

“This is all your fault. Why are you always stopping me?”

I drowned out her voice in my mind.

’What went wrong?’

I started to ponder over everything that had happened.

The key to solving the situation was the Outer Runes. That, I knew. However, that power was a lot more complex than I had imagined. Just carelessly integrating it into a spell was not enough to stop Evelyn.

I had to do more.

’I need to get a better understanding of the Outer Runes. No, I need to gain a better understanding of spells in general. My current knowledge is holding me back.’

This was the painful truth of my current situation.

My lack of knowledge.

It was for this reason that I was struggling to integrate the Runes properly.

Thankfully, I now had time to fo—

[+1]

[+1]

[+1]

[+1]

[+1]

Huh?

My thoughts came to an abrupt halt.

Lifting my gaze slightly, I stared at the numerous notifications that appeared before my very eyes.

They…

[+1]

[+1]

’Why is it so fast!?’

Looking at Evelyn and seeing the black veins tracing across her face, my heart sank as I started breathing harder. I couldn’t understand what was going on, but I knew that the situation was unfolding differently from before.

[+1]

[+1]

In less than a minute, she had already crossed the 90 mark.

The changes in her body and the surroundings were becoming increasingly evident.

’What is going on? Why is it rising faster than before!?’

I knew that this wasn’t the time for me to be panicking.

Panicking would only make things more difficult for me. As such, taking a deep breath and curbing my emotions, I started to assess the situation more logically.

My eye started to burn. The pain was intense.

So intense that I had to stifle a groan.

Soon, the surroundings started to change.

The darkness that had once taken over the surroundings returned. It was just as suffocating as I last remembered, my breathing growing so heavy that it felt as though I was desperately clinging to each breath.

No, that was exactly what was happening.

And soon—

CRACK!

The air started to split.

The same presence that I had felt before was once again making its way into the world.

Once more, my mind refused to process what was before me.

Even though it was unable to process its image, it could still process something else.

That was when I realized.

’It’s… awar—’

“Haaak!”

A scream tore from my throat as agony seared through my eye, sharper and hotter with each passing second. It was unlike anything I’d ever felt. It was scalding… as if molten lava were being poured directly into it. My hands flew up instinctively, clutching at my face as the pain consumed me.

“Ukh!”

That was also the moment that I felt it.

Thump! Thump!

The strange pulsing sensation coming from my eye.

THUMP!

It was almost as if it were alive.

But more than anything, with each pulse, the pain only seemed to grow.

It started to reach a point where it felt unbearable.

To make matters worse, the crack behind me continued to spread, its jagged lines crawling wider with every passing second. The presence seeping through it grew stronger, heavier, each moment amplifying a dread so deep I couldn’t shake it no matter how hard I tried.

’It’s coming. It’s coming…’

I knew that I had to do something quickly.

However, the pain was making it impossible for me to think.

“Akh! Akh…!”

Spit flew out of my mouth, falling into the darkness beneath as my eye continued to pulse.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

With each passing second, the pulsing quickened, my throat growing hoarse from the pain as I tried to make sense of the situation.

’W-what is happening?’

My body felt locked in place.

As though an invisible pressure had been placed on me, preventing me from moving.

I knew that the situation was bad.

If I couldn’t move, then…

THUMP!

“Arkhh!”

Another scream ripped out of my mouth. It was louder than the past ones, and the pain nearly made me faint on the spot.

It was also then that I finally realized why I was suffering so much.

The sound was faint, but unmistakable. The soft, raw, wet crunch of my skull as it began to give way. I felt my eye shift in its socket, tugged by an invisible force clawing to pull it free.

That was when I finally started to understand what was going on as I looked at the crack in the distance in horror.

’It’s… t-rying to take my eye away…’

I could feel my connection with it starting to fade, and I knew that if that were to happen, then I wouldn’t be able to return to the ’save point’. No, even if I were to return, I was certain the Outer Being would just make Evelyn turn in a heartbeat.

It…

Was fully aware of everything that I was doing.

My heart sank into the deepest parts of my stomach as my skull cracked further. The pain once again invaded my mind, nearly causing me to faint once more, but gritting my teeth, I kept my hands over my eye as my mind scrambled to think of a way out of the situation.

Even now, I was trying to use the threads to kill myself, but my mana appeared to be completely sealed.

There… was nothing that I could do.

THUMP!

“Ukh…! Kh!”

But it was hard.

The pain was something that I struggled to deal with. Even when I tried to seal all of my emotions, I found it hard to think.

The crack in the distance only grew in size, and the presence made itself known more and more.

By now, I had completely lost sight of Evelyn.

I didn’t know where she was or what she was doing.

There was so much to think about and no space for my mind to think.

’T-think! T-think…!’

I couldn’t even rely on my surroundings.

My mana was sealed. No surroundings to rely on. I was alone.

The only thing that I had left was Emotive Magic.

But what could Emotive Magic do?

It didn’t work on Evelyn. It surely didn’t work on the Outer Being. Velar…? Where was he even? What could I do?

There was no way for me to—

Eh?

My thoughts came to a sudden pause.

THUMP!

Even with my skull throbbing once more, I didn’t react.

That…

I clenched my teeth, not even thinking about it further. Without wasting a single second, I muttered inside my mind, ’Anger. Anger. Anger. Sadness. Sadness. Sadness. Disgust. Disgust. Disugst.’

I didn’t hold anything back.

With my hand clamped over my eye, I threw everything I could into creating numerous tags that were attached to my head. The process was quick. By the time a second had passed, I had already created over a hundred different tags.

But—

“Ahhhhhhhhhh!”

The pain only grew in that moment.

Cra Crack!

My orbital bone started to shatter, blood seeping out of my eye as I lost the ability to see.

In that moment, I felt something hot on my hand, and I knew that it was the eye.

“…..!”

It was about to leave my socket!

’No!!’

I didn’t hesitate. The instant I felt my eye slipping from its socket and my connection to it beginning to fade, I unleashed every tag at once.

There had never been a time when I had done this to anyone.

This was the first time I attempted something like this.

Killing… through Emotive Magic.

And the moment I released all of the tags at once, my mind blanked.

Everything just stopped.

.

.

.

“Huaaaaa!”

Light flooded my vision.

“Why?”

A voice followed after.

“Why do you always go against me?”

It was one that I was familiar with. Lifting my head to look at her, I blinked slowly. I couldn’t move, nor could I react.

I just blinked.

“Why are you not talking? Answer me!!”

A scream followed.

But I couldn’t react at all.

I didn’t know how to react.

At this very moment…

I felt incredibly numb. My emotions… I couldn’t feel them. My thoughts…? I blinked once more. Everything was hazy.

BANG!

Even when I felt a powerful force spread onto my chest, I didn’t react.

Pftt!

Even when blood flowed out of my mouth, I didn’t react.

[+1]

[+1]

[+1]

Even when the notifications in my vision were appearing every second, I didn’t react.

I didn’t know how to react.

I just…

Didn’t feel anything.

It was almost as if my brain had stopped all complex thoughts.

The only thing I could focus on was the snow around me.

It was…

Cold.

And without even thinking, I just casually looked at my arm and reached for it.

It was almost instinctive.

Before the meter reached [100].

Before my mind turned completely numb.

Before I died.

…I found myself pressing onto the first leaf.

The world shifted once more.

A large wheel appeared before my very eyes.

It was a really familiar wheel.

Staring at the wheel, I blinked once more.

That was also the moment that the wheel started spinning.

Trrrrr—

It had been a while since I had seen this sight. Staring at the wheel, I closed my eyes and waited for the sound to stop.

By the time I opened my eyes again, the wheel had stopped.

I looked at the pointer.

[Love]