novelraw Chapter 410: The Sovereign of the Void
Chapter 410: The Sovereign of the Void
The cavern was a sea of blinding, unstable scarlet light. Anne’s silhouette was framed by the halo of her own detonating life essence—a beauty and a tragedy combined. She was moments away from turning herself into a human bomb to save him.
[Host, her core is fracturing! If she completes the sequence, her soul will dissipate with the blast!" [Crul’s voice cut through the static in Ethan’s mind.] "Neutralize her immediately. Strike the five pressure points to collapse the energy flow!"
Ethan erupted from the rock wall like a shadow detached from the world. He appeared behind Anne in a blur of motion. With precision, his fingers struck: two heavy blows to her upper chest, one to the solar plexus, and two sharp jabs beneath the lower ribs. The raging crimson fire vanished instantly, sucked back into her dying ruby shard. Anne’s eyes rolled back, and she collapsed into his arms, unconscious and pale.
The Worm Queen swayed, her eyeless head tilting as if confused. The massive threat that had just been radiating from the woman had vanished, replaced by the silent, cold presence of the man. Sensing no immediate danger from the small figure, the beast let out a chattering hiss and lunged.
Ethan didn’t move. He simply extended his right hand, the black spirals on his skin pulsing with a rhythmic, dark light.
"Know your place, you wretched parasite," Ethan muttered, his voice echoing with a hollow, void-like resonance. "Die."
As the Queen’s massive snout reached him, Ethan didn’t dodge. He caught the leading edge of her armored face with his bare palm, stopping the multi-ton momentum of the beast dead in its tracks. With a single, fluid motion, he drove a roundhouse kick into her flank.
CRA-A-ACK!
The Queen’s reinforced carapace shattered like cheap glass. The force of the blow buried her half-way into the cavern floor. She let out a desperate, bubbling shriek of agony. Ethan didn’t let up. He leaped into the air and brought a double-axe handle strike down on the center of her head, slamming her face into the bedrock with a sound like a falling building.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to boil. Thousands of hatchlings—from tiny larvae to worms the size of hounds—burst from the silt to defend their dying mother.
Ethan felt a sudden, sharp pang of exhaustion. The black patterns on his arm began to recede, slithering back toward the obsidian ring as if being sucked into a whirlpool. His strength flickered. He fell to one knee, still cradling Anne against his chest in a protective carry. As he stumbled, his hand slipped, shifting to support her weight from below.
For a fleeting second, the softness of the Matriarch’s ass form registered against his palm, but the chattering of the swarm snapped him back to reality.
The patterns had retreated until they only covered his right hand. He was running on empty.
A medium-sized worm lunged at his throat. Ethan reached out, his hand closing around its neck. With a squeeze, the creature exploded into green ichor. But instead of splashing the floor, the blood began to swirl in mid-air, drawn toward the black ink on Ethan’s hand. As the essence was absorbed, the tattoo grew, inching back up his wrist.
Ethan’s lips curled into a predatory smirk. He felt the rush of stolen energy.
"So that’s how it works," he whispered.
Moving with explosive speed, Ethan became a whirlwind of slaughter. Every worm he crushed, every parasite he tore apart, was converted into raw fuel. He danced through the swarm, a princess in his arms and death in his hands, massacring the brood to reclaim his strength.
The Queen struggled to rise, her body leaking neon-green ichor from dozens of cracks. She swayed unsteadily, her massive frame tilting as if she were a tower about to collapse.
Ethan adjusted his grip on the Matriarch. Even unconscious, her body was a distraction; she kept sliding, forcing him to hike her up against his chest. His fingers sank into the plush, firm curves of her backside—as soft as giant marshmallows—sending a jolt of awareness through his mind. He shook his head to clear it, though a wolfish grin stretched across his face. The fear and respect he held for her were still there, but in this moment of absolute power, the sensation only added to his exhilaration.
His voice rang out, cheerful yet terrifyingly cold, echoing against the cavern walls. "Get ready to die, you oversized maggot!"
The Worm Queen watched him approach, her massive frame trembling. But instead of a final, desperate lunge, she let out a sound Ethan hadn’t expected: a pitiful, warbling cry. It wasn’t a roar of defiance; it was a plea for mercy. The titan of the deep coiled her segmented body inward, lowering her eyeless head until it pressed firmly against the jagged stone in a gesture of absolute submission.
Ethan froze, his hand hovering over his blade. "Crul, what is this? Why isn’t she fighting?"
[ Analysis indicates a shift in behavioral logic, ] Crul replied, its tone thoughtful. [ A Worm Queen typically fights to the death to protect her brood. However... I believe she is no longer seeing a human. After you absorbed her hatchlings to fuel your Void patterns, she has mistaken you for a Nightmare Claw. To these worms, a Nightmare Claw is not just a predator—it is an absolute master. They are slaves born to be consumed. ]
"So she’s terrified of me?"
[ Beyond terror, Host. She is biologically incapable of resisting a Sovereign of the Void. We should attempt a Soul-Bonding ritual. Spiritual beasts have a core within their brain; until they reach the Spirit Core realm, they cannot move it to defend it. Place your hand upon her skull and extend your spiritual sense. If you feel the slightest hint of a trap, kill her instantly. If not... seal her. ]
"How do I create a seal?" Ethan asked, walking slowly toward the mountain of flesh.
[ A seal is not something you ’build,’ Host. It is the resonance of your soul. It is a signature that transforms as you do. You already have one. Simply reach out; you will understand. ]