Artemia: Journey To The Thirtieth Floor

25. Upcoming Disaster

Shiro's agonized cries can be heard as he works to maintain the seal in proper functioning condition. On the other hand, the four of us made an attempt to extract the embryo. I had to pull out my katanas to cut them cleanly, even though it was difficult to maneuver about on the water. I felt my hands quiver as the embryo began to rise, indicating that it would be free in a few minutes.

"Hurry, Princess Yuki..."

Princess Yuki, huh...

I felt sorry for Shiro, but the roots are really difficult to deal with. We don't have time to relax since there are still a lot of them! I'm already losing my patience, so I assumed I'd have to resort to using my elemental attacks to get this done sooner rather than later. Since Shiro seems to be getting weakened quicker than we anticipated, we don't have much time left to waste.

I really didn't want to do anything that may end up hurting Charybdis, but we don't have a choice at this point. When I realized how tough it was to cut through all of the roots in one fell swoop, I summoned a couple of my daggers and spears to assist me. Shiro may not be able to withstand the pressure for much longer, so I instructed the three to focus their efforts on the roots instead. Providing the egg does not come under attack from any of our strikes, everything should be alright. Shiro also gave me the go-light to proceed.

"Hail daggers..."

As soon as I called them, they descended from above, their speed gradually diminishing because of the water. Dylan was able to assist me despite my displeasure with the situation. He had complete control over the water and caused the daggers to strike the roots at breakneck speed. I summoned them repeatedly, accompanied by tridents and spears, while Dylan controlled the water to my satisfaction. Freya followed suit after seeing what we did. Blake, on the other hand, was attempting to blow them to smithereens. His situation was very difficult, yet he maintained his confidence in his ability to complete the task. Because his hellfire is so powerful, we decided to put our faith in him. That's Blake, so he would never back down even if he is at a disadvantage, especially after seeing that I worked well with Dylan.

When I had the impression that we were nearly there, the drain grew more intense. It seemed as if it was attempting to draw us in on purpose. This is not the intensity that Blake described to us, and it is absolutely not this! We prepared ourselves with Shiro's assistance, which should have been pretty accurate! f**k, those kings are doing this on purpose, are they not? I gritted my teeth, annoyed by the way they were trying to sabotage us. I can't f*****g die here!

"The rulers are attempting to extinguish your very existence. But please avoid thinking about such things at this time in your life. And...I implore you, haste..."

I felt sorry for Shiro, so I forged stronger daggers, spears, and tridents to help him out of his situation. Dylan also created greater currents for us, regardless of the safety of the ones above. They had a barrier that could protect them, so it should be fine. Freya strengthened our defensive walls to ensure that we would not be carried away by the tide. It would be difficult if the embryo is left here, after all.

The draining force increased dramatically, and I was forced to create ice to help all of us stay in our present positions. Dylan also tried to manipulate the current to work in our favor. Shiro had reached his limit, so I summoned the most powerful tridents I could muster, causing the embryo to soar skyward as a result. The waves became astonishingly large and forceful! Suddenly, I was thrown about in the water! I am fortunate that Freya was able to capture me using a binding method. Oh, gosh...

"I'll be in charge of the physical body. Please take the embryo. Thank you."

"Roger that!" I said as I activated the spell

Shiro was trapped within Charybdis's body as the rest of my group soared towards the surface. The other teams were sent back to the shore, leaving just the four of us to retrieve the embryo from the ice. The fact that we had no footing in the air meant that recovering the embryo that was now in the air would be difficult.

"Dylan!" I yelled as I prepared to jump.

He saw what I was trying to do quickly, and he responded by summoning a huge ass wave! I was taken aback, but I hurriedly froze it in my tracks. Everyone was able to successfully land on it, which allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief. But it is not the end of this whole fiasco. It seemed like the embryo was attempting to re-enter the body!

"Blake, take off!" I shouted because I knew I won't be able to reach it in time.

"Got it!" he said as he sprang into the air, utilizing his fire as a propellant. It had a tendency to break the ice, but I was able to mend it.

When Blake finally captured the embryo, we were able to seal it rapidly using the strongest binding spell that we could use. But because of the vortex, a massive wave quickly was coming, posing a serious threat to us. We don't have an option since creating a solid barrier would be impractical in this situation. We'd most certainly plunge into the ocean...

I groaned as I turned to the incoming wave. "We're going to ride the wave!"

"Are you f*****g crazy?!"

"Yes, I am! But we don't have much of a choice! Just put your faith in me!"

They finally gave in since there was no other option available to us. Dylan and I are the only ones who can save our life. Therefore we can't afford to make a mistake. As I took my posture, I took a long breath, bracing myself because I was planning on blasting everyone off the crest of the wave. On the other hand, Dylan was attempting to determine the best moment for controlling the tide.

"Now!"

I exploited the ice to my advantage in order to get us onto a wave. I rapidly froze the top of the iceberg so that we may use it as a footing later. Dylan didn't need it since he could ride the wave without any issues, so I didn't have to make a large one. It would have been tough to establish a larger foothold since I would have needed to time everything perfectly. It wouldn't be strong enough to hold the whole group. If that was the case, we would have died that instant.

"We're...alive..." Freya stated this while panting.

I couldn't help but laugh. "I told you to put your faith in me."

"Hey, Ivory?" Blake called my name as he looked around.

"Hmm?" I hummed in response, still panting.

"Where is your cat?"

"Shiro is still down inside Charybdis's stomach. I can hear the chants that he keeps on saying from my mind."

It seems that he will be unable to physically steal Charybdis's physical body forcefully. But it appeared that the chant was taking an excessive amount of time, and I became concerned. Wouldn't he be able to make it in there...? That is to say, he has survived every time Charybdis has dived in and out of the water, so he should be alright this time around as well.

"It is not a problem for me, Your Highness. Please maintain the embryo's seal intact at all times. It has the capability of demolishing the barrier you constructed. Once it has escaped, it will return to this location and continue to terrorize the oceans."

My eyes widened as I increased the force applied to the seal, afraid that it might break free. It would be quite upsetting if we were unable to keep this object in our possession after all we have done so far. Blake took note and followed suit. Because Dylan was in charge of the wave, we were able to rescue the beach by gradually decreasing its size.

I heaved a sigh of relief after that. "Oh, gosh..."

Freya tapped my shoulder. "Hey, I don't think it's over."

Blake stood in front of us as he made a barrier. "Hang on..."

"I think you should check on Shiro," Dylan, who just finished calming the waves, told me as he quickly joined us.

Suddenly, an enormous explosion erupted from the water below just as we were about to reach the shore. It was strange since it came from the same spot where Shiro was at the time. As I waited for him to inform me that everything was time, my heart began to beat faster and faster. I bit my fingers, worried, as the three of them attempted to assure me that Shiro was alright...

"Your Highness..." It was a familiar voice calling out from behind me. "Didn't I tell you to quit worrying about me?"

"Shiro!" I exclaimed as I spun around and hugged him. However, a kid who seemed to be my age and appearance welcomed me with a passive attitude. "Eh...?"

"This is my physical manifestation as a human being. Please don't be misled by this."

"Oh..." But I liked his fluffy version.

As he continued, he seemed a bit too self-conscious. "I can morph as you desire, Your Highness..." he trailed off. Oh, he can still hear my thoughts. I looked away, embarrassed because he heard it. "However, please allow me to continue in this shape for the time being."

I took a closer look at the thing behind him, attempting to figure out what it might possibly be. It wasn't until later that I discovered it was the egg in Charybdis' stomach! Shiro saw the frustration I was feeling and moved to the sidelines. He took his time cutting open the egg, which I found a little disgusting. I was fully prepared to see a body, but when it exposed the nude body of a goddess-like lady, my mouth dropped open in surprise.

How pretty. Then, I guess I'm...a potato? She seemed to be really pretty...and otherworldly! My appearance, on the other hand, was that of a pig. I looked at the three to see their reactions, but only Freya was looking. Oh, that's right. They turned their backs on us so that they wouldn't have to look at her body! Blake trembled as I snatched the seal away from him with a giggle.

"Take a deep breath," I told him just so I could tease him.

"I'm calm..." he stammered. Damn, his voice was breaking. "I didn't look at all."

"I didn't ask."

Dylan glanced at me. "I didn't look, too."

I laughed. "What is wrong with the two of you?"

I lightly smacked their arms before handing over the seal to Shiro. To be really honest, I'm scared right now. Because Charybdis is so deadly, one false move may spell disaster for us. Shiro offered me a faint grin, which caught me completely off guard. He had an awfully beautiful smile that I didn't expect. Anyway, if he tried to crack a smile just to assure me that everything was fine, then I suppose I'll simply have to put my faith in him for the time being.

Shiro instructed us to take a step back, which we did. We stood there and saw him break open the embryo, exposing a ball of light. As I observed the ball of light enter the empty body via its mouth, my jaw dropped open. Is that...her consciousness? Honestly, there's no other explanation. Shiro began chanting strange chants that sounded like they were part of a ceremony. I swallowed the lump on my throat as I watched him.

"Hey, what the hell is he doing...?" Blake asked, his gaze still averted.

"Who knows..."

"Is this a safe bet? An enormous number of people live in this area."

Dylan came up to me. "The other teams are making their way in this direction. What are we going to say to them to explain this whole situation?"

"I'll take care of it. Those fuckers are to blame for not trusting me. Thus they have no reason to be upset with us. At the very least, that's what I believe."

"Alright. That is something we will leave to you."

Shiro was doing something, so I paid attention to what he was doing. Wow, it seemed as if he was bringing a dead person back to life. I mean, he is...but it seemed to be a little weird. I saw his ears twitching, so I decided to stop talking. Heh, that was kinda cute, though. I'm beginning to believe I enjoy both versions. In any case, he's still a cat...

Immediately as Shiro finished, the barrier on the shore vanished without a trace! Charybdis's body began to move as well. We wrapped her up in a blanket as soon as we saw she was chilly. And the guys are making their way towards us! It'll be disastrous if people view her in that light. Freya covered her body with vines as temporary clothing.

"Ivory..." Blake called my name as he fixed his gaze on the horizon.

"Can you tell me what it is?" I asked.

"I just felt a chill down my spine..."

The thought of what was going to happen made me a little nervous, so I looked him in the eyes. Blake never says such things unless he is sincere about what he is talking about. When I glanced at where he was staring, my heart was racing a little faster. Something was glistening, but I couldn't make out what it was at first. However, it instilled terror in my system. I unconsciously drew my katanas and prepared to protect myself.

"What are you doing?" the people who arrived asked.

It was hard for me to respond to their questions. All I know is that something really deadly is on its way to us. It seems that only Blake and I were aware of what was going on. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat while I waited for it, my hands quivering slightly. Shiro was standing next to me, preparing enchantment spells, well aware of the impending catastrophe...

My ears began to ring as a result of a loud sound. It's as though something has just dropped from the sky. And I wasn't wrong about it. When I squinted my eyes, I saw a massive golden trident heading our way. My heart hammered as I began to embrace the possibility that this was the end. I'm not going to be able to defend myself against it. Blake, on the other hand, cannot protect us...

"Ivory, please...try to do something..."