Magus Reborn

50. Kai vs queen

The men obeyed Killian’s command immediately.

They started moving away from the partition, heading towards the same direction they came from. It was their only way. If they stay still, one of the volley-sized acid balls could melt them to the ground.

Kai needed something to distract the queen and buy them time to prepare a counter-offensive. But the more they ran backwards, the more he knew the queen would ramp up its attacks.

They soon returned to the room where they had fought off the larvae.

EEEECRH!

The queen was right behind them. Its head almost touched the ceiling of the cavern. Despite its size, compared to the other larvae, it was faster.

Kai turned around on his feet and threw a [Wind Spear] attempting to distract it. While the men behind him fastened to put a decent distance, Kai’s feet slowed down as he saw the spear cutting through a corner of its body.

The monstrous queen sent another ear-piercing roar and the next second, the spot where his spell had made a dent closed as quickly as it appeared.

The next second, acid flew towards them.

A sickening thud echoed as one of the projectiles she sent slammed into a guard’s shield. Its acidic spray ate through the metal with a hiss.

"Ahh!" The guard’s scream halted everyone there momentarily as he threw the shield aside and backed up.

The acid found its way to his flesh and melted through his armour. He crumpled to the ground, a smoking husk.

Kai’s eyebrows furrowed.

He looked around for anything that could help him in the chaos. Something to help him halt the queen, but there was nothing.

Much to his terror, the queen spat another acidic volley.

To match it, Kai burned up his mana and formed a quick structure for a [Firebolt], but this time, he changed it and made the bolt much larger.

He aimed right at the acidic ball.

The clash of both acid and fire exploded with a loud noise. Its remnants flew in the air and turned to thick vapour.

The guards scrambled behind, and Kai’s movements faltered. There was no running anymore and the only way was to deal with the queen.

He scanned it briefly before the queen’s numerous eyes fell on him, sending shivers down his spine that he quickly ignored.

The monster grunted as if appraising Kai before a low growl burst forth, vibrating through their very bones.

With another growl, a sudden surge of power, and a wave of vibrant, dangerous, pulsating mana erupted from the queen.

That...

Kai’s thoughts halted when he saw larvae crawling on the ceiling.

He also saw the ones they had fought before the partition appearing from behind the queen. They didn’t have time to check whether they were dead due to the queen’s sudden appearance and as he stared at them, he saw their wounds knitting themselves shut.

The scars they previously received from Kai’s flames and Actra’s vines were no longer there.

Their movements seemed visibly faster as they launched the attack, far more aggressive than the last time.

Kai threw [Wind Gust] keeping away the larvae.

His grim frown deepened as more and more of them appeared. Anger flared in his gut, but he forced it down. The queen’s face twitched in some unknown emotion.

He took a breath. Now wasn’t the time for rage. He needed to keep his emotions in check.

He slammed his spear against the ground, a silent command to everyone in the back. The mercenaries, Enforcers, guards and even Actra understood what it meant.

They formed a protective ring and took their formations, prepared to handle what was going to come next.

Kai unleashed a torrent of fire, a swirling inferno that carved a path through the horde of larvae.

It was a desperate attempt to create a barrier between them and the enraged queen. "Brace yourselves!" he roared, his voice cutting through the din of battle. "The real battle starts now!"

Despite the battles they had, the guards’ numbers were surprisingly intact. The potions and coordinated attacks had taken their toll on the larvae. They might be battered, but they were far from being broken.

Kai flickered his wrist and threw a [Inferno] burning more larvae down. They fell on the floor, but before the queen could heal them, a few guards moved to the front, their weapons aiming at the annoying creatures screeching on the floor.

As the queen battled with the vines, Kai kept looking for a weakness.

Countless spells came to his mind. He was still in the 2nd circle, but he knew 3rd circle spells that could damage the queen. It’s just the mana cost was too much and they were underground, so it might just end up using all the oxygen in here, killing everyone.

Still, there was no time to think.

Every second mattered and after going through the spells he knew, one came to his mind.

He took his time to weave the spell patterns for it, careful to not make a mistake. One pattern appeared in his palms, then the second one, and by the third, Kai felt a pressure on his shoulders that almost made him stagger.

It was called [Dragon’s Breath].

Obviously, it wasn’t a real one since it was impossible to replicate it, but it was one which closely resembled it and if he was right, he would be enough to burn the queen.

"Anglo Granda Zakai!" He slowly muttered the incantation, mana rushing out of him as the structure lit up.

For a moment, Kai felt like the spell was pulling energy straight from his soul as a massive dark flame burst forth, obliterating everything in its path.

With Actra’s vines barely managing to hold the queen, the dark flames hit right on its cartwheel-sized eye and caused the queen to stagger. It hit the wall, shaking the whole cave down.

The impact of the flames caused the queen to scream in agony as over half of its face peeled away. But it wasn’t dead yet.

While trying to keep himself intact, Kai sent another [Inferno] at it, pushing a generous amount of mana on the spell, slightly increasing its effect and hoping to end the battle.

The flaming inferno hit right where the dark flames had before engulfing other parts of its bodies. Another scream burst from the queen.

The men who were fighting the larvae paused for a moment, clearly wondering if it was over.

But then, amidst those cries, it roared and balanced itself once again. Kai’s face paled as he took a step back.

Actra had managed to tie vines around the queen, but fueled with the lethal rage, it ripped free from the restraints.

With a burst of speed that seemed impossible for its massive form, it rampaged around the chamber, its glowing eyes burning with a manic intensity. The damage Kai had done seemed to not affect it.

Panic surged through the ranks of the battered group.

Guards scrambled for cover, some falling victim to the queen’s flailing limbs or the acidic spray that dripped from its mandibles. Their shields barely covered their entire bodies as the queen was all over the place.

Even the larvae, caught in the crossfire of the queen’s mad frenzy, were not spared. Their segmented bodies were ripped apart, their acidic ichor adding to the scene in front of them.

"Berserk state!" Actra roared. "It’ll destroy anything in its path! We need to get out of here!"

Kai’s jaw clenched as he shook his head. "No! We can’t just escape! It would simply—"

His words were cut short by a deafening crash that shook the very foundations of the cavern.

The queen, in its crazed rampage, had slammed into the cavern wall with a force that sent tremors through the chamber.

Chunks of rock rained down, narrowly missing some of the already injured guards.

Kai cursed, his mind racing for a solution.

Think, Kai. Think fast.

He fumbled through his repertoire of spells, searching for anything that could exploit this unexpected turn of events. But his mind was a blank slate and his mana reserves weren’t enough to do another [Dragon’s Breath]. Frustration crawled at him as the monstrous queen continued its rampage.

Everything slowed for him as his thoughts rose high.

Then, as his gaze swept across the cavern in a desperate search, it landed on the pulsating mana stones embedded in the ceiling. A spark of inspiration ignited in his eyes.

"Actra!" he roared, his voice hoarse from the exertion. "Protect the guards!"

Actra, following Kai’s gaze, understood his plan instantly. "That’s crazy!" he barked.

"Protect the men!" Kai said again, completely ignoring Actra’s hesitation. His focus was laser sharp on the Atheum.

With a surge of mana, he unleashed a torrent of fire bolts, not directed at the queen, but at the Atheum high above.

The cavern echoed with a deafening explosion as the mana stones shattered, showering the chamber in a blinding white light.

The shockwave from the blast rippled through the air, shaking the very foundations of the nest.