The Demon Queen's Royal Consort-Chapter 106 - Dungeon - XIV

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"DÁAAAAAAAAAALIA!" Aeloria's scream echoed through the cavern.

A colossal grasshopper, now freed from the ice that had trapped it, took flight toward her at terrifying speed. Its six-meter-tall body cut through the air like a razor-sharp blade, ready to split her in half.

A whirlpool of water erupted in the tunnel, dragging shards of ice that spun like cleavers, forming a barrier between Aeloria and the aberration.

"BOOOOOOOOM!"

A blinding yellow explosion lit up the entire cavern, casting dancing shadows across the stone walls.

Meanwhile, farther from the clash between Aeloria and Dália, I, Seraphine, and Dórian were dealing with the second grasshopper.

"Dórian!" I shouted, warning him of the creature's movement.

The monster's chitin was cracked along its flank the result of our surprise attack. Without hesitation, Dórian raised his sword, already stained red, and drove it into the grasshopper's wounded torso. The pressure Seraphine and I exerted kept it from dodging.

"CRACKLE!"

The blade sank deep into the creature's abdomen, forcing out a shrill screech that reverberated through the cavern. Its remaining bladed arm lashed out in desperation, but a flying spear pierced its jugular before the strike could land.

Bleeding and wounded, the grasshopper tried to flee toward the third monster, the undisputed leader of this place but its efforts were in vain.

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

Two colossal beams shot from my eyes, hitting the same spot Dórian's sword had opened. The already damaged abdomen couldn't withstand the assault, it split in half. Gushing green blood spilled like a viscous waterfall, drenching the floor, walls, and even the ceiling.

"One left!" Dórian panted.

But I was the first to move.

Unlike our assault on the third mountain, luck wasn't on our side this time. Quite the opposite, ever since we set foot on the fourth mountain, we'd been cursed with misfortune.

At first glance, the situation seemed similar: guardian grasshoppers, an entrance at the mountain's center, and periodic invasions by hordes of centipedes. But the differences were staggering.

First, the centipedes scaling the fourth mountain were far larger, tougher, and deadlier than those from the third. Second, the cavern where the battles took place was wider, with a higher ceiling, meaning the grasshoppers took longer to clear the corpses.

We spent six days observing their routine from afar. Every two days, the grasshoppers would remove the accumulated bodies. Meanwhile, we had to defend our own mountain—the third—from the relentless centipedes.

We collapsed the central tunnel to hinder their advance, but every two days, they still managed to reach the summit. Despite the high-ground advantage, their numbers were absurd, forcing us to expend energy constantly.

The biggest problem, however, was the third grasshopper. We suspected there were three in the fourth mountain, but we'd only ever seen two. The third had never shown itself—until now.

We repeated our strategy: floating in low gravity to the entrance, hiding inside the shell of a dead centipede, and waiting for the right moment.

The first grasshopper fell without issue. But the second didn't come alone.

Behind it, like a relentless sentinel, emerged a colossal grasshopper, its fluorescent green chitin gleaming in the dim cavern light. Six bladed arms swayed menacingly as it investigated the disappearance of the first guardian.

The situation was still within expectations. Two enemies at once activated Plan B: kill one quickly and focus all our strength on the third.

But we hadn't accounted for another scheming mind plotting the same.

Before we could execute the plan, a centipede emerged from the pile of corpses—one that had played dead when we scouted the tunnel.

And then, chaos erupted.

The smaller grasshopper, alerted by the centipede's movement, avoided instant death. We lunged forward but were blocked by the colossal leader, who nearly cleaved us in half with its first strike.

Dália and Aeloria synchronized their magic, flooding the cavern with water and ice to split the battlefield. The centipede lasted less than two seconds before being bisected by the smaller grasshopper, but the distraction gave us an opening. Dórian and Seraphine severed several of its arms.

Meanwhile, Dália and Aeloria struggled to contain the leader. Their terrain-control spells were shattered by translucent blades hurled by the monster. The stalemate lasted precious seconds, seconds that prevented greater tragedy.

In the end, we managed to kill the first grasshopper. But the real problem still stood.

A rift opened before me, revealing the leader's back. Two fierce beams shot from my eyes, but—by some miracle—the bastard dodged.

The floor froze, stalagmites erupted trying to pierce its chitin—to no avail. A bubble of water encased it, slowing its movements for a second before being split apart.

A silver spear flew toward its jugular, but it blocked with an arm. Two more blades aimed at its ribs were also deflected.

"Now!" Aeloria roared.

In an instant, we surrounded it. But we all knew it wouldn't be enough. Especially not against a creature with anatomy superior to anything we'd faced.

So, without hesitation, Aeloria unleashed her most powerful spell.

The ice shattered. A fine mist spread through the cavern, freezing everything it touched. The ground cracked, the air grew heavy, the walls trembled—and best of all, we remained unaffected.

A golden cloud hovered over Aeloria, whose body bled from every orifice. Dália healed him even as he burned himself out.

The grasshopper's chitin instantly changed color. An inner energy fought against the freezing magic trying to encase it. Its movements slowed, its reflexes dulled.

It was our chance.

Dórian gripped his sword and a makeshift chitin shield. Seraphine wielded her spear and a bladed arm taken from the enemy.

In my hands, two lightning javelins crackled. I stirred my prana, and gravity around the grasshopper increased exponentially.

'Time for payback.'

Explosions and sparks filled the cavern as the three of us charged the creature.

Dórian shielded Seraphine, pushing the monster back with his shield. She attacked relentlessly, her pale face now flushed red with exertion, her movements so fast they left afterimages, her crimson prana leaking like an erupting volcano, covering her body.

My lightning javelins clashed against its arms, throwing me back with each impact—just as expected.

My role wasn't to match its strength but its speed—to distract it, occupy its limbs, create openings for the others.

But the grasshopper was faster.

Our attacks were blocked, and its counterattacks were lethal.

I gritted my teeth until they bled as I intensified the gravity around it even more. The ground beneath its feet gave way, sinking nearly half a meter with each step.

Aeloria's ice began taking effect. Parts of the monster froze, locking one of its joints.

Seraphine didn't hesitate. Seizing the opening, she lunged with a merciless strike, her spear tip driving precisely into the joint of one of the leader's bladed arms.

"CRACKLE!"

A hideous screech tore through the battlefield as the limb was ripped off with a grotesque snap, spinning through the air before crashing down.

Dália, even while focused on stabilizing Aeloria, acted with precision. A water tentacle emerged at her command, coiling around the severed arm in a swift spiral. With a fluid motion, she hurled it back like a deadly projectile.

The blade shot forward at high speed, slicing the air with a sharp whistle.

Cornered from three sides, the grasshopper couldn't react in time. The improvised blade tore through its neck, splitting the carapace and opening a deep wound from which viscous green blood spurted like a poisoned fountain. The pain made it hesitate—just for an instant.

Dórian didn't waste the opportunity. Scarlet runes flared on his sword as he parried a desperate strike with his shield. With a roar of effort, he delivered a precise, brutal upward slash.

Another arm fell.

"AGRHHHHHHH!!"

The creature's piercing shriek was drowned out by a sudden explosion of energy. The ground shook. The icy mist enveloping the arena—conjured by Aeloria—was instantly swept away by a shockwave emanating from the monster itself.

The grotesque grasshopper, its carapace cracked and limbs mutilated, roared soundlessly as its body was engulfed in a pulsating green aura.

The energy throbbed visibly, distorting the air around it. It was the same insane, chaotic force we'd faced before—in the first guardian at the mercury dome.

Its muscles bulged unnaturally. Its claws trembled violently. Even wounded, the aberration prepared to counterattack with everything it had left.

"IT'S USING IT!" I shouted in warning.

It was the same attack that had split the centipede into six pieces. Only now, far more powerful.

The air exploded around the creature. Its body twisted grotesquely—muscles pulsing, chitin cracking like metal under pressure. Its blades, now vibrating with incandescent green energy, radiated pure killing intent.

It was enough to make everyone react.

Seraphine leaped back with agile grace, positioning herself behind Dórian. freewebnøvel.coɱ

Aeloria dispelled his magic with a choked groan, blood trickling from his lips as he collapsed to his knees. He and Dália raised concentric barriers together—ice and water woven into a last, desperate act of defense.

And then, everything shattered.

The grasshopper spun violently, like a dervish of destruction. Emerald energy blades tore free from its body in all directions, slicing the air like living guillotines.

Two of those blades struck Dórian's shield head-on. The impact was so brutal the air itself imploded. He and Seraphine were sent flying like ragdolls, the crushing force blasting a crater into the stone and burying them under rubble.

The combined defenses of Aeloria and Dália withstood the first strike. And the second. But by the third blade, the structures fractured and shattered like glass under a hammer.

Acting on instinct, I slipped through a rift, appearing behind them, shoving them to the ground—just barely avoiding the worst.

But the assault didn't stop.

The creature kept spinning, spinning, like a living tempest. Its blades continued to fly in all directions, rending rock, floor, flesh, turning the cavern into a chaotic whirlwind. The space around us ceased to be a battlefield. It was a meat grinder.

When the rotation finally ceased, the monster stood panting, surrounded by a sea of destruction. Chunks of stone and flesh littered the ground. The walls bled deep gashes.

But I was already there.

In position.

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

I materialized right before the wound where its arm had been. Two beams of pure lightning shot straight into the exposed flesh.

The monster's entire body flickered yellow, every inch seized by a feverish glow. Its green eyes burned, trembling under the overload. The air filled with the acidic stench of burning flesh.

"AGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

I screamed, pouring out all my energy at once. My prana and mana cores drained like water down a sink.

Its chitin reddened, cracking under the extreme heat. Before it could react, the lightning doubled in intensity—more light, more pain.

Its body swelled like a balloon about to burst. Inside, organs boiled, popping like bubbles in hot oil.

"BOOOOOOOOOOM!"

Until finally, it happened.

The upper half of the grasshopper exploded in a grotesque burst of viscera and chitin shards.

A few meters from the blast, I remained standing—bloodied, torn apart, trembling. The fragments of its natural armor had cut into me like scalpels, leaving wounds all over my body.

If anyone saw me now, they'd mistake me for Freddy Krueger himself.

My eyes bled.

With one last act of defiance, I kicked what remained of the leader. The mangled corpse toppled over, finally lifeless.

A twisted, manic grin crossed my face—and then, everything went dark.

My knees buckled. I collapsed, unconscious.