Chapter 172

“The Orc” Part 3

Everything was dyed white.

Kalysto’s consciousness faded and then returned in a matter of milliseconds as her whole world was tinged with light and then darkness. It was then that white reigned again and tiny specks of color tinged the horizon.

Where am I? she wondered, but only silence answered her.

Not even Persephone’s presence could be heard, let alone felt inside her mind for a few seconds.

Meanwhile, in the outside world, a wave of pure magic swept over everything around her, destroying everything in its path and hurling away the corpses of the wolves along with Gal’oth’s body, which was flung several meters away at the same time that all the nearby trees were torn from their roots and thrown far away.

What was once an elegant mansion was reduced to rubble in a matter of seconds.

Hanna’s small body barely had time to react and begin to fly to safety when the powerful wind that accompanied the lightning surge forced her to change her route, violently hurling her away from the mansion grounds and causing her to nearly collide with the strong trunk of an old tree more than fifty meters away.

As soon as Hanna regained control of her body, she used her wind magic to stop the impact and land on solid ground. And as soon as she did, the fairy did not hesitate to inform the queen of the fairies of what was happening inside the human territory. A small part of her, though, felt bad about doing so. Fearing that it might lead to the execution of the fairy champion.

For her part, Kalysto began to regain a little of her senses as her body floated vertically a couple of meters above where she had landed earlier.

Her big toe twitched and relief washed over her as she realized that she was finally regaining sensation in her lower body. Since falling from the third floor, although she could move her hands to defend herself from Gal’oth, she noticed how her legs did not respond to the commands her brain was sending them to move. And although at first she had thought it was the usual numbing of pain that came with her skill, she began to suspect with some trepidation that it was something different soon after. But so much had happened, and the orc hadn’t even given her time to think about what it might mean that some of the bones in her back had broken.

Good thing holy water can heal broken bones... She thought, as she looked at the immense whiteness around her.

Am I dead? The thought crossed her mind as little by little small patches of color began to appear around her in no specific order.

And the chaos and devastation she had caused appeared before her.

What the hell happened here? Immediately, several notification windows appeared to her left.

[The passive skill ‘Regeneration’ has leveled up to level 6.]

[The active skill ‘Regeneration’ has leveled up to level 4.]

[The skill ‘Basic Healing’ has leveled up to level 2.]

[Warning! The user has less than 5 MP left. Please wait a few minutes before attempting to use any skill again or your health will be severely affected.]

Funny, I don’t feel as bad as I usually do when that sign comes up. She thought as soon as she saw the notification and immediately rushed to take out a mana crystal from her inventory. Noticing with some curiosity the soft white glow that surrounded her skin. What the hell is this?

A new violet-colored notification appeared, one larger than the previous ones.

[Warning! User has less than 10 ??? left. Please wait a few minutes before attempting to use any skills again or you may die.]

Wait a minute! How come I could die? Since when can decreasing a stat do that? She panicked.

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At that very instant, her body began to descend at the same time as the white glow began to fade very slowly. And a feeling of vertigo flooded her stomach at the same time her eyelids felt heavy.

<> Persephone shouted.

What?

<> demanded her counterpart. And it was at that instant that Kalysto’s gaze strayed to her left arm, on which there was no longer any trace of the snaking black smoke that characterized Persephone.

“But I didn’t do anything!” Kalysto defended herself as her body finished descending, her feet touched the solid ground and the loud noise of the mansion’s debris being thrown aside caught her attention.

Dirty with mud and dust, Gal’oth rose from the rubble with his gaze fixed on Kalytso, his brow furrowed and rage distorting his face. A mighty war cry erupted from Gal’oth’s throat just before the muscular warrior rushed towards her.

[The user has been afflicted with the skill ‘fear’. All of your stats have been reduced by 50%. ]

Shit! A sinking feeling flooded her stomach. And ignoring the last notification she received, she thought. Absorb!

[Does the user wish to absorb this mana crystal?]

[YES/NO]

Yes!

[Congratulations! The user has acquired 3000 MP!]

A strong dizziness seized her, the mana crystal turned to dust in her still raised hand as it always happened every time she absorbed something, and nausea churned her stomach at the same time as the orc’s thick fist approached her face and the white radiance completely disappeared from her body, leaving no trace.

<> Persephone snarled deep in the saintess’s mind, at the same time as two snaking lines of black smoke erupted from Kalysto’s left arm and intercepted Gal’oth’s arm, quickly transforming into black crystals and piercing the orc’s wrist and forearm.

But despite the pain, Gal’oth did not give up, and although his right arm was wounded, he threw a punch with all his might at the saintess’s left side.

Mana manipulation, ice creation! Kalysto thought, sending some of the newly absorbed mana to the plant of her foot and creating a wall of ice in front of her that protected her from the sudden attack. Ice manipulation! She added, transforming it and creating sharp spikes on the other end of the wall, wounding the enemy’s fist.

Gal’oth recoiled as he grunted in pain before changing angles and attacking the fairy champion from behind again, taking advantage of the fact that she was still petrified.

Tundra! Kalysto thought, and again, Gal’oth was covered in ice from head to toe, as well as several meters of earth around them both.

And as they both waited to escape each other’s immobilization, Kalysto began to think of ways to get rid of the resistant orc for good.

<> Persephone assured.

So you can take control of my body away from me? No, thank you!

<>

I’m not having this conversation again! Stop it already, I’m not a little girl who believes everything you say anymore!

<>

A shiver ran through Kalysto’s body.

<> Persephone whispered. And Kalysto could feel the smirk and the confidence that welled up from that other part of her.

Fortunately for the fairy champion, the cracking sound of ice cracking caught her attention, and she was saved from responding, at the same time, she noticed how she began to regain control of the fingers of her right hand.

By the time the next crack sounded from behind her back, where the orc’s frozen body lay, she could blink her eyes without difficulty and open and close her hands.

Just as the ice finished cracking and Gal’oth kicked at her, Kalysto leapt forward, spun around and, stretching out her right hand, conjured:

“Ice spear!” Without being aware that at the same time her left hand was raised and from it a black crystal stake was thrown towards the leg opposite to the one she had launched her attack.

Both the spear and the stake hit the target and Gal’oth fell to his knees on the ground as a whip of black mana lashed his chest and arms.

As the enemy’s body fell to the ground, Kalysto advanced with shaky steps as the dizziness she got since she started conjuring spells despite the system’s warning grew stronger and stronger.

But she couldn’t give up.

Not when at any moment he could use his ‘fear’ skill again and paralyze her, leaving her completely at his mercy.

So she kept moving forward. Her body lurched precariously to one side, and she nearly fell just before she regained her balance awkwardly and took another step, closing in on her prey as the weakness enveloping her grew stronger and stronger .

Meanwhile, Gal’oth continued to lie on the ground, his thighs completely pierced by both attacks while his wounded hands could barely stop the continuous attacks of the sadistic dark mana whip as the many wounds on his body bled.

“This is the end,” Kalysto assured him in a low whisper as she reached him, standing right next to him. “Ice daggers! Ice manipulation!” she conjured and in one swift motion, sliced his throat at the same time the darkness devoured her.