[Nightmare]

Chapter 208 [Lagrock]

"Let's go over everything one last time." Helix requested.

His partners gave him a nod.

"There is a potential hibernation zone for Lagrocks thirty miles west of the Alzerian Capital." He began.

"It's in the Iko Forest in a rocky area.

Grandmaster Linus should know of the area and its potential for hibernation and have texts backing up our claim."

The group nodded again in understanding.

"Lagrocks are tall by the third evolution, making them 25 feet tall.

A fourth evolution would be 40-50 feet tall, making every step cover a long distance.

They stand on two legs and can jog, so getting close to the city shouldn't be too hard before the army can fully mobilize." Helix explained.

"It still won't be easy. Every step will cause serious problems, so we need to ensure that we don't make any mistakes."

—

"W-What the fuck is that thing!" A soldier roared on top of the city gates.

It was close to sunset, but the guards couldn't see the sun.

It was setting over the west, and a massive forty-foot monster was blocking it.

Even with it blocking the sun, he could see it clearly because it was half as tall as the 80-foot castle walls.

BOOOOOOOM!

The monster crashed into the earth, leaving a crater in distant farmland.

The sun briefly returned before it was slowly eclipsed again by the monster standing up.

It broke free from Charlotte's gravity and started moving toward the Kingdom again.

It was fast. Ridiculously fast.

It couldn't run.

However, as a forty-foot creature standing on two legs, it covered a considerable distance with every step.

So while it wasn't running, it was moving ridiculously fast. Everyone watching panicked, realizing that it wouldn't be long before it was upon them.

Before everyone could panic—

BOOOOOOOM!

It smashed the ground again. An aggressive, invisible force was weighing down on it, and the effects were visible even at a distance. The monster winced in pain, fighting against it.

Whatever it was, it was brutal.

—

"To clarify, how are we explaining, not stopping it in time?" Marie asked with a serious expression.

Helix nodded and panned his gaze to Charlotte and Riley to confirm their engagement.

"Charlotte cannot use fire in Iko forest, and it would be irresponsible to use it near the Capital." He explained.

"Riley cannot use her magic at scale in the forest, and she cannot summon enough power to affect it without Cyclone or Tornado.

It's common sense. Either way, if someone blames us for not stopping it sooner, we'll tell them to fuck off. I won't answer a question that stupid."

Charlotte laughed in excitement, and the other two grinned in amusement.

Everyone hated their treatment and wanted revenge regardless.

"Either way, Earth walls won't stop a Lagrock, who can break through rock easily. It's their domain." Helix continued.

"Obvi~" Charlotte chimed sarcastically, turning to invisible people and giving them a sassy, mocking expression.

Helix smiled at her antics, and Marie and Riley giggled.

"That leaves Charlotte and Domain, which is temporary because we cannot attack while gravity is pressing down." He continued.

"However, an explanation isn't necessary because we'll be leading it toward the commercial loading zone away from the townships.

They will be grateful that it didn't destroy hundreds of homes, farms, or citizens during the run."

"That… is a good point." Marie giggled.

"They best be grateful." Charlotte huffed, "We're saving them from ourselves and a greater enemy. We're superheroes, goddamn it."

Helix gave Charlotte a wry smile, and Riley giggled at his expression.

The contradiction in her statement was far too absurd to ignore.

—

The guards couldn't see Charlotte because she was running behind the monster.

The only thing they could see was the monster hitting the earth and causing major damage.

"That kid wasn't fucking around! Where is he!?" Another cried.

"We don't know… he left the city because he was tired of the controversy…." A third yelled.

"That's fucking stupid! If he knew what was coming and left, he left just to fucking die—"

"GOOOOOOOOOOORRRRN!"

"Ahhhhhh! My ears!"

The Lagrock's cry was deafening.

The booming sounds were audible in the distance.

However, its battle cry awakened the entire city.

General Masov heard the sound and immediately ran to his station to get a status report.

It pushed itself against gravity while Charlotte recovered from the deafening roar.

She was wearing earplugs, but she was also extremely close.

After recovering, Charlotte caught up again when the beast was within 150 meters of the Capital's walls.

"Stay down!" She yelled, reaching out her hand aggressively, "[Domain]!"

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The guards fell from their position as the  entire wall shook. It was a massive quake for a non-attack

"Karcus, go send word to the military leaders!" The second soldier yelled out.

"And go find that kid! There's no way in hell we're going to beat—"

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The guards fell again.

"I-I'll do what I can!" The first said, "But that kid isn't even in the city! So we can't expect him."

"God! Whoever chased that kid away deserves death." The second scoffed in disdain, "If they don't die right now. Fuck my life!"

The sound and Macron woke up the otakus and weebs, and Titus immediately went to the separate dorms.

There was a designated meeting spot for those staying in their own homes.

The otakus and weebs relaxing scrambled into their gear.

Those already geared up ran to the wall at lightning speed and climbed the steps.

Once they were looking down upon the city, their faces froze.

—

"Lagrocks are similar to golems, but their bodies aren't made of rocks. Instead—" Helix continued.

—

"GOOOOOOOOOOORRRRN!"

"W-What the fuck is that thing!?" Maze yelled.

BOOOOOOOM!

"Gahhhhhh!"

Dust from an attack 150 feet away hit Maze and Leo in the eyes.

Many otakus and weebs couldn't look over the wall after hearing the loud booms and battle cries.

They were afraid, and Macron was at the stairs trying to round them up and keep them stable.

"That thing is nothing like what we've fought before!" Leo yelled.

"It's not even close! It's practically a Colossus! I officially respect what Helix did now!"

Sarah ran up the steps to see what was happening.

"Sarah! Stay back. Please!" Leo pleaded, trying to push her back.

"W-What's going on?" Sarah stuttered.

"Whatever that thing is…. Don't get near it. We'll handle it." He replied hesitantly.

"No! I'm not letting you go alone!" She screamed.

"Sarah… please! I can't let you fight; I don't think I can watch you get hurt." Leo pleaded, "Sarah!"

Sarah ignored Leo and ran to the side of the wall.

"W-What the h-hell is that!?" She screamed.

"I… I don't know." Leo replied with a grim voice.

It had a malformed boulder-shaped head.

Its body had brown and grey scales that were large and flat, making them look like plates of armor.

Mossy foliage had grown on the cracks during its hibernation, giving it a genuine rocky appearance.

"It's a fuckin' golem, idiots!" Miskie yelled arrogantly from 15 feet away.

"What the hell does it look like?"

Maze, Leo, and Sarah gave her mocking expressions.

"We don't know what it is, and I doubt beasts made of rocks exist in a world with biology." Maze commented.

"Look, I could give a fuck less what it's called or what it's made of." Miskie snapped.

"It's large, tall, and when it moves, it cracks the earth from its weight.

It's fuckin' death, and I've labeled it a golem. That's how I see it and how I plan to treat it.

Got a problem with that?"

Maze gave her a wry smile.

"GOOOOOOOOOOORRRRN!"

"Fuck, that thing's loud!" Miskie yelled while covering her ears.

—

"Sounds fug~lee." Charlotte smacked.

The group burst into laughter.

"It is. The pictures are disturbing." Helix laughed.

"What are we doing about crowd control?" Riley asked.

"That… is going to be difficult." He sighed.

"Their size makes them fast by default.

They also use long-distance fire attacks, meaning that soldiers will be in the crossfire zone from arrival.

That's why it's important to break their will to fight instantly. Otherwise, they'll just be liabilities."

Marie frowned when she was reminded of her past mistake.

"So the only thing we can do is let them be attacked and protect them." Helix announced with an evil grin.

"While I don't want anyone to get hurt, I want to strike trauma into their hearts so they never forget why they [need] to listen to us."

Charlotte felt pleasurable shivers crawl down her spine, and she wanted to thrust herself on him.

Marie and Riley giggled at her situation and pretended they didn't want to do the same.

—

[A/N: This arc is wild, and I hope you enjoy the climax. I'm not sure that I've ever seen or read anything like this. While the format is pretty common, there are onion layers of insights exploding from this point on. I don't know. Thank you for reading, everyone!]