Chapter 854 Run!
The pressure that engulfed the area was so strong that those who hadn't broken through to become Champions felt as if they would be crushed into the ground if they didn't put up a resistance against it.
Faxul even lent his power to the weaker of the sovereigns, and it was only after a few moments that all of them managed to stabilize themselves enough to be able to look up.
The woman had had an unpleasant expression ever since she had arrived, but it was on another level now. Her eyes became bloodshot, and her lips curled in an unsavory fashion as she looked at the Head as if he was but an ant she was preparing to pinch to death.
Daneel was paying attention to the Champions who had come with her, too, and weirdly, he saw that after the Head's statement, they had all begun to back away for some reason.
They were doing it as surreptitiously as possible, but the fear and slight panic in their eyes was evident.
Something was going to happen…and they really didn't want to be close to the source of it when it did.
Daneel wondered whether he would have to wait long to see just what form of attack this unique Hero Path would take, but what happened next proved him wrong right away.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
With a scream like that of a banshee's, the woman sprung forth suddenly, with a speed that almost turned her into a blur.
There was nothing civilized about her anymore. Her previously perfectly arranged hair was in disarray, and her beautiful countenance was twisted into something that was anything but so.
In fact, with every second that they watched her…it was almost as if she was transforming into something inhuman.
[Mass Hysteria in effect. Reality is being warped.]
This message from the system made Daneel understand that she had already begun to use her Hero Path.
But why was it in this manner? Why didn't she do something simple, yet effective like making those present believe that they had gone blind?
Soon, it became clear why that was the case.
The moment the woman was about to reach the Head, she seemed to undergo the final step of her 'transformation'.
Her entire body enlarged to become five times of what it was, and her face underwent the most drastic change.
Where before it had been human…it was now completely demonic, complete with a forked tongue, fangs, slitted eyes, scaly skin and a single horn that protruded outwards.
As for the reason behind all of this…it became clear when the sovereigns saw the Head's reaction.
"AH!", he screamed, before fleeing back.
This change in his demeanor startled the sovereigns, and they could only stare as the woman stopped in the air and let out a hearty laugh.
Fear. That was her objective.
In all living beings, there was always an instinctive fear that could be invoked in the right conditions.
If a Hero Path revolved around using a form of Mind Control to affect an opponent's mind…then there could be nothing more effective than calling upon this visceral emotion that could render even the most powerful, powerless.
However…it looked like she was not destined to have such an easy victory, as the Head forcefully stopped and turned around before he had crossed half the distance between where he had reached, and where he had set out from.
He spoke in a calm voice, but it was clear that he was putting in an effort to let it be so.
"The famous 'Demon's Screech', known for sending 8 Heroes running when they tried to fight you for your inheritance. I have heard of it, Ma'am, and I was prepared. You won't be winning that easily."
The 'Demon's Screech'?
Daneel had to admit that it was a fitting name.
As the woman heard the Head's statement, she discarded the transformation, and once again, it became clear that she had only changed in their mind.
The most terrifying thing about this was that even if one recognized that it was happening, it was impossible to defend against it as it happened too quickly.
Daneel's fists balled up as he realized this.
Too weak. You're too weak!
As he screamed this at himself for the umpteenth time, the situation in the air above had begun to heat up.
"Very well. The protection afforded to you as the Head has already been nullified due to your actions. It'll be fine if I just don't kill you. We might be at the same level, but let me show you the difference between one who broke through on their own, and one who was so pathetic that they had to use a Willstone. Come."
"Weakness. Disease. Mortality. Insecurity. Nostalgia. Fear."
The Head's response was strange, but when the mages who were present used their elementary vision, they witnessed one of the most incredible sights in their lives.
Each word formed waves and waves of elementary particles that buffeted his opponent, and it was obvious that if they were in its way…they would directly be inflicted by everything that the man had just mentioned.
His way was of his Word, and each one he spoke would become reality.
Before, when the Head had displayed his power, Daneel had been too preoccupied with his own fight against Elanev. Even in all the instances after that, he had never had the opportunity to truly study the power of this steadfast man who had taken up the mantle to fight for something he believed in.
Each Word he spoke using his Path became the personification of his Will, and although it wasn't at a stage, yet, where what he spoke directly became reality, it was enough to cause an effect where anyone would be foolish to ignore his attacks.
That had always been his style of attacking: he would use his voice to send attacks that could not be ignored, while using powerful mage spells to fatally injure his opponent.
Even now, Daneel could remember that crowning moment where those two words had bombarded those from the Church and made them flee like whimpering dogs whose tails had been stepped on.
Here, though…it did not look like it would be that easy.
"Humph."
With a single sound and a flick of her hand, the woman deflected the incoming waves of elementary particles directly, making them go in a different direction.
Ironically, this direction was where her Champions were quietly hiding, and they cursed before scrambling to move and escape.
Smirking on seeing this, the woman raised her hand once more, and seeing this, Daneel got a heavy feeling in his stomach as he could tell that something bad was going to happen.
Instantly, he activated his own Champion Path and sent a quick message to the Head.
"Your legs! Injure them, or you'll lose both!"
The Head had definitely not been expecting the King to interfere in this manner.
Yet, his belief allowed him to make the quick decision to follow the words of the King.
He made small gashes appear on his legs, and as blood stained his robes…a strange thing happened.
While everyone watched, both of his legs started to flicker, almost as if they were being pushed into non-existence by some invisible force.
Only, the force was facing some kind of opposition, as it soon failed.
The one with the most surprised expression on her face was the woman, but she quickly said, "So you knew that I go after the legs first? Well, let's see how you'll attack each part of your body in time to defend against me. Haha, the last one who tried this ended up killing himself!"
From her words, the devastating nature of her attack became clear.
It seemed that she could somehow make someone believe that they didn't have a certain part of their body, even during battle!
Could there be something more disorienting than this, especially in the middle of a heated fight?
Daneel's counter had been simple: because it was an attack on the mind, if sudden pain was induced from the body parts which were being targeted, it was possible that the attack would fail.
However…from what she had said, it became obvious that this was only a temporary stopgap.
"System, I need another counter!", he asked frantically, but the answer was not good.
[Searching. It has been detected that the target's Hero Path went through specific modification to ensure that only minimal counters are present. Looking for indications from World for more counters. Please upgrade the system for faster results.]
"King, I see that you can anticipate which body part she will target. This first time, she took it as luck. But if I repeat it, it will start to be suspicious. However, I need your help one more time: I will go all out and remove the trace she placed on you. Then, escape."
Before Daneel could respond, the Head stepped forward once again, and it became obvious that he was gearing up to use the same attack that had awed thousands before.
He took a deep breath, and just before he let out his power, he sent a message to Daneel.
"NOW!"
"Torso!"
As soon as Daneel sent the reply, a long, vertical gash came into being on the torso of the Head, following which the woman snarled and said, "Impossible!"
Her voice was completely drowned out, though, because a shout that rang through the Heavens was shot out from the Head's mouth.
"FOR JUSTICE!"
The words he used were different, but the effect…was actually magnified.
A tsunami of elementary particles which could simply not be deflected rushed in the direction of the woman, and she could only watch as all of her defensive measures were swept away, just like what had happened with those from the Church.
A bolt of lightning instantly struck down from the sky at the same moment, and the woman looked like she was done for.
Yet…it was at this moment that she showed the difference she had mentioned before.
The moment before the tip of the lightning bolt struck her body…the entire scene changed.
It was so weird that the sovereigns could only blink and wonder whether they had gone crazy.
The reason behind this…was that the very place where they stood had changed in that moment, and instead of the open sky, there was the ceiling of a cavern above.
A loud 'BOOM!' was heard in the next second, and as they cast their senses outside, they realized that the lightning bolt had struck the ground above them.
It was Daneel who finally realized just what the heck was going on.
This woman…had actually deployed her Path since the very first moment she had appeared!
She had made them all believe that they were in the mountain, while she and the Head were fighting beneath the open sky.
Yet…the truth was that she had sunk the mountain below the ground, which was not too hard a feat for a Hero, before beginning the fight in an environment that she completely controlled.
It was a lost cause from the start!
Daneel wondered whether the efforts of the Head were all for naught.
Already, he was completely captivated by these dazzling and almost incomprehensible means of these Heroes who seemed to have no limit.
Yet…seeing the man's face, a ray of hope suddenly came into being in Daneel's mind.
"NOW! RUN!", he shouted, and an attack that he had somehow hidden suddenly burst into existence.
It was akin to a solar flare that would blind all existence, and it was aimed directly at the triumphant eyes of the woman.
"NOOOOO!", she screamed, but it was too late.
[Trace detected on host's body. Trace has just been destroyed.]
As soon as this message appeared in his mind, Daneel transformed into a tiny Divine Cockroach that burrowed into the ground.
In ancient times, Divine Cockroaches had always had the ability to escape from any means of restriction that was placed on them using a technique which injured them terribly.
This was supposed to be lost in the present age, and in the Order, Daneel had discovered that even Skrr and the older Divine Cockroach were only aware of it, but did not know how to use it, as it was supposed to be demonstrated by an elder specimen of the race.
Daneel, though…had the memories of the Emperor, and in them, the man had once witnessed a Hero-level Divine Cockroach escape his own restrictive barrier using this method, which had led to one of the few failures of his life.
If he wanted to escape without arousing new suspicion regarding powers he might possess, this was the perfect way.
At the same moment, he also made a spell pull along his companions, whom he had sworn to take with him.
All it took was a moment, and because the woman was still preoccupied with the Head's attack, she could do nothing.
A crack appeared in the barrier she had placed, and Daneel, in his Divine Cockroach form, escaped along with his two sovereigns.
At the same time, just before he hurried away from the location, he shot one last look at the sovereigns who still remained on the scene.
Everything had happened so quickly that they had no time to react, and their faces were still frozen in shock.
Seeing them, he spoke to himself in a low voice.
"I am sorry, my friends, for doing this, but I promise that when I return…I will be strong enough to ensure that something like this will never need to happen, ever again. Farewell, for now."
As he spoke the last word, a change started to come in the trinkets that they always kept on their bodies.
These were the trinkets that Daneel had given which ensured that they would be able to defend themselves against Mind Control, and they were made of the precious Ker Root he had obtained from the Mad Doctor.
Now, though…on his command, each of them broke into tiny fragments which blew away without leaving any trace, and along with them vanished a large portion of the memories they had of the King of Lanthanor.
With tears streaming down his face, the King continued running, while his sovereigns all got puzzled expressions on their faces, as if they had forgotten something that was very, very important to them.