The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 393: Chapter 388 — Cracks

The alpha gave a derisive snort. This puny human had actually dared to attack it with metal? It reached out, attempting to seize control of the spear through magnetism, only to discover that its influence had absolutely no effect. It was as though the weapon were made of ordinary stone, completely indifferent to its magnetic pull.

And it was still coming.

The alpha’s six eyes constricted, and it immediately unleashed a furious roar, releasing a powerful burst of gravitational force in an attempt to divert the spear. However, despite its efforts, it only managed to alter the trajectory slightly before the weapon plunged into the left side of its neck.

ROAR!

The alpha howled in agony, sending violent shockwaves rippling throughout the cavern. The surrounding Gravemaws immediately echoed their leader’s furious cries, turning their attention towards Zephyrion, only to discover that he had already vanished.

The alpha’s eyes widened as Zephyrion suddenly appeared before it, grabbing the spear and wrenching it free in a spray of purple blood. For a brief moment, his cold gaze met the beast’s rage-filled eyes.

”It’s always the same with you lot. So uselessly arrogant.”

With those words, Zephyrion drove his spear towards the alpha’s head.

However, just as the weapon was about to connect, the alpha’s six eyes suddenly blazed with brilliant light, and it unleashed a roar with every ounce of strength it possessed.

Zephyrion immediately felt the surrounding air grow violently unstable.

’Shit!’

His spear barely had time to morph into a shield before the air erupted with terrifying force, blasting him upward.

BOOM!

Zephyrion slammed into the cavern ceiling, the impact knocking the air out of his lungs. A wave of disorientation washed over him, leaving his mind momentarily dazed.

’What the hell was that...?’

He hadn’t even had enough time to form a proper dome around himself and had taken the brunt of the explosion. Although the Titan Armor had absorbed most of the impact, the remaining force had still left him injured.

’Protégé! Eyes up!’

Demorian’s urgent shout snapped him out of his daze, and Zephyrion immediately threw himself aside.

The next instant, the alpha’s gravitational claw carved a massive gash across the cavern ceiling and sent shattered stone and crystal raining down.

Zephyrion steadied himself in midair and turned his gaze towards the alpha. Purple blood continued to ooze from the wound on its neck, but the beast was still very much alive, and judging by the murderous look in its eyes, royally pissed.

However, Zephyrion’s expression grew calm the moment he realized where he was. Although he was suspended high above the ground, near the cavern ceiling, he had undoubtedly reached his intended destination.

The middle of the cavern.

’Well, this works too.’

The alpha suddenly lunged forward, vanishing from sight as it shot towards him. Zephyrion merely exhaled.

’Titan Form: Cataclysm.’

Violent tremors rippled through his armor, growing increasingly intense as an overwhelming amount of power surged within it. Then, just as the alpha’s claw appeared inches away from tearing him to pieces, he detonated.

BOOOOM!

The resulting explosion swept through the cavern with catastrophic force, obliterating everything in its path. Massive cracks spread across the walls, floor, and ceiling, branching out in every direction as the entire structure began to give way.

Then, with a deafening rumble, everything came crashing down.

The army of Gravemaws erupted into panicked cries, scrambling desperately to escape as enormous chunks of rock and crystal rained down upon them. Zephyrion hovered amidst the choking dust and chaos, his mind racing.

’The Aereliths...’

His gaze swept through the collapsing cavern until he finally spotted the metal dome he’d created to protect them. He immediately moved towards it, only for a furious roar to suddenly stop him in his tracks.

’You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.’

Zephyrion whirled around just as the alpha burst through the thick cloud of dust. Purple blood poured from numerous wounds covering its battered body, and three of its six eyes were completely obscured by blood, leaving the remaining three glaring at him with unfiltered hatred.

Even the full might of Cataclysm at such close range hadn’t been enough to put it down.

ROAR!

Gravity surged violently around the alpha, and its massive figure suddenly vanished. Before Zephyrion could react, the beast slammed into him with tremendous force, sending them both hurtling towards the ground.

’Oh, you stubborn bastard!’

Zephyrion barely managed to brace himself before his back struck the ground, knocking the air out of his lungs. Even his metallic bones felt as though they were on the verge of breaking. Directly above him, the alpha pressed down with overwhelming force, its remaining eyes fixed on him with murderous intensity.

Zephyrion genuinely couldn’t understand why the damn beast was so obsessed with fighting him. With injuries that severe, any reasonably intelligent creature should’ve been more concerned with escaping and preserving its life. Yet this stubborn bastard seemed determined to drag him down with it.

To think he’d been unlucky enough to encounter such an unreasonable alpha, turning what should’ve been a relatively straightforward plan into one complication after another.

The more Zephyrion thought about it, the more irritated he became, until he found himself glaring right back at the beast with equal intensity.

As the two remained locked in their furious glaring contest, the sudden sound of earth cracking drew their attention. They both turned towards the source, only to find a massive fissure spreading across the ground beneath them, revealing a seemingly bottomless abyss.

Zephyrion’s eyes widened the moment he noticed the direction it was heading.

’Shit!’

It was spreading towards the waterfall. Towards the metal dome encasing the Aerelith!

’Compression.’

Zephyrion instantly compressed the metal covering his back before releasing it in a violent burst, propelling himself upward and throwing the alpha off him. The moment he regained his footing, he kicked off the ground and rushed towards the dome.

He reached it moments later and stretched out his hand, only for a massive chunk of rock to suddenly plummet through the dust and crash into the ground nearby. The impact sent another violent tremor through the cavern, causing the fissure to widen rapidly until it finally reached the edge of the waterfall.

Zephyrion cursed under his breath.

’Fuck.’

The ground suddenly gave way beneath him.