Quiote: Since I missed yesterday's posting, y'all get ara chapter today. es out in 5 mins!

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  Wish Upon a Falling Star

  “Harken to me, o rumblih, shake, shake, dance, and twirl…”

  While ting in a voice dripping with power, Hajime twirled his wand around as if he were stirring an invisible pot in the air.

  “…Devour those who tread on nd…”

  Sweat dripped down his brow from the effort to impose his will on the ground. It pushed back against him as if attempting to resist, though Hajime’s spell would wiually.

  “…and turn yourself into quiing sand!”

  As Loveless flung another palm down at Bridget who was helping an exhausted Chris to his feet, her left foot suddenly sank into the grouh her. It tio sink, burying her ankle in the dirt Hajime’s spell transmuted into quid. She stumbled, failing itad that wasn’t all.

  Bram, who’d been reading the description of the ‘Quid’ spell using his privilege as the Loom’s chief administrator, learhat a creature as rge as Loveless—which the Loom had cssified as ‘Massive’ in size—could only be restrained by ‘Quid’ for an amount of time equivalent to the spellcaster’s Strength stat. Since he could also check Hajime’s status, Bram knew Loveless would be restrained for only ten seds. It was more than enough time for him to fulfill his role though.

  He arrived right behind Loveless’ right foot with nine seds to spare, which also meant he had a sed to waste gulping down the half-full fsk of pale green liquid he’d pulled out of his potion’s pouch. It tasted horrible—like a cheap bottle of wi uncorked for days but worse.

  ALERT! You’ve ed half a bottle of [Brew of Giant’s Strengthening (Mountain Giant)]. Your Strength has increased by fifty [+50] for thirty minutes.“Finally…”

  Bram had tried many magic potions before, and they’d never worked for him. Not even the most expensive brews that had been prepared for him by the First Alchemist of the Sn’s court. Only now, with a sliver of magic flowing in his veins, did a potion work properly for him. Just like when he borrowed strength from Rowan, Bram felt his muscles expanding, ripping through the fabric of what remained of his jacket and leaving his sun-kissed body exposed to the elements.

  GRATULATIONS! You have successfully absorbed a tiny piece of a giant’s power. Strength permaly increased by [1].While pleased with his lucky break, Bram recalled the limitations of his new ability just as he raised Dusk high over his head to perfectly ‘Replicate’ the stahat Ser Anthony had shown him before.

  ‘Ba-dump.’

  As he began to trate on this siask, the muscles of his upper body rippled. His hand tightened on Dusk’s handle, eager to swing with all its might… Bram was ready.

  ‘Ba-dump.’

  “To challenge a stronger foe isn’t the height of folly…” ale sparks of magic exploded from his fingers. In its pce, Bram felt the familiar stiess that came with blood spreading across his palm. “It’s the perfect opportunity to surpass myself…”

  ‘Ba-dump.’

  “Now’s the ce to prove my worth…” Dusk shook slightly as a sliver of Bram’s blood began seeping into its magic bde. “To scream to the heavens — I am here!”

  Bram’s roar caused Loveless’ head to twist around a full hundred-ay degrees.

  ‘Ba-dump!’

  To alert ao his presence may seem like a fool’s move, but in Bram’s mind, this was not an ambush but an ending to their duel. Also, he was so heavily veiled by Rowan’s fog that he doubted Loveless could pinpoily where he was standing. He was wrong.

  “And so, I strike the spark in my heart, and like a fireball igniting, draw the swrowing from the embers…”

  Loveless’ eyes grew wide with anger when they caught sight of him. They grew much wider wheiced the crimson aura enveloping his bde like a vein of pulsing blood gushing upward.

  ‘Ba-dump!!’

  “I wield it with resolve, turning it into a bde without peer…”

  The rest of Loveless’ body began to turn toward Bram…but the mad nymph moved too te.

  ‘Ba-dump!!!’

  “…Ohat cut the world!”

  As the priepped forward, his sword came crashing down to draw a vertical line of blood and dusk light over the world.

  “Death from Above!”

  Though she was much rger than him now, the Peerless Heart Sword’s first teique proved a deadly swing against the giant nymph, cutting Loveless’ right foot above the ankle in a single, mighty ssh.

  ‘Scree~~eech!’

  With her other foot still caught in Hajime’s ‘Quid’, the mad nymph’s massive body teetered. She needed one final push to send her crashing—and Bram’s friends were quick to oblige.

  “Shield Bash!”

  Chris dove into the quid just to ram his tattered shield against the mad nymph’s shin. The Texan’s shield crumpled on impact, though its st worthy act was the toppling of a giantess.

  That wasn’t all.

  “Timber~~r!” Bridget yelled.

  In the same moment as Chris’ shield smmed against the mad nymph’s shin, a ‘Fiery Arrow’ poked Loveless right between her eyes. And, like the fable Bridget oalked about with Bram when he asked her about her religion—the one where the boy David toppled a giant with a stohrown to its head—the arrow empowered with sorcery smag Loveless’ fasured her fall. She crashed butt-first onto the ground, causing the earth beh to rumble.

  If that were all, then the nymph might have still recovered. For even as her right foot was chopped off, new roots were growing to repce it. The party saw this absurd power eion and rushed forward to attack Loveless while she was still prohough her Bram, Bridget, nor Chris reached her first. That honor went to Ravi’s spell.

  Bram, who ran forward despite the pain streaking up and down his entire body, felt sudde from above. He pulled to a stht before reag Loveless’ oversized head and looked up just in time to watch the ceiling crack. A momehe ed fresco of the goddess of fire exploded inward, destroyed by the object hurtling down at them from the heavens.

  Bridget, eared at Bram’s side, looked up with her mouth agape. “Is that…?”

  Chris, who’d arrived st of the trio, joined Bram and Bridget in their surprise. “Sweet Christmas…”

  “It’s a Falling Star!” Bram recalled the name of a powerful fifth-level spell that was a favorite of Asteria’s, the Eight Princess. “Run, You Fools! Run!”

  A k of rock as rge as Loveless’ head and enveloped in a bzing orb fell into the hall. There was barely enough time for the party to scatter before it struck its target—the bosom of the mad nymph who’d lost her heart.

  ‘Boom!’

  The shockwave that spread out from the point of impact was so powerful that it devoured everything in Bram’s field of view. A thick plume of scalding smoke billowed out in all dires, grazing his skin just as he was blown off his feet by gale-force winds.

  “Phoebus’—”

  Bram drove Dusk’s violet-e bde into the dirt to anchor him to the ground.

  “—cock!”

  He could barely hear his own cursing over the howling wind.

  The ground underh him rumbled so violently that Dusk’s bde couldn’t stay upright and keep him anchored. Bram would have been blown away again if not for the strands of fog that ed around him, solidifying into wispy ropes that kept him from flying off.

  I imagine eveh’s ema isn’t as fun as watg this wild battle of yours.

  “I’m gd you’re so eained…”

  I am. Came a giggling voi the air. It was quite brazen of the Vice Master not to warn you of what was ing.

  “Yes… a little warning would have been nice…” Bram kept one arm up to protect his face from the heat and dust billowing toward him. “I ’t fault Ravi for wanting to end things…so extremely though…”

  Have things ended…?

  As if on cue, Bram heard a ‘Scree~~eech!’ and closed his eyes in frustration.

  “…Why won’t she just die…?”

  Eventually, the smoke receded, and the winds calmed, but the horrific shriek filling the air told Bram their battle had yet to end. This split-sed thought saved his life, for he raised Dusk in time to block the hand that came swinging at him. And, though his new sword mao stop Loveless’ cws from reag him, its violet-e bde shattered on impact, reminding Bram of a fw most magic bdes possessed; they were more brittle than bdes made of metal. He would have to factor this fw into his strategy for ime. Assuming there was a ime. Without Dusk, Bram was defeo the other arm that savagely swung his way.

  “You!”

  Loveless—her body shrunk to the size of a man’s—sent cws made of sharpened bark streaking at Bram’s body. They would have pierced his chest too had fortu chosen to shower him with favor one more time.

  ALERT! The [Ring of Three Protes] sehe dao its wielder. [Barrier] has been activated [2/3].As Loveless’ cws brushed against the skin of his neck, a familiar bright golden aura blew her back while shattering into hundreds of golden shards that pierced her flesh like shrapnel.

  “Mine!”

  Unlike her previous host’s body though, this new one was made of hardened bark that protected her from the brunt of the damage. Still, desperation filled Loveless’ face, and the hand that broke Dusk’s bde snapped back to cw at Bram’s throat. This time, fortune’s favor didn’t arrive, and the nymph’s cws pierced his skin as her hand closed around his neck.

  “My own.”

  Her cws dug in, causing blood to fill his mouth.

  “My pre—”

  ‘Snikt!’

  Through the bck spots filling his vision, Bram saw a strange sight; the tip of a sword protruded out of Loveless’ chest. His gaze drifted past the nymph’s shoulder and discovered Chris t over her. He was bloodied, bruised, and looked as tired as Bram felt, but the Texan refused to surrender. He drove his sword deeper into Loveless’ back, causing a cry to escape the mad nymph’s lips.

  It was a cry that was cut short by the bde of a short sword sliding across Loveless’ throat. The hand that held it was shaking just like the rest of the wheezing Bridget who looked er than Chris.

  Finally, the mad nymph gasped. When she choked on blood as Bram did, the strength left her hand, allowing him to break free.

  Bram should have stumbled as she had, but he didn’t. Through sheer force of will, the stubborn prince of the Atn Imperium drove his foot into the ground o time. One ha up to cup his bleeding throat while a new pain blossomed iher.

  ‘Swoosh!’

  Dusk’s violet-e bde bzed to life a sed time. Much smaller than the first, but sharp enough for Bram to slice through Loveless’ neck with what little strength he had left.

  They locked gazes, each regarding the other with sadness, and then Loveless fshed him a grateful smile. The madhat had corrupted her for a thousand years washed away at that moment, repced by a se of tranquility that reminded Bram of the young nymph he’d met in her memories. Life left Loveless’ eyes and her head slid off her neck. When the rest of the nymph’s body followed, Bram finally noticed the notification that saved his life.

  ALERT! One of noble blood should not easily fall. [Last Stand] has activated… You have regained 1 HP.He should have died when his throat was torn, but the Loom had ged his fate once more. Still, a single health point wasn’t enough to keep Bram standing. With exhaustion overwhelming him, he stumbled back.

  The world went dark, and oblivion took him.

  GD_Cruz