The Begotten Fiend

Chapter 24: The Harder They Fall

I understand what it was. During the illusion it’d put me under, it was feeding off of my fear.

A unique ability that allows it to transform emotion into energy. A quite peculiar power, but not one I was inclined to learn about. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

"You." I raised my hand forward, causing the spider to jump back. "You sent those spiders after me--tired me out. Then, when I’d expended all my energy, you put me under an illusion to feed on me until my mind broke.

You are quite formidable, I’ll give you that. And from the looks of things, it doesn’t look like I’d beat you in a contest of strength.

But things aren’t going to go the way you want."

Holding both of my hands forward, I imagined Mana Control once more, but this time, as the complementary skill. "ILLUSION!"

The spider stopped in its tracks, looking forward absent-mindedly.

Did it work?

Immediately, my body broiled. It felt like every single one of my muscles were having a spasm. My limbs were on fire, yet I didn’t yield.

It was fighting back against my Illusion with only its mana control. After all, illusion magic is just the manipulation of mana in the brain.

What made it worse was that it was like I was physically tugging on a rope, trying to beat the thing in a game of tug-o-war. And the beast’s strength was brolic.

But if there was one thing I learned, it’s that mana control is more about precision than strength. And in this battle, I had no better motivation to win.

I traversed through every corner of my memory. Each time, finding my reason to fight. Seraphine, she kept popping up, and each time, the scene in the courtroom motivated me.

That’s right. I can’t lose, not here!

Still, I felt my control slipping. A thread of mana I’d let go of fell under the spider’s control. With that, it regained some movement.

"Damn it!" I yelled, stepping once in its direction. I begged my body to put forth every fiber of my being. I struggled for even a modicum of energy that I hadn’t expended already.

Yet, the beast didn’t resign a single bit. Though it was slow, it crawled in my direction, shaking its head viciously. The intense energy produced by its movements distracted just enough for me to lose even further control.

Shit, shit, shit!

No, this isn’t over.

I stood my ground, tightening my hand muscles. The spider shook its head again--so much so that it lost its balance.

It dipped to its right, just barely catching itself with its limbs, but its momentum didn’t stop. It kept stepping in the same direction, trying to stop its fall.

It crashed into a nearby tree. Due to the insane mass of the beast, it seemed as though the earth itself struggled to withstand the collision. The shaking ground, coupled with the loud noise made me lose my focus.

On instinct, I stopped my magic, putting effort towards staying on my two feet. "Oh, shit."

My heart dropped. I couldn’t even dare to look up, I didn’t need to. The sound of the spider’s footsteps boomed through the forest. It was charging towards me.

I looked into it, and it into me. There was no hope. My mana was nearly spent, and I wasn’t nearly fast enough to evade it.

"Zenith, what do I do?" I urged, falling to the ground. I hurried to find an answer for it.

Perhaps I use Push to get above it? No way, I can’t cover that much ground that fast.

I can’t cast an illusion again, it requires control, and the ground is shaking too much for me to focus.

Mana Control won’t be much help here either, since the spider is essentially bathing in mana. I’d waste time trying to damage something that’s impervious.

It was only then that I saw it.

To the spider’s right, the tree it’d crashed into--it was tilting. Any minute now, it would fall down.

That was my answer. But I only had one shot at this.

Not even bothering to get up from the ground, I pointed my pointer and middle finger in the spider’s direction.

I called the mana--gave it shape, then intent. It swirled in between my fingers, generating its own field of energy.

Good. This should be powerful enough, even for the big spider here. After all, this is a weakness all organisms have.

A single blast of mana zipped through the air. I’d put every ounce of energy I had into it, so its speed was unlike anything ever before.

Sparkling purple shot in the air as the blast impacted the spider.

Bullseye! It landed on one of the many eyes the spider had at its head.

It fell while still carrying its momentum, dragging several dozen feet into the ground. It formed a long, wide crater.

"KKTTTRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRKKKKKKKKKKKK!" Its roar was so powerful that the trees surrounding us splintered and blasted away from their roots.

But that was good. Because it meant that it hastened the descent of another tree in particular.

Perhaps due to the sudden pain, the spider released the mana it’d been using to empower its exterior. That would prove to be fatal.

Wood creaked, then cracked, then snapped. In mere moments, a tree that was hundreds of feet tall tipped over and fell in the spider’s direction.

The tree that it’d ran into earlier.

I wanted to look away, but there was no way I could miss my work. Not in a million years.

The lower extremity of the spider squelched against the weight of the tree--spewing out gallons of viscous, purple liquid.

It roared again--even stronger than the last. Then, it began thrashing, against the dirt, against the tree, even against itself. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

I dug my two hands into the ground, using it as a weight to keep myself from flying off into the distance. The creature’s bellow lasted almost an entire minute, each impacting of its limbs another tornado blasting into me.

But it stopped. It fell silent, laying still on the ground.

I walked up to it, pressing my finger into its cheek, but it was gone. Not a single sign of life.

I did it. It’s dead.