"Beyond the edge where 'you' retreat,
I entreat thee, profane and unseen,
Through etheric canopy and astral shroud,
Unknown deity, in your presence I'm bowed."
Gin confidently chanted the incantation, as though he were well-versed in the ritual, his gaze fixed on the levitating grimoire before him.
Despite sprinting toward Oliver, the book remained unperturbed, disregarding the situation due to an aura that one could readily find stifling.
Yet as if that didn't bother Gin since he had already been exposed to it once, he maintained silence as the grimoire spoke.
"Speak, I can give you anything you want as long as it's real."
Gin surveyed both the grimoire and the encroaching swarm of Horrors, asserting his position with a discerning statement derived from meticulous analysis.
"I don't have a thing in mind. Though, I was planning to see if the mastermind behind this will get out and be curious about what we're doing since it seems its goal is you."
"…"
"Do you have any suggestions?"
The grimoire was stupefied before its eye are turning arc.
"Kekekeke, interesting human." Amused, the book continued, "As I said, it didn't matter. If it can be incorporated into a living matter, then so it shall be given."
"Then, revert everything that happened here back three days ago."
"Kekekeke, and what kind of deal I would be getting if I did it?"
Gin contemplated, "The whole world."
This time, the grimoire slanted back and laughed wholeheartedly finding the conversation more entertaining every second.
"Brat, you honestly don't know how a deal is made through me. Do you think your little commander hadn't asked the same question as you did?" The grimoire paused, "Ending the life of Horrors, reviving back someone from the depths of the Underworld, killing me and such."
"…"
"You understand very little how this power worked. And you don't want me to lecture it now that your commander is in danger, right?"
Regardless of Gin's attempts to manipulate his words, the grimoire's voice appeared to have closed off any potential loopholes that someone might exploit concerning the mechanics of the situation.
The Grimoire is a kind of wishing well that is attentive to everything to the authority it wields.
Though Gin entertained the idea of striking a deal without any losses, the voice unequivocally revealed that time was a luxury he no longer possessed.
"Tick, tock, tick, tock. Kekekeke!"
'Damn it!'
Clamping down on his lip until blood trickled, Gin fervently implored, "Grant me a power that could see that bastard Horror behind this."
"Oh? Very reasonable…" The grimoire finds it plausible to grant it before continuing, "What will you offer?"
Gin searched for everything he had on his part, knowing this deity accepted only what he had.
He had already thought this through.
Cutting a limb wouldn't help him with this nor did entrusting his fate to the deity was the same. Offering his soul wasn't a bad deal but it looked the same as entrusting his fate. The unknown deity didn't seem to be also a materialistic being hence it became a bit hard to think.
'Something that isn't material but also real which I have…'
After a brief and thorough exploration of his options, only one course of action crystallized in Gin's mind within the limited time he had.
"My luck…"
Gin with an unwavering demeanor, pushed his suppressing voice.
"I will offer my luck to you."
…
"Bleurgh…!"
Alone in the middle of the terrifying maw of the Horrors, the tongues that slither all around his invisible walls, and drools coming from the same creatures, was Oliver coughing a plentiful of blood.
He couldn't even recognize whether the blood on his uniform was his or the Horrors he killed.
"Bleurgh!"
His survival hinged solely on the fractured, invisible force shielding him from the encroaching monsters.
'This is it,'
He wished his words to the Horror earlier weren't just a way to make himself feel good. He thought he could put it into reality.
Now, he just wanted Gin and Ariana to leave this dreaded swamp and meet with the rescuers to get out of the forsaken lands.
Judging by how broken his soul was as it was leaking out from his body, Oliver analyzed he would get a few minutes left of his life if this didn't stop.
The stagnant standoff endured for an entire minute until Oliver sensed vibrations emanating from below, where an ominous array of views revealed nothing but Horrors.
In that pivotal moment, the horde of monsters began descending, and a radiant light emerged from the previously obscured darkness visible only through the lens of these Horrors.
"Metam!"
His sullen eyes looked up and saw a giant unfathomable specter grab him from the Horrors with such a strong force before bringing him down.
"Get yourself together!"
Ariana slapped the shit out of the fazed Oliver before pulling his body to avoid the familiar-looking hammerhead Horror that came crashing into them.
Thud—!
Touching his cheek while regaining his vigor, Oliver tearfully smirked as he shook his head, "I've given you two ample time to escape… why are you here?"
"Doesn't matter!"
The two dashed away before Ariana pointed her finger at Gin.
"That guy has a plan!'
Oliver looked at Gin, who was putting up a fight against the horde of Horrors before regrouping with them.
"I can see that humanoid mist bastard!"
Oliver tilted his head, wanting to thank the two beforehand since they hadn't left him but Gin had enough of everything.
"Follow me! We'll kill that bastard for sure!"
Ariana nodded as she looked at Oliver, "Fix yourself first. We'll handle the way while approaching the Horror behind this."
Acknowledging their words with a nod, Oliver donned the firm expression he could muster, grasping onto a glimmer of hope amidst the unfavorable circumstances.
'This is not the end.'
The three started to rush forward, bringing out the very last stamina that they mustered up as they sprinted at an insane speed.
Whoosh—!
"Huh!?'
Within the confines of one of his familiars, the black humanoid mist, who had been quietly observing the situation outside, involuntarily gasped in astonishment at the unparalleled speed exhibited by the three individuals.
'Hah, they wouldn't even last half an hour at this point. After that, I'm sure all the exhaustion would take over and I can finally go for the kill.'
It was only for a moment but the humanoid mist saw the guy with the revolver whisper something to Oliver.
Without hesitation, Oliver seized both of them and vanished before the countless eyes of the hundreds of Horrors, leaving behind a void in the eerie audience that had been watching their every move.
"Metam!"
The inside of the monster the mist dwelled in was cut open from its feet until its mouth before exposing itself from the three.
The humanoid mist narrowed its vision towards the large specter that was looking at him eerie gaze.
"Metam!"
In a stance right in the air, Ariana shot out her killing blow as the specter moved but the humanoid mist was so fast that it dodged the clutches of the specter in just a hair's breadth.
[Upcoming Second]
[Glimpse a second to the future of King of the Familiars, Lupire]
Lupire eyes grew wide as the instant he transferred himself from one of his familiars, a gun was pressed down on his head.
Bang—!
"Ugh!"
The Horror's head resounded through his insides, unable to stop the 'bullet' that had been shot inside him.
If it was a normal bullet gun, it would've dissolved right there but since it came from a Horror's power, it felt like a worm wriggling on his body which is filled with poison.
Gin watches the scene on his front with bloodied lips before launching forward and bringing his dagger out. On the opposite side, Oliver swayed his hand, hitting Lupire the force which was supposed to crash a normal creature down.
Ultimately, the sole destruction occurred within the confines of the Horror's body, sparing the external surroundings from any harm.
Splash—!
Lupire tried to come back to his senses but the incoming endless attack from the two was taking too much toll on his body, adding to the fact the bullet that was currently eating his insides.
"Die, you fucking bastard!"
Slash—!
Even if Gin was hitting an ethereal mist at his front, he knew he was hitting something solid from the inside.
Within this brief interval, he detailed how he applied pressure on the monster by firing his revolver, successfully landing three shots, including the earlier one.
Bang—!
If he only spared a bit of those bullets from earlier, he would've shot fourteen of them but rescuing Oliver from the Horrors was a must.
Splash—!
Oliver also reduced his distance at Lupire, to deal a great blow at the cornered Horror.
Rumble—!
If a Horror tried to disturb them and pounced, he would lightly sway his hand and crash them down to nothingness.
'How could this happen…?'
Lupire knew he was clearly winning.
The bastard was on the verge of eliminating Oliver, grasped the grimoire, and emerged victorious in this long yet short battle.
It was so close.
'If only I can remove these excruciating bullets…!'
Thud—!
"Metam!"
On his sight front, the contractor of the specters of the unknown, Ariana, unleashed her ultimate skill.
The gigantic specter with its long eerie scythe which she had used once when she met Gin, was being shown right in this very instant.
It swung upward.
Then down.
Swoosh—!
Watching himself being cornered, in a split second, the Horror hiding under the black mist had its lip turning upward.
"Can't be helped, I guess?"
"!"
Gin was wide-eyed once he saw a second in the future pertaining Lupire.
"Shit—"
Swooooosh—!
Black mist spread out like a huge dome from Lupire, affecting the three on their vision but it didn't hurt them physically.
The mist just rendered their sight to a great degree.
Bang—!
Gin attempted a final shot, but his aim faltered, resulting in a miss. Simultaneously, Oliver endeavored to dispel the black mist using his force, yet encountered a parallel failure.
Swoosh—!
The specter right behind Ariana, also failed to reach out to Lupire as the black mist rendered its vision, making her frown.
Swoooooooosh—!
In just a few seconds of nothing but engulfing the whole area, half of the island was covered with black mist.