Awakening: I Ascend As A Legendary Ranked Necromancer-Chapter 86: I’ll deal with this

The blood goblins had been made as a trap so Kaidos could harvest more life forces for himself, but we had disrupted that and now he had little to draw on.

"I don’t know what happened to the goblins, Master. I just couldn’t find them anymore, and no bodies were left behind," Kaidos said, his voice a little twisted. "There was nothing there when I reached the place."

There was a pause. His master didn’t speak at first, but when he did, his voice came out sharp and jarring. "But I do know, I know what happened to them! I can still smell the faint trace of my power and It’s coming from the Necromancer over there. He has some!"

I felt the attention of the being beyond the portal settle on me, weighing on my shoulders. The goblins that I got from...so that’s it?

Kaidos swung his head toward me, his eyes widening and his lips trembled. "But... I’ve already made them into your puppets. How can they be taken over by him? He’s...only that!"

Temur and I were standing close. He touched me gently and gestured with his head toward Litha. She was sitting up, trying her best to rise. I frowned. Just what is she planning? She should lie low!

"But now you have failed and called me. This was supposed to be the last option, but you messed it all up," the voice sighed and didn’t speak for a while. "Very well. Come here, Kaidos. I will deal with them myself."

I looked at our situation, my expression darkening. Litha and Temur were already pushed out of the fight, and even I could only rely on the power of the Onus, and against someone of a higher rank.

I could feel my eyes darning, I didn’t like my odds at all!

We might be fucked at the moment!

I leaned close and whispered to Temur, "We should get out of here quickly."

I can’t think of anything more we could do to turn things around at this point.

"How?" he whispered back. "The game is still running. No one has sat on the throne yet. We can’t leave until it’s cleared. The Gold and the Walkers are still fighting...!!"

But my attention snapped back to the portal just as Kaidos crawled into it. The portal flared, and a gloved hand extended out from within.

☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆

Outside the zone, they had reached some kind of conclusion. The Tower Guards prepared to intervene, and their captain was visibly furious that something like this had happened under his watch.

Incidents like this could ruin a career, so he took it personally. Captain Ryker flew his platform toward the pillar of red light. "Just as expected! Something that distorts time and space to be able to access the inside!"

He grinned. Maybe he could turn this mess to his advantage this time.

Thayer watched him and asked Cole, "What’s he doing?"

"If I may," she replied and gestured, "he’s likely thinking about what this could add to his portfolio if he stops whatever is happening. The dream of all Climbers is to reach higher floors, but if you fail, the next best thing is working for organizations that can still afford that lifestyle..."

Thayer glanced at his secretary. She was always like this, sometimes saying too little, sometimes more than expected. But this time, it made sense.

The captain was Silver rank and had likely hit his ceiling. Rising through the Tower Guards was the only way left. "So what are you going to do about this, Ryker?"

Captain Ryker hummed as he circled the pillar, searching carefully. He was looking for a weak point. Portals like this weren’t built to withstand physical force as they were made just to interfere. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Ordinary portals were durable, but ones that cut through time and space were unstable. Find the weak spot, and.....

!!!

Ryker suddenly stopped. Then he smiled. "Let it be known what Captain Ryker has done for the teams today!"

☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆

I let out a broken, pained sound as I stared at Temur’s fallen body. "Temur? Temur!" I dropped beside him, shaking his massive frame.

"Enough! You can walk here on your own two legs, or I can keep killing your teammates."

My head felt hollow. Keep killing my teammates? What happened to Temur?

It had been too fast to follow. Even drained of aura, Temur had still drawn his sword. But Kaidos’s master must have seen him as a threat, and struck first and obviously faster!

"You cannot save him," the voice said calmly. "I placed one of my blood creatures inside him. It will consume him from the inside out. But rejoice! The bloodworm is merciful, it will place your friend into a deep, pleasant sleep. Left to me...?"

I started laughing. Did he think being eaten alive was better just because you were dreaming? What a bastard!

"Hey," I snarled, "who the fuck are you? Show your face so I’ll know who I’m killing."

The being beyond the portal sounded amused. "Do you believe the gap between ranks is a joke?"

I didn’t answer. With my sword still in hand, I raised it slightly, flooded it with gravitational force, and released it forward.

The blade shot out like a missile.

Then my heart nearly stopped.

Time seemed to slow as the sword neared the portal—just before impact, Litha suddenly stood in its path.

Every cell in my body screamed. My eyes widened. My entire frame shook as I tore power from my bond with the Onus. The monster inside me roared as I pulled more than I should have, and in that instant, I acted.

I redirected the force by a single inch.

I couldn’t stop a moving train but I could bend the tracks.

The sword missed Litha by a hair’s breadth, the pressure whipping her hair violently aside.

I could only stand there, shaking, staring at my friend as she hung motionless, like a newly crafted puppet.