Chapter 302: Little One is in danger.

Chapter 302Why. Why do I still feel like we are all going to end up dead soon.

Han’s face stayed calm, but his mind was grim. He looked up and saw it. More Knull were coming. Even more violent than before.

"Little One, have you gotten there yet?" Han asked. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel-fire.ɴet

Little One’s voice came a few moments later. "Not yet. Still searching. This place is way bigger than it looks from the outside. Give me a few more minutes so I can speed things up. Five or six minutes and I should be able to locate the boss."

Han wanted to shout at him. They might not even last the next five minutes. But he forced himself to stay composed. He was the leader of this expedition. His job was to give courage, not panic.

"Alright. Hurry up. We have things under control here," he said.

Little One cut the connection, probably to focus fully on the task.

Han turned his focus back to the battlefield. The horde of Knull did not look like it was reducing. If anything, it was getting thicker.

Han stretched both hands wide. From his right palm lightning erupted and shaped itself into a long flaming scythe. From his left a heavy burst of crackling lightning coiled together and formed a lightning whip. The earth rose and gathered around his body, forming dense armor. His blue eyes opened wider, fiercer.

"I think I just have to hold things off for now," Han said.

He activated Phantom Stand. Instantly the weight of his body, the earth armor, and both elemental weapons vanished. Han felt light. Lighter than air. He smiled.

"I owe you a lot, Nathan. This armor is carrying me through this mission."

Before starting his onslaught, he triggered a few more buffs.

Eyes of Defiance activated.

Eye of Analyze activated.

Multiplier. All stats times three.

A violent surge of power tore through him. His eyes glowed deep blue. With Analyzer Eye and Eagle Eye fully active, his perception expanded far beyond anything he had known. The entire stronghold fell within his range. He could teleport anywhere inside it with precision.

Han moved.

He attacked with brutal speed and flawless aim. Each strike lethal. Each movement calculated. He appeared exactly where he needed to be, countering attacks, guarding his allies backs, and delivering heavy damage at the same time.

You have killed a low S rank monster: Knull.

You have received 3000 EP, 200 CP, and an item.

You have killed a mid S rank monster: Knull.

You have received...

The messages kept coming. Kill after kill. But Han still felt uneasy. The kind of unease that crawled under the skin. The kind of unease that whispered truth.

The horde was not shrinking. It was increasing.

Their efforts were starting to look laughable.

Blue lightning filled the entire area. Monsters were stunned and electrocuted before the nearest heroes finished them off. Everything was coordinated. Sharply timed. Precise.

Balor stepped out of the void with his hand thrust forward.

"Void Pulse."

The air shimmered. A wave of pure destructive energy tore outward. Two Knull died in an instant. Several more were wounded. Balor knew better than to take on the wounded ones alone. He slipped back into the void the moment the opening closed.

A terrifying boom ripped through the air.

A few meters away, when the explosion settled, bodies lay scattered. Multiple Knull were dead. Deep gaping wounds carved across their torsos. Standing in the center of the carnage with golden eyes blazing stood Lightrunner.

He exhaled slightly.

"Well, that is brutal," Lightrunner said as he looked around.

Lightrunner could not remember the last time he used this much power and speed at once. He knew that if he held back for even a second, if he fought less than he was supposed to, he and the rest would all perish.

To think they had been fighting only the Knull from this stronghold and they were already being pushed to their limits. If the other hundreds of strongholds suddenly decided to attack together, he could not imagine anyone here surviving. The thought made him let out a short laugh. Bitter and amused.

Well, the faster the better, he thought.

He looked at another group of Knull charging in. He lowered himself into a sprinting stance, smiled slightly, and with that heroic but ridiculous pose he shot forward. The moment he moved, he vanished. Too fast to be followed by any mortal eye.

Then he was right in the middle of the horde. Energy gathered in both palms as he brought his hands together with explosive force.

"Sonic Boom."

He clapped.

A deafening explosion tore across the battlefield.

Inside the large boss base, several more Knull marched out in perfect brute formation. They rushed through corridors and opened sealed doors as if they owned the place.

A tiny green dot slipped silently among them, weaving through crowds of monsters without making a sound. Little One moved toward the far end of the stronghold, slipping through corridors, hidden chambers, twisting passages, until he arrived at another sealed door covered in spiraling carvings.

"Come on. Not another one of these," Little One hissed. He tried every method he knew, but the door refused to open.

With a frustrated sigh he opened a mind link to Han.

"Have you found it?" Han asked. His voice calm, yet the tension underneath was sharp enough to cut steel.

"No." Little One’s voice cracked with irritation. "I found the general area where the boss should be, but I have no idea where he actually is."

Han fell silent.

Little One waited, floating in his micro form.

"Captain, awaiting your order," he said, using sarcasm to hide the fact that his heartbeat was pounding through his small body.

Before Han could respond, the door behind Little One rumbled violently. The spiral carvings twisted open.

Two figures stepped out.

They were Knull. But the power rolling off them was nothing Little One had ever felt. The only time he felt something close was with the Dark Emissary.

These two were worse.

Far worse.

The moment they appeared, their three glowing purple eyes locked directly onto Little One.

His heart stopped. His body trembled.

A single, honest word slipped out of him.

"Oh fuck."

"Little One, are you still there?" Han called through the mind link.

No response.

Han tried again. Nothing.

He tried harder. Nothing at all.

His entire body tensed. Things did not add up. Little One would always sense Han’s mind link. He would always accept it. But Han could not feel anything. Not even a flicker.

The only explanation was that Little One was dead.

Han refused that thought immediately. It should not be possible. Yet he knew the truth. In a place like this, death could come in seconds. All of them were dancing on the edge. If nothing changed soon, the entire group would die.

Han kept fighting, but he was already planning to search for the boss alone. Maybe he would send clones to support the others while he infiltrated the deeper layers by himself.

Just as he formed the plan, the ground quaked violently.

Han’s face changed. A suffocating presence filled the entire stronghold. Then another quake. Another booming shockwave. Then another. And another. The air itself trembled under the weight of the aura approaching.

Han finally saw them.

Two Knull.

Both massive. At least three times larger than the others.

Both radiating a menace unlike anything he had faced.

Their three purple eyes glowed with unstable energy. Their presence sent tremors through the entire fortress.

All Knull on the battlefield stopped fighting and bowed to them.

Could they be the boss? Han wondered.

But the moment the two spoke, that assumption died instantly.

"Who dares create so much noise and wake the boss from his slumber," the first massive Knull growled.

Every Knull on the battlefield turned toward Han and the others, practically pointing out who the two giants should unleash their anger on.

The mighty Knull’s gaze locked onto Han. It scoffed.

"Weakling."

Han’s eyes narrowed, but he was not looking at the monster. He was looking at what the monster was holding in its hand like a broken toy.

His breath caught.

Little One.

Unconscious.

Barely breathing.

His tiny body crushed, bleeding, hanging lifeless in the Knull’s grip.

Lightning burst across Han’s body. Flames roared from his skin. In an instant he vanished and reappeared right in front of the massive Knull, both hands thrusting forward.

"Inferno Pulse."

A violent wave of fire exploded outward. The impact hit the giant Knull hard enough to loosen its grip. That single moment of slack was enough. Han snatched Little One’s body away and flashed back to the group.

Elexa and the others rushed in, checking him.

"He is alive," Elexa said, her voice tight. "Barely."

Little One was critical. Being awakened meant he would survive as long as he did not take another hit, but his condition was bad enough to make any sane person panic. Han’s eyes glowed blue and Little One vanished, transported instantly into his system space.

Elexa stared at Han in shock. The others looked confused, unsure what trick he had just pulled. They did not get the chance to ask.

A crushing pressure slammed into them.

The two mighty Knull stepped forward.

Their presence alone made the heroes knees tremble.

Han and the rest stared at the giants with grim expressions.

Analyzer Eye activated by itself.

Han’s heart dropped.

Low SS rank.

Both of them.

The same level as the Dark Emissary. The same monster Han barely survived fighting even when he used everything he had. That previous battle was brutal beyond reason, almost impossible to win.

Now they had to face two creatures of that caliber at once.

The earlier fight was daunting. This one was hopeless. Absolutely impossible.

And the worst part was the realization that followed.

These two were not even the portal boss.

If these were just guards, then how strong was the actual boss?

The thought alone sent ice crawling up Han’s spine.

To Be Continued...

AUTHOR’S NOTE

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– Ultra