Genetic Ascension

Chapter 1251  Bored [Bonus]

Megean tried to stand, but her hooves sank into the blood-moistened battlefield in an odd way and caused her to collapse to the ground again.

With a grunt, she tried again, her legs wobbling about before she finally managed to stabilize herself.

She didnʼt even really have a goal in mind; she was just trying to survive. The Golden Battlefield was the only place she could come to that had a somewhat level playing field, but there were just too many enemies, and there was no chance to rest.

She didnʼt even quite know what it would mean to reach the end of this place, or if there was an end at all.

The Golden Battlefield was a place that randomly teleported you in. Once you were, youʼd be continuously forced to face off against echoes of the past as you walked through. You would then do so until you found an exit, or you died and became one of the echoes yourself.

There were no rules, no timer, no dividing lines where you would be in battle and cross it to rest.

Nothing of the sort at all.

It was like a real battlefield, filled with chaos and nothing but hardship and one strained struggle of life and death after another.

There was a flash by Megeanʼs side and she quickly tilted her head to one side.

CLANG.

A pair of swords crossed and her heart shook on the inside.

These were some of the worst echoes to run into.

This was a battlefield. Coming across an echo that just flashed one threat into existence was too rare. More often than not, there would be a battle of two or even more.

The good news was that sometimes you could team up with one of the echoes to kill the other first.

But if you were unlucky…

The ghostly figures of the two echoes took shape into the real world, and just like that, they both turned to face Megean at the same time.

They carried rusted, bloodied greatswords, both of them in the ghastly form of skeletons with bits of rotting flesh hanging off of them.

All of a sudden, they lunged at Megean and she was forced into a retreat, pulling her bowstring back with fingers that had long turned raw from the continuous, repeated strain.

In her mind, she could only hope that she didnʼt run into another echo from the past as she retreated like last time.

That had almost killed her more than once, and she didnʼt have much left to give…

It was then the world shook and Megeanʼs heart skipped a beat, tears flooding her eyes.

It wasnʼt an echo—it was worse.

It was the exact thing she had been dreading all along.

While these echoes were dangerous, the greatest threat they posed was in their number. For Megean, who was beginning her ascent into D-Grade, they were manageable and she had been able to oppress them mostly with raw strength.

Although she had heard that there were some echoes that were on her level and even beyond, she had yet to run into any of them, so they should be far rarer.

In addition, the durability of the echoes and their methods were limited. Their greatest threat was in whittling down her stamina over long periods of time.

Though… there was no telling what would happen as she went deeper and deeper.

However, with the Golden Battlefield shaking like this, it only meant one thing…

Someone had entered.

The very people she was trying to avoid.

And they? They were much more dangerous than these echoes.

Tears fell down her fair cheeks, her bright golden hair sticking to her face in a mixture of blood, sweat, and tear streaks.

\*\*

”You will enter with me,” the Duke said to the Duchess. ”As will you and the Ghorath. The rest of you will remain here and guard against any other entries. According to the legends, it is odd that the Golden Champion has entered alone. We will have to monitor against any unexpected, outsider help.”

The Duke took his daughter and a familiar archer with him, along with the giant Ghorath Race and Herrer, a once-rival of Ebison.

”Heir, you will take charge here.”

The so-called Heir was another Sanguara cloaked in black.

He only nodded and didnʼt say a single word.

With the Duchessʼ progression, there should be no worries about dealing with the Golden Champion. If anything, sending more inside would just give them a greater chance of suffering more losses.

This setup was for the best.

Not long after this, they entered.

To the side, Ebisonʼs father and elder sister stood, watching this scene play out. After the Duchess and the others entered, the golden barrier of fog before them trembled and Whey smiled lightly, looking over toward where Ansla and the Barbed Chain Gang were.

She walked over with light steps, then clasped her hands behind her back, tipping forward as though she might fall over as she observed Anslaʼs unreadable expression.

”Iʼve been curious. How did he taste?”

Ansla frowned.

”Oh? Whatʼs this? I thought you were an obedient sort?”

Ansla took a breath. ”Noble Demon is mistaken. I have never laid with that man.”

”Oh?” Whey pouted with disappointment. She looked like she really did want some details and was disappointed that she wouldnʼt be getting any. ”How useless.”

Her tail swished and a line of blood appeared on Anslaʼs face, so fast that she didnʼt even feel the slicing pain that should have come with it. It was like her skin had always been split open like that.

Whey blinked. ”I wonder if my brother would still like you like this? Ah, too bad heʼs dead and canʼt answer my questions.”

She didnʼt seem angry, just bored, trying to see what buttons she could press. If there was no battle coming, then why bother?

But Ansla only stood there, not responding.

Whey pouted again, but then her expression suddenly changed as the earth began to rumble.

They looked off into the distance to see an approaching army of serpents.