Free Web NovelChapter 164: One of A Kind (2)
A whirlwind of emotions swirled around, as if a chorus of voices was speaking all at once.
For most betas, even the really powerful ones, managing this chaotic storm of thoughts would be a huge challenge. But Kestrel was different. Thanks to her unique psychic incarnation, she was used to having a constant buzz in her head ever since she was a little kid.
From when she was just a child, her psychic tendrils would always be whispering and showing her a flurry of images from various viewpoints. Over time, she learned to zoom in on the most important bits, drowning out the unnecessary noise. She mastered the art of staying cool and composed, which helped her process these multiple streams of information.
Inside the grand hall, under its towering dome, Kestrel was leading a team of four alphas.
Seated gracefully on her pure white throne, the Queen relaxed, with only Luther standing next to her as her loyal protector.
Each of the alphas brought forth their psychic incarnation: an enormous eagle stretched out its wings, a unicorn stamped its hooves with steam rising, a snake flicked its tail, and a fierce sea creature bared its teeth. These mighty figures, each formidable in their own way, started moving towards their target, Luther.
All of them were among the cream of the royal guard, handpicked members of an elite unit. They weren’t just fancy nobles who became guards for the title. No, they were battle-hardened warriors.
They were facing Luther alone, and with their combined strength, they felt pretty confident about taking him down.
"Why do we even need a beta’s help when there are four of us? It’ll be fine as long as she doesn’t get in the way," one of the alphas thought to himself.
As a team, they tried to corner Luther, moving in from all sides.
Perched on her throne, the Queen’s graceful fingers cradled her chin, her lips curving into a faint smile. Those fingers tapped lightly, setting something into motion.
Suddenly, the beautiful interior of the palace with its fancy railings and shiny jade details shifted. The floor below changed into a massive black and white checkerboard. Those alphas who stepped on the black tiles found the ground giving way beneath them, revealing a deep pit filled with gleaming spikes.
Quick-thinking Rakan managed to stay on a white tile. He reached out just in time to pull a buddy who was about to fall into the dangerous pit.
The roof vanished, revealing a sky painted in a deep shade of red. Off in the distance, the Queen still sat on her throne, looking as cool as ever. Giant playing cards popped up around the board, with the Queen of clubs card having eyes that moved, unveiling a creepy grin.
Suddenly, a few of these huge cards began darting around. Their edges were as sharp as blades and moved so fast that it was hard to see them clearly. One of these cards swiftly flew past, slicing the wings off the eagle. Its alpha let out a cry of pain and started to fall. He was tumbling towards the edge of the white checkerboard when the unicorn reached out and saved him just in the nick of time.
Suddenly, a giant king wearing shiny armor emerged from one of the cards. He walked with big, confident steps and laughed loudly. This king was unbelievably tall, nearly reaching the height of the ceiling itself. Next to him, even the mightiest alpha looked as tiny and weak as a little ant.
Rakan quickly pulled his hurt friend to safety.
The scene in front of Rakan was totally weird, but it felt so real. It reminded him of the strange and topsy-turvy Polluted Zone of the Erdtree. In that place, the scarier you felt inside, the more frightening everything around you became.
Suddenly, an enormous foot started coming down from the sky. The alphas tried to run as fast as they could, but they couldn’t escape the huge shadow of the foot. They could only watch, frozen in fear, as the bottom of that massive shoe got closer and closer. The detailed patterns on it became super clear, and it looked like it was about to squish them flat.
But then, it felt like someone gently covered Rakan’s eyes with their hands. Everything went pitch black.
"Close your eyes. What you’re seeing isn’t real," a calm woman’s voice whispered inside his head.
Weirdly enough, just hearing that simple sentence made all the fear and shock inside the four alphas disappear. Even their pain was gone.
When Rakan could see again, he was seeing things from someone else’s viewpoint. It was like someone was standing further back and watching them.
He realized that everything was actually normal. The floor was still there, the palace was unchanged. There was no giant pit, no massive playing cards. No one was hurt on the ground, and the fight hadn’t even started yet.
The Queen was sitting on her throne, smirking playfully.
"Don’t worry. The real fight is just about to start," Kestrel’s voice came from behind them.
That was when the alphas understood that this was what happened when a beta like Kestrel joined the battlefield. They had heard stories about this incredibly powerful beta who could crack several Polluted Zone, but this was the first time they actually felt her strength.
They now realized that betas, when they tapped into their true powers, could be amazingly strong.
The alphas looked at each other, their faces showing clear surprise. They felt a bit embarrassed about how they had reacted earlier.
In front of them, Luther’s eyes sparkled with a bright red light. Slowly, he pulled out his weapon.
The real battle was on. The four alphas were now up against just Luther.
Swords clashed loudly, and the intense feeling of battle filled the air.
As the fight went on, Rakan became more and more worried. free𝑤ebnovel.com
He had been part of the royal guard for a long time and had practiced fighting with Luther in the past.
Luther was a strong opponent, but Rakan was also quite skilled. However, right now, Luther seemed like an entirely different, more powerful fighter. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Rakan’s sword had stuck deep into Luther’s shoulder. Usually, anyone with such an injury would freeze for a moment or even back away to avoid more damage from the sharp weapon.
But not Luther, not this time. Without even flinching from the wound, he kicked Rakan hard, sending him tumbling.
It was like Luther didn’t feel any pain. He was filled with a burning passion for battle, fighting like a wild warcraft who didn’t care about getting hurt or even dying.
Rakan got up and wiped away the blood from his lips, feeling really worried.
With everything going all weird around them, creepy illusions messing with their minds, and facing an opponent like Luther who seemed unstoppable... Rakan understood that without Kestrel, their powerful beta ally, guarding their minds, they wouldn’t have a chance against Luther. And not just the four of them; even more alphas would be no match.
He thought to himself, "So having a beta on our side can change the game this much. Is this how Kestrel fights? Ren was right; she’s incredibly strong."
The battle continued, loud with the sounds of weapons clashing, warriors grunting, and the cries of their psychic incarnations. Inside the huge palace, it was like a storm of weapons with dust everywhere. The alphas were busy fighting, but Luther, even though he was outnumbered, was beating them all.
The Queen sat on her throne, watching everything with a keen eye. It had been a long time since she had seen such a fight, and it reminded her of old times.
She looked relaxed, like she was watching a playful scene. In her eyes, no matter how fierce the alphas and Kestrel acted, they were just like young cubs playing around.
But just as she started to feel a bit bored, through the haze of the fight, a figure jumped out.
Kestrel had cut her long beta dress to make it shorter. With her legs now showing, she jumped high over the fighters, protected by one of the alphas.
Until now, no one really noticed Kestrel because she had been staying behind, guarded by the alphas.
As she jumped, Kestrel tried to grab the shiny red gem necklace the Queen was wearing. The Queen’s eyes went wide, and she quickly moved back, causing her necklace to swing up.
Kestrel’s fingers were just about to snatch the necklace when she was met with a piercing gaze.
Suddenly, a cold hand grabbed Kestrel’s. It felt freezing but was incredibly strong. This hand gripped her, twisted her around, and threw her far into the distance.
Kestrel felt a stinging pain shoot up her arm as a strong force threw her into the air like a ragdoll.
As she sailed through the air, Rakan swiftly dashed forward, reaching out to catch her. When they landed, the momentum made them stumble back a few steps before they managed to steady themselves.
Kestrel’s arm throbbed so intensely that it felt like a turbulent sea was surging inside of it. She suspected that it might be fractured or badly hurt, because she found it difficult to even move.
Seeing this, the Queen signaled everyone to stop the fight and gracefully rose from her throne, taking measured steps toward the injured Kestrel.
Rakan quickly positioned himself between the Queen and Kestrel, protectively saying, "Your Majesty, Kestrel is hurt pretty badly."
The queen paused for a moment, slightly taken aback by Rakan’s defensive stance. She then leaned closer to Kestrel, studying her face, and remarked, "I once believed you were simply following in your mother’s footsteps. But now, I see that I was mistaken. You aren’t a shadow of anyone."
She added with a hint of admiration, "You are genuinely one of a kind."
