The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 190

Chapter 190

Chapter 190: Solitary Mindframe

Uto’s sinister voice sent shivers down my spine, and although he was restrained and locked up inside an anti-magic vault, I couldn’t help but worry.

To everyone in this room, I was the one that had defeated Uto but the truth was that both Sylvie and I together could barely put a few scratches on him.

“You look a tad uncomfortable, Uto,” I quipped, masking any signs of weakness.

The retainer’s smile disappeared, replaced by a snarl. “What did you do with my horns, lesser pup!”

Taking the black horn out of my dimension ring, I began casually tossing it up in the air in front of him. “Oh, you mean this?”

“Insolent little—”

“Stop,” I cut him off. “I’m not here to exchange insults with you. I have better things to do.”

Uto’s gray face darkened, his eyes wild. “I swear to Vritra that if I get out, you’ll wish you died that day.”

I shook my head slowly.

“I’m sure that more than getting out or inflicting pain on me, there’s something more you want.” Leaning in closer to Uto with an arrogant sneer plastered on my face, I continued, “I know that the fact that you have no idea how you even lost to me is slowly eating you up right now.”

I didn’t think the retainer’s face could get any angrier but Uto ground his teeth, jerking desperately to free himself.

“Close it,” I said, my eyes still locked to his until the thick rune-inscribed door shut firmly.

“What was tha—”

I put up a finger to my lips to silence the confused commander. It was only after the four of us got back to the entrance of this level of the dungeon that I spoke softly. “Leave him be for now.”

“Ento and I’ve been torturing him physically and mentally but I’ve never seen the retainer this worked up,” Gentry murmured while his burly associate nodded beside him.

“I doubt hallucinations or physical pain will work on that arrogant sadomasochist,” I replied.

Virion tilted his head. “Sadomaso—what?”

“It’s nothing.” I smiled faintly before turning to Gentry. “Don’t open his vault.”

The hunched elder furrowed his brows. “No offense, General, but from my experience, it’s best to prod while his mental fortitude is in a disarray like now. Besides, what if he does find out how he lost to you during that time?”

“He won’t,” I assured. “And that’s going to slowly drive him insane. Let him stew until I decide to come back.”

“I don’t like that look you have,” Virion muttered. “What are you planning?”

“I’ll be the one to interrogate him when the time comes,” I answered.

<p class="p1" style="text-align: center;">***

“Are you ready?” Emily asked from behind her increasing number of panels. She looked like she was inside the cockpit of an airplane of my previous life.

“Almost,” I replied as I finished strapping in the last of the bands on my arms. I winced when I tightened the strap around my arm too tightly.

Damn it.

“We will move on to the three-versus-one scenario starting today so please be focused, General Arthur,” Alanis informed, noticing the blank expression I had on my face as I thought back to today’s earlier visits in the dungeon.

I stood up and swung my arms, ready to let loose. “Got it. What element will I be restricting for the first part?”

My training assistant’s eyes glowed in its familiar array of colors as she ‘scanned’ me before looking down at her notes. “Water, and its deviant form of course.”

I walked up to the other end of the training room, stopping just about a dozen yards away from Camus, Hester, and Kathyln. Meeting Uto had made me antsy. I was confident back in the dungeon that Uto wouldn’t find out how I beat him because I wasn’t the one that beat him.

What sort of lance am I if I can’t beat a Scythe, let alone a retainer.

As soon as Alanis gave the signal to begin, I flashed toward Hester, leaving only a single imprint on the ground.

In a single, fluid motion, I condensed a layer of wind around my hand, shaping it—sharpening it into a transparent blade before I swung horizontally at the fire mage’s torso.

Hester’s eyes widened a little in surprise, but unlike other mages, she was competent enough to respond even to my blitz attack.

Knowing that fire was weak to such a compressed form of wind, she opted to block my strike by grabbing my arm while strengthening her body with mana.

You may have an advantage in knowledge over fire magic but if you think you can try and beat me in hand-to-hand combat...

I let her grip my arm, but grabbed the arm she was using to hold on to me. Hester was in a stance that helped her withstand a pushing force so when I pulled her back instead, she stumbled forward.

Utilizing that momentum, I pivoted and positioned my hip underneath her center of gravity to flip her to the ground.

Hester let out a sharp breath as her back hit the ground. Just as I prepared for another strike to activate her lifeline artifact, a blast of water completely drenched me.

Before I even had the chance to turn to my attacker, the water covering my body froze, restricting any sort of movement.

I augmented my body in a layer of fire, thawing myself free, but Hester had already used my brief moment of incapacitation to distance herself.

Ignoring Hester for a brief moment while she recovered, I dashed toward the princess while trapping her legs with the ground beneath her. Taken off guard, Kathyln immediately clad her body in ice like she had before, no doubt a technique she had learned from Varay.

With her body strengthened, she attempted to pry herself free from the earthen shackles. I didn’t give her the chance. As I approached her, I continuously manipulated the ground around her to reinforce and work its way up.

It was an idea I had gotten from watching Olfred. The coffin of magma that he had trapped and executed Sebastian in. Of course, I had no intention of doing the same thing, but just like how many earth mages clad themselves in an armor of rock, one could easily encase another in the same armor without giving them the freedom of mobility.

Kathyln struggled to free herself as I continued my spell. Every time she would break off a piece of stone, a large slab would take its place, slowly working its way up her small body.

The princess was covered to her neck while a layer of frost slowly attempted to weaken the integrity of the earthen restraint.

She has the lifeline artifact, Arthur. Besides, You can’t afford to go easy on anyone if you want to even hope to win this war.

To hell with strategy. If I can’t even face this, how am I going to go up against the scythes.