Saintess Summons Skeletons

Chapter 876 - The hungering void

After spectating the first wave of the event, Sofia idly continued to study enchanting by herself until the second wave, which Astelia and Alith’s group won without much fanfare as they were the only strong group opting to pick the wasteland expedition ‘frozen city’ event.

Sofia had just received a few extra stones of income from random things she had put up for auction through TLDR’s Red Carpet to clean up her storage ring. Following that, she had scheduled a trip to the Arege Union in a few days to test and potentially buy the [Bend Reality Infinite Bloom Charm] that she had taken notice of earlier, so she was quite happy at the prospect of getting a shiny new item to add to her equipment.

The day started quietly in Ser’Extra, Sofia was eagerly waiting for the third individual event to begin in a few hours, flipping through pages of an old enchanting book without managing to really focus. She was about to close the book and stand up to do something else when the ambiance in the palace library suddenly changed. The bright sunlight streaming through Beatrice’s newly-installed curtains suddenly turned red.

“Shit, again?!”

Jumping outside through the open window, Sofia looked up at the sky.

“Oh, fuck…”

A feeling of creeping dread welled up in Sofia’s chest. If the previous phageid attack less than a month prior had been easily repelled, this one looked like it would be a different story altogether.

Quickly flying up above her city, in addition to the same countless ‘regular’ phageid as last time, she counted no less than ten Alphageid descending from dark red rifts in the sky all over the human peninsula. At a glance, they were probably over most of the capital cities, as well as the tall mountain some distance north of Sofia’s city.

Her city, unsurprisingly, was not spared. Far above straight up in the sky, a gigantic ‘pillar’ of living midenicite slowly came straight down.

There are no ascended in the city today.

Even Ar’Zoth has been away since the Ark started…

A sharp bout of pain like a sudden headache shocked Sofia out of her momentary daze.

[WARNING, PHAGEID INVASION DETECTED]

[ENTERING EMERGENCY STATE]

[Commencing draft]

[Following emergency procedure, a mass quest has been issued]

[EMERGENCY DEFENSE : Protect Ser’Extra]

[Instructions : Reinforcements arrive in ~63 seconds.]

[Recommended role: Key target distraction.]

[Rewards : contribution points]

[This quest is mandatory]

Sixty three seconds…

The Alphageid above was nothing like the one she had seen in her first trial, which had taken several minutes to come down and spread its tentacles over the city. This one had no baby to feed and protect, and looked a lot less lethargic in comparison. Its writhing tentacles would reach the city’s streets in twenty seconds at most, and the other phageid falling from the sky would follow mere seconds after.

Multiple other figures rose to the sky over the city, as if attracted by Sofia’s wings, a group formed around her in just an instant.

Pareth, Pestle, and Ihuarah were nowhere to be seen, so they were probably working on keeping the city from plunging into chaos, while Saria was already posted on top of the ritual tower just outside the city, determined to protect her mother’s remains.

Around Sofia were only a few figures, with some she had never spoken to but that she recognized. They were all the highest level people in the city that day.

In order of arrival, the people about to take a stand against the Phageid alongside her were: level 422 Kleptra Er’Vord, Level 384 Exidian High priest of Death Romuald Longcastle, Level 412 Fairy Carpet One, and Level 400 Stag beastman cook at Kokola’s bathhouse.

“That’s all we have?” Sofia asked, “Who can safely repel the lesser ones?”

“I take care of it!” the diamond-haired fairy declared, looking quite confident in himself, and flying down to stand on top of the castle’s tallest spire, starting to channel some spell right away.

“I’m a support class,” the cook said now that only four of them were left.

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The other three did not need to say anything, everyone knew about Sofia’s skills now, and the priests of death’s healing was similarly famous, while the Kleptra was a Kleptra.

As the Alphageid loomed closer above, Er’Vord, who was quite small for a Kleptra, only about the size of a two-storey house, pointed at Sofia with a long insectoid finger, “You distract it. I strike,” he commanded, before looking at the other two with his faceted eyes, “You keep us alive.”

There was no need for anything more to be said, nobody here was strong enough to defeat the Alphageid, but keeping it busy for half a minute was not impossible. They only had to hope that the reinforcements would bring serious firepower.

Sofia nodded, and everyone got started preparing for battle, Romuald casting buff spells on Sofia and Er’Vord one after the other, while the cook passed some cupcakes and cookies around. Putting on her armor, Sofia looked down.

Bookie.

Bookie had been sleeping in so far, staying cozily attached to Sofia’s waist in book form, but now Sofia could feel his nervousness.

Calm down, it’s gonna be alright.

She hesitated for an instant. The best-suited summon now was one that might be unreliable. Nonetheless, considering the situation she had to risk it.

Phoenix.

More than half of Sofia’s mana abruptly left her body, greedily devoured by the fiery golden page that just shot out of Bookie.

The flamboyant skeletal bird of fire appeared. There was a bit under fifty seconds left until help arrived, and the Alphageid’s long tentacles already drew close.

Er’Vord’s scarab-like wings whirred as he prepared himself, his gaze turning to Sofia.

Sofia closed her helmet’s visor, climbing on the Phoenix’s back, ignoring the flames gnawing at her health. The staff in her hand warping into an Atlatl, she started channeling a bolt.

“I’ll give you an opening.”

The Phoenix turned out to be quite eager to finally do something, flying up with a shrill cry before Sofia even gave any order. It flew straight up, giving Sofia a closer look at the Alphageid’s monstrous closed mouth that loomed over her city.

At six million mana a second, the explosive bolt forming on Sofia’s staff soon turned into a bright light shining as strongly as the Phoenix's flames. The Alphageid was sure to notice.

Er’Vord followed from behind, staying just far away enough that the monster would have to split its attacks.

The Alphageid’s tentacles came first, hundreds of them. Some slashing, some stabbing, some attempting to grab, they quickly surrounded the Phoenix.

The legendary immortal bird had persisted in the collective memory even through the change of epochs, enduring several in stories and imagination despite being nowhere to be seen. In just a second, any onlooker could understand why. It was not just fast and nimble, the Phoenix skeleton flew up, spiraling like a tornado through the Alphageid’s tentacles, leaving behind a long trail of inextinguishable fire that lingered on the monster's crystalline limbs, all the while channeling a strange spell that envelopped both Sofia and itself.

Go as high as possible!

But speed had its limits. All it took was one successful strike. A tentacle hid behind another and struck. Pure physical might. The phoenix was reduced to flaming dust, and Sofia was slammed against another tentacle, a stain of scrambled meat paste on the brink of death, barely kept alive by the Venerable Physique of the Primeval Void’s one-hit protection.

She had not yet recovered any senses that another tentacle came her way to finish her off.

[Summon Self]

She reappeared where the cinders of the Phoenix remained suspended in the air, and at the same time some spell reached her from below, pushing her health back up so much that her current total was several hundred million points above her supposed maximum.

The flaming dust explosively clumped back together, and before another tentacle could strike, Sofia and the Phoenix started their ascension anew as the explosive bolt grew brighter.

Some magic blow came from below. Sofia could not afford to really look, but it seemed it was Er’Vord giving her an opening as the countless tentacles coming after her momentarily stalled.

Faster!

She had to use her bolt soon, and high up enough, or the city would likely be affected.

She almost made it out of the tentacles, but noticed another incoming hit.

The feeling reached Pareth. The communication was wordless. A giant ice-covered skeleton clad in shining light armor appeared in between her and the tentacle.

Pareth’s shield did not break, but the strength of the shock was absurd. His bones were obliterated.

Sofia stored his mana core and equipment in her eye at the last possible second as her frenetic flight upward continued. It was close, but Pareth lived, his mana heart shielded by what looked like a flying cleaver. He had accomplished both his goals. Sofia was safe, and the Alphageid suffered the judgement of the [Ophanim Corona].

The tentacles got visibly slower.

Finally the Phoenix got up to the level of the Alphageid’s mouth, and started flying up along the side of its tree trunk-like body.

Be careful of the eyes!

The tentacles could not strike them down as easily there, but instantly countless laser-shooting black eyes opened all over the creature’s body.

Sofia only focused on keeping her bolt stable as the Phoenix handled their survival.

The Alphageid seemed to be getting annoyed. More eyes opened, and its already numerous tentacles started to split up into countless more.

Sofia could tell so no longer had long to live.

Now!

The Phoenix stopped its ascension, planting its claws into the Alphageid’s crystalline flesh.

Sofia felt a sudden surge of strength as she aimed her bolt at the nearest open eye, and struck.

The bright flare seemed to give the sky its azure color back for an instant, but all anyone could hear was the maddening laugh of a Kleptra.