Walking deeper under the roots of Tiohr-nam, the group arrived in the room where they killed the second ''Corrupted Lord''.


    "It is still in here. I was sure its corpse would have been eaten by now."


    This was a surprise for Orion, knowing the ravenous disposition of the corrupt insects as he saw them a day earlier.


    "In the end, it''s going to rot in here. We should speak with the Queens over what to do with the place once it''s cleaned of insects."


    Amelia thought it would be best to leave the cleanup to those who didn''t participate in the extermination.


    "That''s a good idea. I''m not very knowledgeable about the corruption to be decided, but since they managed to clean the entrance without a problem, they should definitely know best what to do."


    Orion agreed with her before pushing forward.


    "Alright, let''s not waste more time on a dead thing."


    They moved past the corpse and tunneled through the opening behind it.


    ...


    After walking for what seemed like half an hour, they noticed something.


    "Orion, isn''t the air suffocating the deeper we go?"


    "There''s something wrong with the air. It feels charged with energy."


    They noticed how terrible the air felt, which led them to wonder where that feeling came from.


    "You''re right. Be careful. If something goes wrong, speak immediately."


    The mood changed abruptly. They were moving deeper and deeper, but there was no sign of bugs. Only a heavy feeling of charged air.


    After walking another hour, a pulsing light entered everyone''s vision. They all hid their presence and moved quietly toward the source of the light.


    Karteira began to whisper to avoid catching any unwanted attention.


    (This might be the last room. What do we do?)


    They continued forward, Orion deep in thought.


    ''If this is truly the last room, this is the worst-case scenario. I''m almost sure we are going to have to fight the remaining legion and the last ''Corrupted Lord'' all at once.''


    ''We don''t have enough numbers to deal with all of them together.''


    He began to think about the situation.


    ''First, we have no idea what we are against. Second, I don''t have enough magic to supply all three of us with enhancements and provide Amelia with weapons.''


    Everything was against him in such a scenario.


    ''And I can forget exterminating the place by myself; there''s a limit to how powerful I a-''


    A look of disbelief appeared on his face out of nowhere.


    ''I wonder why I always forget about the ''Second Gear'' and the ''Overdrive''. I should see with Amelia when I should use it.''


    ''Let''s have a look inside the room first, then plan after.''


    They arrived close to the room, but Orion stopped everyone.


    "I''ll go have a look by myself; wait here for a second. I''ll answer your question after I''ve had a peek inside, Karteira."


    The two nodded at his order.


    "It''s fine. Be careful."


    They watched as Orion walked slowly, his back grazing the wall to avoid making sounds.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    He arrived close to the entrance and immediately cut his breathing in a rush.


    ''What the-! What is this!''


    Extreme anxiety took over his thoughts.


    An abundance of corrupt insects slithered around the entrance, on the walls and ceiling, and everywhere his eyes drifted.


    The situation was way worse than expected, and what he thought would be a rescue on time became a race against death instantly.


    ''This is bad! Shit! What are we supposed to do in this situation?''


    For the first time in his life, Orion panicked.


    ''Do I just blast through them as fast as possible? Impossible; I''ll get swarmed. There''s no way Karteira will survive this, either.''


    The place was crawling with the worst kind of insects possible. They were not only sturdy, but also extremely dangerous.


    Centipedes, cockroaches, and beetles. If not for the mutations, maybe they could have focused on the centipedes, but the situation was different with corrupt beasts.


    At the center of the room, piercing the ceiling, Tiohr-nam''s roots formed a massive cone of roots, which formed a sphere around the source of the pulsing light.


    Wrapped around the ball was a massive centipede with a truly terrifying length and an armored body that seemed impossible to break through.


    At least, Orion managed to identify the location of its cores. One on the third segment after its head, and one on the forty-fourth.


    ''Tiohr-nam! Why didn''t you say anything? I thought you had more time!''


    Orion screamed in his mind as he watched the giant centipede rip roots after roots with its mandibles.


    He calmed his mind, and in three seconds, he came up with countless plans using ''Calm Analysis''.


    ''It won''t work; this won''t work either. Why was making Amelia act as bait even a plan? Scrap that!''


    But even after rummaging through all his ideas...


    ''There''s nothing we can do? What? How is that possible?!''


    He came empty-handed.


    There was no way they would make it out alive or even hold on long enough to kill a third of them. He was by no means underestimating his partners... It was simply impossible.


    ''This is unfair. How am I going to face them like this?''


    When he began to lose faith and felt his strength leave him, one memory suddenly entered his mind.


    —


    "Orion, today I''m going to speak about your father''s ability. He refused to explain it himself, so here I am."


    Orianne was sitting at a table, smiling at someone off-recording.


    "Your father uses the rare and second-most powerful lightning element, but even as powerful as it is, this is the toughest to master, and the one that doesn''t show much progress even if you do master it."


    It was a rare moment where Orianne showed consideration for her husband and seriously explained something.


    "Reon refused to leave his magic stuck on one point, so he created different ways to use it. Since he doesn''t want you to know about it because, well, he doesn''t want you to waste time learning one specific and time-consuming ability, I''ll just say it like this."


    "His lightning is terrifying. Combined with the feather on his outfit, it becomes an attack that can decimate an army. The power behind those attacks can even pierce the toughest metals."


    Making a V-shape sign with her fingers, she smiled brightly.


    "Isn''t my husband cool? Isn''t your dad awesome?"


    The voice of a man, Reon, entered the ears of Orion.


    "Stop it! What are you saying now?"


    He sounded incredibly flustered.


    "But it''s true."


    "Alright! That''s enough about me! This recording is done!"


    "Wait! I wasn''t do-"


    —


    ''Father... I wish I were able to use just a fraction of your power. If I were able to wield multiple weapons, just like you, would this situation be easier to deal with?''


    As he recalled this, a voice broke him out of his depressing thoughts.


    ''Ten seconds.''


    ''What?''


    Ego''s voice echoed in his head out of nowhere, and she repeated her words to Orion.


    ''I said ten seconds.''


    Frustration took over Orion. He wasn''t in the mood to play riddles right now.


    ''Speak your mind completely or stop talking. If you have an idea, just say it.''


    Hesitation took over'' Ego''. The situation was too dire for it to stop here, so it still explained the idea.


    ''This is a one-time use, and you have ten seconds. I''m not joking. Ten seconds, no more. If you drain more energy than you can use, you will kill yourself AND Amelia.''


    His eyes opened wide. What was that idea that placed such a burden on both of them that it could lead to death?


    ''What do you mean? Is it something more powerful than the ''Overdrive'' state?''


    ''It is an ability you are far too weak to even use without me tricking your magic vessels. Your body will resist with all its might, causing so much pain you will wish to die instead.''


    Listening to the voice, he gulped dryly.


    ''I just hope your light and dark elements won''t interfere... If so, this would be pointless.''


    Orion''s surprised face was unusual. An uncharacteristic amount of sweat was pouring down his face by simply imagining something causing him more pain than the heat of the ''Gears''.


    ''How bad is it? I''m used to the burning feeling; do I have to endure more of that?''


    For the first time, ''Ego'' showed anger and distress.


    ''Are you joking? I''m talking about your muscles ripping apart and your bones breaking into pieces! There''s no way you''re prepared for that!''


    Orion lost his breath.


    ''And Amelia in all of that? What will happen to her? Will she...?''


    The voice in his head shook when he thought of Amelia''s suffering.


    ''Unlike you, she will have her magic drained at a massive pace. That''s why ten seconds is the maximum amount of time between both of you.''


    ''And the worst part is, you most likely will be unable to kill the ''Lord'' with an immature use of this ability. It will be enough to clear the whole room of small fries, though. It is in some way a derived ability from your father.''


    The words ''Ego'' spoke sunk into his mind.


    ''Your actions create your abilities, but this one is locked for now due to the unnecessary amount of energy needed and the way it is. Being envious of your father created it, and using it in this situation is your own damn choice.''


    ''Are you ready to suffer the worst pain to save a tree and a faction you''ve never spoken to before? Are you ready to endanger Amelia''s life more than necessary?''


    His sweat kept dripping to the ground. He swallowed audibly and hesitated.


    But he remembered his promise with Tiohr-nam, the Queens, Dramia and Drania, and Karteira.


    ''I am. Do I have what it takes to do it in ten seconds?''


    He made up his mind, showing the determination to fight through great agony.


    ''You do. I would not have proposed such a plan before knowing it.''


    Desperation vanished from his gaze.


    ''Tell me, what do I have to do then?''


    ''Has someone ever told you how stunning you look when you are determined?''


    ''Stop joking around; we don''t have much time.''


    The voice''s smirking smile could be seen through her words, breaking the tension Orion was feeling.


    ''Fine. I will be unlocking your sixth level of magic. The ability you will be able to use is called ''Multi-cast Weapon'', combined with an absurd fire rate boost.''


    ''Do not waste a single arrow, Orion.''