The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 389: Chapter 384 — Pillars

Zephyrion was greeted by a dozen Gravemaws before he even hit the ground. Eyes wide open, fangs slick with saliva, their heads trembled violently as gravity distorted around them. He felt a heavy force slam against him, dragging him down towards their razor-sharp claws and fiendish teeth.

Grrr!

’Slip State.’

Blade trembling in his grip, he felt every force acting on him vanish. He spun, sending streaks of silver slicing through the air. They flashed across the Gravemaws, leaving dismembered bodies in their wake.

Zephyrion landed on the blood-soaked ground lighter than a feather, his gaze already fixed ahead. Another dozen or so Gravemaws were charging towards him, growling and snapping their jaws fiercely.

He slowly leaned forward, allowing his body to fall freely. Just as he was about to hit the ground, his legs tensed and he blasted forward like a torpedo, flashing past the Gravemaws. Even as they were diced like carrots, he didn’t stop, tearing through the cavern. Any Gravemaw unfortunate enough to cross his path was severed before it could even react.

Not long after, he reached his destination.

The Aerelith was kneeling on the ground, clutching his battered companion tightly, his face pale with despair. Around him, the Gravemaws slammed relentlessly against the crumbling air barrier. Only a few seconds remained before it shattered, leaving the two Aereliths at the mercy of the beasts.

The Aerelith seemed to realize this as well. His expression gradually turned hopeless, and he tightened his grip around his companion, seemingly resigning himself to their fate.

But just then, a silver streak flashed through the surrounding beasts.

Fine lines appeared across their bodies, and suddenly, the relentless assault on the barrier ceased. Before the Aerelith could even comprehend what had happened, the Gravemaws began splitting apart, their severed bodies collapsing to the ground.

”W-what in the Breath?” The Aerelith’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Zephyrion approached through a sea of corpses, his expression cold as ice. The Aerelith instinctively shrank back, tightening his hold on his companion as he stared at the approaching figure.

”W-who are you?”

”...”

”T-thank you... for saving us.”

Zephyrion ignored the words and stared at the motionless Aerelith in his arms.

”You know he’s dead, right?”

The Aerelith’s expression darkened instantly. He lowered his gaze towards his companion, tightening his grip around him before shaking his head firmly.

”No. Not yet. Not until he stands before the Endless Breath.”

”If you say so.”

Zephyrion turned away without another word. He’d always hated religious fanatics.

”W-wait! Where are you going!? You can’t just leave us here!” the Aerelith cried out desperately.

Glancing at the army of Gravemaws already surging towards them, Zephyrion waved his arm. A dome of metal materialized around the Aereliths, sealing them inside before either could react. He then traced a few symbols in the air, adding several protective runes for good measure. He needed them in one piece for his plan to work. Well, at least their clothes.

With that settled, he finally turned his attention to the cavern, particularly his next targets.

’Those have to go first.’

Several massive, glowing purple crystal pillars rose from the cavern floor, supporting the enormous ceiling overhead. If he wanted to bring down the entire cavern, those pillars had to go.

’And then... him.’ Zephyrion’s eyes slowly grew cold.

Up ahead, steam billowed from Possum as he tore through the army of Gravemaws like a knife through butter.

Finally, the horde reached Zephyrion, but he was already moving like a gust of wind, slicing through the beasts and dicing them like onions as he made his way towards the first pillar.

Metal condensed into a shield before him as he slammed into the pillar, shattering it and sending chunks of crystal flying like bullets. They tore through several nearby Gravemaws, reducing them to Swiss cheese.

Zephyrion frowned as he examined the shattered pillar.

’Damn, this thing is tough.’

Far harder than he’d expected. Simply launching metal at it wouldn’t be enough to break it. He’d actually needed to ram into the thing himself to shatter it. Zephyrion glanced at the remaining pillars and nodded.

’Better get this over with.’

Time was of the essence. He blurred forward, shattering the ground beneath his feet as he charged into another pillar. Then another, and another, and another.

By the time the fifth pillar fell, Zephyrion took another sweep of the cavern. The number of Gravemaws pouring into the cavern had dwindled significantly, but there were still over three hundred of the beasts remaining.

Possum was still tearing through the horde, his body brimming with power, but his movements were noticeably slowing. Even with their strength, fighting this many mark-one beasts was bound to take its toll eventually. They couldn’t keep this up forever.

Meanwhile, Zephyrion was down to the last pillar.

’So far, so good.’

But just as he was about to move, a deep sigh from his ancestor made him pause.

’Protégé... have you never heard of that wretched fiend called Jinx? Why in the seven hells would you say something like that!?’

’Because things are going well?’

Demorian let out an even deeper, exasperated sigh. ’That’s exactly the problem! Have I taught you nothing!? The universe is a spiteful bastard, boy! The moment you say things are going well, it takes that as a personal challenge! Keep your mouth shut, expect the worst, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll live long enough to complain about it!’

Zephyrion shook his head, turning his attention back to the last pillar.

’You really need to stop believing in these ridiculous superstitions.’

’Oh, really? Then what do you call that?’

’What are you talk—’

Zephyrion was about to respond when a sudden sense of dread washed over him, causing him to freeze.

Zhnmmmnnnn!

An overwhelming force suddenly slammed down on Zephyrion, causing his knees to buckle as he crashed to the ground.

’What the... gravity?’

The pressure was suffocating, pressing down against him with such force that the entire cavern began to tremble. Up ahead, Possum had also been forced to one knee, teeth gritted as he struggled against the weight bearing down on him.

Meanwhile, the hundreds of Gravemaws that had been growling and snarling just moments ago had suddenly gone still, their heads lowered as though in reverence.

’It’s overpowering Slip State?’

Slip State was supposed to eliminate every force acting on him, even gravity. Yet, this overwhelming pressure was somehow forcing its way through, actively fighting against his ability. It could only mean one thing. A being far stronger than the ordinary Gravemaws had entered the battlefield.

Zephyrion slowly raised his head as a massive figure emerged from an opening in the cavern wall. It was considerably larger than the other Gravemaws, with eight thick legs, six glowing purple eyes, and several blazing purple lines running across its metal hide.

Zephyrion’s expression slowly darkened.

’The alpha.’