CHAPTER 30
A Calm Before The Storm!
----------------------------------------
(Thank god. He's alright...) < Tom >
Tom thought to himself as he was quite surprise and worried at the same time, while Sub just nonchalantly drinks the beer from his can.
「...」
Tom wanted to feel relief by knowing nothing bad had happen to Sub; and yet, deep down he couldn't even shake off his anxious feeling away...
(It feels like, 'The calm before the storm'.) < Tom >
But nevertheless, he checks upon Jyoti as she looked a little bit disoriented by Sub's response.
「Ms. Jyoti, you alright?」
「Hey, Jyoti. Don't try to ignore me and answer my question already!」< Num >
「*Sigh* Really?」
With a sigh, Jyoti said while taking a sip from her can.
「Ye--?」
『!!?』
When all of a sudden; Tom along with Num and Jyoti quickly shifts their gaze at Sub, who was now looking really unwell all of a sudden.
「? Master? Is something wrong?」< Kitsune >
Soon after, Kitsune spoke up to her Master with troubled face while still holding onto him.
And for a moment, Sub didn't say nor move, until---
「Hah...Hah...Hah...guys...I feel......*Thud*」< Sub >
Out of nowhere; Sub's breathing got heavier as he tries to say something, when he suddenly fell down from his chair like a broken doll.
But with every ounce of energy he had, Sub soon gets on his four limbs as to stop himself from falling again.
All while, Kitsune and Num looked surprise and worried seeing the scene unfold.
As for Jyoti, however; her whole expression soon got fill by pure fear, as she froze solid just seeing her Master's condition getting worse.
(..why...why now......) < Tom >
While Tom starts to feel guilty as he blames himself for this whole mess.
「Master---!!」
With worried feelings, Kitsune tries to get closer to her Master.
「*Blergh*!」
Just to back away from Sub in an instant, as he starts to vomit all over the sands.
And amidst of this, Sub's both bracelet starts to deform from his wrists; as it soon turns into a pitch-black slime, while covering the very sands he was vomiting on.
「..no...no...」
All while, Jyoti was still muttering to herself in disbelief.
「Uh-oh...I don't like where it's going...」< Num >
Feeling unsure; Num quickly grabs the cans of beer, and snacks from the table, and puts it back to his 'Storage Pouch', while lightly tapping the sands with his toes, making all the furnitures to turn back into sands.
(Shit! Shit!! Shit!!! SHIT!!! I never shouldn't compile with Sub-kun's idea...) < Tom >
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
As for Tom, he felt more guilty than ever as he tries to think of a way to sustain Sub's pain...
After all, Tom very well knew the extent of his 'Nightmare' skill abilities. Or to be precise, the dangers that victims had to go through, upon using his skill on them.
However; it was different on Sub's case, as the 'Nightmare' skill itself didn't had any effects on him.
Tom indeed used his 'Nightmare' skill many times before on his opponents, but Sub was the only one who had little to no effects of his skill. Instead, Sub's whole deteriorating condition was something else. So, he wanted to know the reason but seeing Sub vigorously vomiting on the sands, made him think twice about this.
「*Blergh*!!」
All while, Sub tries to stop himself from vomiting by putting his left-hand front of his mouth.
And also, little did Sub knew; the things he was vomiting wasn't just the things he had ate from earlier but his blood itself was mixed in it as well.
「Hah...Hah...Hah...」
All while, his breathing got much heavier by seconds. While still struggling to prevent himself from vomiting any further.
「*Blergh---!?」
But in just split second; Sub's left-arm as a whole suddenly exploded, as the bloods, bones, and tiny pieces of his arm splashed around his face and in many random direction.
『!!?』
Seeing this, not just Tom but Num and Kitsune quickly sprung into action by using their 'Healing Magic' on Sub.
「..Hah...Hah......」
Soon after; Sub's left-arm starts to regenerate back but not in a healthy way, as he continues to breathe heavily with very sweaty face.
「...」
And for some reason, Jyoti was completely frozen in fear by seeing her Master's condition getting bad to worse way too quickly.
All while, Tom, Num and Kitsune were doing their best to heal him, until---
「..Tch...it's taking a lot of mana out of me......」< Tom >
Tom clicks his tongue in annoyance as he starts to feel losing his energy little by little.
「Hey, why don't you step back? We can handle this stuff~~」< Num >
Num cheerfully said, in contrast of Tom's frustration.
「But...」
「I appreciate your help. But you are no 'Healer', are you?」< Num >
「...」
At Num's response; Tom felt speechless to say anything, as he slowly shifts his gaze at Kitsune.
「...」
To which, Kitsune's all attention was on her Master's well-being, without caring much of her surroundings.
「*Sigh* Fine...」
With a sigh, Tom reluctantly stops casting his healing magic and steps back from the scene. And stands near Jyoti, who was still in frozen shock.
「Hah...Hah...Hah...」
All of a sudden; Sub starts to tear his shirt apart and uncontrollably scratches around, while his very skin was peeling off little by little.
「Master!」
Feeling worried, Kitsune intervenes her Master from harming himself by grabbing onto his both hands with force.
「Master! What is happening?!!」< Kitsune >
At Kitsune's response; Sub slowly looks at her with his now blood-shot tired eyes, as his eyes looked dimmer by seconds.
「Hah...Hah...Hah...」
With a heavy breather, Sub forcefully pushes Kitsune several meters away from him. All while, he grabs onto his own hair and starts to pull them off, painfully.
「Ahhhh...」
And while Sub was screaming and hurting himself. His bracelets that had been in liquid form for a while now---suddenly, starts to take an egg form while Sub being inside and dispels the healing magic which was healing him.
「?! What the...」
Even Num looked shock, as he again tries to cast his 'Healing Magic' on his Master.
「?」
But to his surprise, his magic got deactivated in an instant.
「Then, how about this?」< Num >
Soon after, Num launches a solid punch at the egg form as to stop its transformation.
「! Wha?!」
But it soon backfire, as the force of his punch just bounced back at him. Which just sent him flying off the scene in such speed that it was breaking the sound barrier itself, along the way.
「...」
Feeling baffled, Tom not just witness Kitsune but Num too being thrown out of the scene by Sub single-handedly, despite not doing anything.
「! No...no...NO!!!」
All while; Jyoti who was looking hopeless and all, suddenly, came to her senses as she desperately starts to run towards her Master.
「..I...」
But it was already too late for her, as Sub had succumb to his slumber again, while the egg transformation was on it's full completion.
「...」
And while falling down with a small thud, Sub's eyelids slowly closes in him. As if nothing seems to matter anymore.
「Mas---」
「!!?」
*KA-BOOM*
The moment, when Jyoti was just inches away---a sudden huge explosion took place at the scene. Which not just shook the battlefield but the whole continent itself as the black smoke rapidly starts to spread throughout the desert.
*Swoosh*
「...」
All while, Tom swiftly jumps away from the smoke with minor injuries and looks at the scene with pure bafflement.
But same couldn't be said for Jyoti; as she soon got thrown out of the black smoke like a cannon, as her whole body tumbles over many sand dunes while leaving a long-stretch trails of dusts behind.
「!?」
And soon after; Tom quickly glances back at the black smoke with keen eyes, as he could definitely tell that this whole smoke was a densely concentration of mana.
(Just...who is he......) < Tom >
Tom starts to wonder more about Sub while constantly stares at the smoke.
And as more seconds passes by; the smoke screen itself slowly but steadily starts to rotate counterclockwise.
「?」
Feeling odd, Tom soon jumps further away from the black smoke.
And while the black smoke itself were now rotating faster by seconds. And as a result, a vortex starts to form at the very center of it.
「...」
But the most baffling part for Tom was, the vortex itself.
Even though, the vortex was getting bigger and dangerous; and yet for some reason, nothing was being sucked into it.
In fact, it looked as if all of this was just happening in it's own little space, without effecting its surroundings.
(I don't understand...?) < Tom >
And before Tom could comprehend the situation; he soon saw the whole vortex starting to get sucked in from the center at rapid speed, while the presence of these dense mana was getting more denser.
「..?」
And when ⅓ of black smoke was gone; he saw Sub's silhouette at the very center, standing still like a statue.
「...」
And while looking at it, Tom suddenly felt his heartbeat getting faster.
He tries to calm himself down by taking a long breather, while never losing his focus from the sight.
*Glitch*
「?! What the!!?」
But in just a split second; Tom saw the huge black vortex being glitched out in an instant, without a single trace.
And instead, Sub steadily stood at the very scene. But his whole appearance was unrecognizable since his whole body was engulfed by these black flames that doesn't seem to fade away.
(What just happen...? And...is he unconscious......) < Tom >
Feeling wary; Tom slowly takes out his sword(Danda) out from a distort space with his right-hand, while in other hand---he tightly clenched his fist as a dimly lit light was glowing inside.
All while, Sub remains in the same posture as the steam were oozing out from those black flames.
「Tch...」
Tom bits his lips as to make his heartbeat calmer.
「..just...what are you......」< Tom >
Tom mutters in pure awe, while cold sweats starts to run down through his spine, making him feel like; he was seeing 'The End' itself.
「*Sigh* Here goes...」
But nevertheless, Tom puts his anxiety aside by taking a long breather and starts to run towards Sub.
*Swoosh*
「《Explosion Magic---》」
While chanting, Tom quickly closes his distance towards Sub and points his clenched left-hand at point blank.
----------------------------------------
I hope you enjoy it and sorry for my bad grammar and I hope it's understandable.
I'm trying my best to improve and if you find some mistakes or anything like that, then let me know on the comments.
Peace:)