NOVEL NEXT Chapter 76: Unanswered Questions...
Meanwhile, Mia's eyes flicked back to the cocoon, studying it with deep suspicion.
"Is that... formed from his skill? His skill is extremely strange... it has weird, unconventional effects, unlike any normal ability I've seen. Even its name — Unfated Scoin — what kind of skill even has a name like that? It doesn't sound like any known art or technique…" She gritted her teeth.
"With such a cocoon... does it evolve him? Or is it shielding him? Does it have other hidden effects? Is it just a vessel for transformation, or... is it rewriting something deeper in him?"
Her thoughts spiraled faster. 'Is it manipulating fate itself? Is it why the beasts react so violently to him? Is it just evolution, or something that draws attention from forces that shouldn't even care about someone at our level?'
She sighed heavily, blood still staining her lips.
'Ethan... you suddenly feel like a stranger... like you're hiding countless secrets. Why? Why would someone with the Drakethorne family backing him, a family known for terrifying strength and influence, still have to resort to such dangerous, secretive means? What is it that even your family can't shield you from...?'
A cold chill ran down her spine.
'If this beasts-attracting effect... isn't just a curse from his skill but rather a targeted strike from some super force—' her heart clenched.
'—then that's terrifying. That means it's not just random. It's deliberate. That's why even Rank 4s are drawn to him. If that's the case… then whoever's behind this is like an overlord playing a game of chess, casually throwing entire beast hordes at him.'
Her chest tightened painfully. 'I hope I'm wrong. Please, let me be wrong. Why do I have such a bad feeling about this…?'
But if Mia knew the truth — that Ethan wasn't targeted by just some super force, but by an actual god — and not just any god, but Loki, the petty God of Mischief, one of the beings who governed over this world from the shadows…
If she knew that? She might have vomited another pool of blood right on the spot from pure shock.
Ethan surviving this long against Loki's schemes was, in itself, a miracle. A triumph. But miracles had their limits.
"I can only… prevent the Dread-stage Drake from taking action… That's all I can do right now…" Mia muttered, her grip tightening on her bloodied daggers.
Across from her, the monstrous Dread Drake roared, thunder crackling around its wings. The beast's scales shimmered with electrical currents, its breath laced with raw lightning. Both of them were injured. Their clash was locked in a brutal stalemate, each strike causing the ground to quake and air to ripple.
The Drake was aggressive, relentless — a predator at the peak of its domain. And Mia was forced to parry every blow, step by painful step, barely holding back the storm.
She had thought of retreating once. Thought of moving Ethan's cocoon and teleporting away. But that had proven impossible. She had tried — oh, she had tried — but the cocoon was immovable, as if it weighed mountains. No matter how much force she applied, it didn't even budge an inch. Worse, she feared disturbing whatever process was happening inside.
So now, her only option… was to stand and fight.
Her eyes flicked to the edges of the battlefield. Oddly enough, the remaining Blood Howl Wolves had retreated — their pack alpha limping away, as if finally coming to its senses. The losses they suffered were catastrophic, enough to shatter the pack's unity.
The same could be said for the Skyrazor Crows. Their leader, once frenzied and bloodthirsty, had abruptly regained clarity and called back its flock. They had vanished into the skies, retreating in organized fashion the moment they broke free of whatever had controlled them.
That moment… it had happened when Ethan activated both his Fate-Breaker and Unfated Scoin. That was no coincidence.
But then there was this Drake.
Only this Dread-level Thunderwing Drake…
It refused to retreat. Refused to surrender. Instead, it fought with even greater madness — more crazed now than when it was under Loki's slight control. Its attacks were vicious, desperate, and relentless, targeting both Mia and the formation with renewed fury.
Mia's breath hitched. Sweat mixed with blood dripped from her chin. 'Why…? Why didn't they retreat like the others?'
The question echoed in her mind as she parried another crushing blow, her daggers straining against the raw might of the Drake's claws.
'Why… is this Drake different? What's driving it to keep fighting… even when the others gave up?'
She gritted her teeth, feeling her body begin to tremble under the strain.
'Ethan… you better be quick with whatever you're doing in there… because this situation is spinning out of my control fast.'
The formation barrier behind her pulsed faintly again, as if sensing her desperation. And above, thunder cracked, signaling another onslaught.
Mia's heart pounded furiously as she prepared to meet it head-on, praying silently that this would not be the end.
****
Meanwhile, Minutes ago;
Before Aephyra completed breastfeeding her son Kaeryx...
After leaving the sanctuary of the Glass Pyre Array, Draeven's enormous wings unfurled, slicing through the dense air of his Labyrinth. His figure, massive and draped in flickering soul flames, shot like a blazing comet toward the outskirts of his domain — to the side where the very heavens themselves seemed to rage and churn.
That was where the tribulation struck.
Where the combined power of multiple ancient races was gathering, clawing, tearing at the fabric of space, trying to breach the Labyrinth and force their way in.
Draeven's keen eyes narrowed as he arrived at the scene. His heart sank.
The pocket space barrier — the protective veil that separated his Labyrinth from the outside world — was visibly quivering, ripples spreading like cracks in fragile glass. It was attacked by a heavenly tribulation by the outside world...
Even from this distance, he could see it, through the barrier of his labyrinth and the location he place his labyrinth… the faint, ominous red drizzle seeping through those fractures.
***
A/N:
Mass release chap: 6/9