Chapter 68: Fronts of War(Bonus Chapter)

Every family has a special trait, a signature that defines them in a way. It becomes a motto, their identity, and for members of these bloodlines, the very source of their supernatural abilities.

The Quillfortes were renowned for their extensive knowledge spanning all disciplines—Art, Mysticism, Science, Literature, History, and even Wildlife. This vast repository of understanding was not merely academic; it was the wellspring from which their powers flowed.

Helda Quillforte had no patience for idle conversation, and without a word, she stretched forth her hand as magical energy surged through her being. Then, a thick, weathered tome materialized before her, it was an antique book bound in aged brown leather, and its spine was secured with metal clasps.

The ancient book floated before Helda, its pages flipping open of their own accord, and from within its yellowed pages emerged a manifestation that would chill the bravest human soul: three menacing, zombie-like spirits materialized in the air.

These were the Arai—female spirits of curses from one of the Percy Jackson Stories. They possessed long, stringy gray hair, glowing red eyes, and grotesque grins filled with razor-sharp teeth. Their pale, decaying skin stretched over gaunt frames draped in tattered clothing.

This was Helda’s ability;- The Book of Stories, which enabled her manifest creatures from myths and tales, bringing them into reality with all their original presence, features, and diverse abilities intact.

The spirits released ear-piercing shreiks that echoed across the rooftop, then immediately rushed toward Liam’s position. Each spirit towered at least twice the height of a human, with their eerie fingernails extended like claws.

Liam recoiled slightly at their repulsive appearance, and as soon as he saw them flying toward him, he vanished from his position to avoid their direct assault, then materialized at the opposite end of the rooftop with his feet planted firmly on the floor, whilst silvery-blue lightning energy gathered around his right fist, ready to strike.

Helda whipped around to face Liam’s new position and gestured toward him, commanding the cursed spirits to pursue their target, and Liam responded by stretching forth his right hand, unleashing a the gathering energy into a bolt of lightning that struck and disintegrated one of the cursed spirits.

The remaining two dispersed quickly to the sides, as if avoiding the lightning’s range. However, Helda’s lips curled into a devious smirk, and almost immediately after, Liam’s right hand began experiencing a strange plague.

His skin took on a purple-bluish tone, as though undergoing cyanosis—a condition that occurred when blood lacked oxygen. The discoloration traveled slowly throughout the rest of his body, and he felt as though his breathing was ceasing.

Helda chuckled aloud. “Killing any of these cursed spirits will simply transfer the curses they carry to you,” she said, her laughter echoing across the rooftop. These were also a similar type of effect the cursed spirits carried in the story it originated from. She pressed her lips together in mock sympathy, adding with feigned sorrow, “Aww, hate to see you go so soon.”

Then…

[Skill Active → Regeneration Lv2]

The effects of what felt like cyanosis began regressing and disappearing entirely from Liam’s body. Within seconds, he was fully restored and free of whatever curse had afflicted him.

[Status Effects Removed!]

[You have been restored to optimum state]

Liam’s face broke into a smirk, especially as he watched Helda’s expression transform from mockery to rage. Helda said nothing but tried to hide her confusion, wondering how the hell he had survived what should have been a fatal curse.

…

On Quinn’s side of the battlefield, the confrontation between her and Jin against the opposing S-tier visors had already begun in earnest.

CLANG!

The sound of Quinn’s double-edged axe meeting the head of Gianna’s spear rang out as they struggled against each other, each trying to overpower their opponent. However, Quinn’s eyes glowed at that moment, signifying the activation of one part of her ability—Damp.

This reduced the strength behind Gianna’s spear by approximately thirty percent, forcing her backward until one of her knees nearly touched the ground. Gianna however, immediately leaped away and backward, ceding the contest of strength to Quinn.

This marked the second time she had experienced something like this in the last few minutes, and she narrowed her eyes in confusion, wondering what sort of ability could produce such an effect.

Quinn’s ability was called Amp & Damp, not the most creative name, but devastatingly powerful. This power kept her ahead of most S-tiers, and some even regarded her as Above The S-tier classification entirely.

She could amplify the strength of magical and physical attacks by a certain percentage, and could also reduce their strength by the same margin. However, her abilities were not without limits: the effects only lasted ten seconds and could only affect two aspects or things simultaneously.

Still, being under such a significant disadvantage for ten full seconds was often enough to decide one’s fate against Quinn Monroe.

Jin, meanwhile, was not having much success as Felix proved to be a terrible matchup for someone who relied primarily on speed and stealth. Jin fought with twin short swords, but Felix possessed the ability to transform his body into steel. Though Jin was faster than Felix, he could not make a single dent in his opponent’s metallic form, as his attempted slashes continuously bounced off Felix’s transformed body.

At several points, Felix had nearly landed devastating hits on Jin, who always narrowly escaped thanks to his superior speed. Seeing how his efforts were proving futile, Jin leaped back toward Quinn. “Let’s swap,” he called out.

Quinn nodded at him, and they crossed paths, switching targets. Quinn began pacing rapidly toward Felix, who also moved toward her, while Gianna, who had just recovered from the effects of Quinn’s previous attack—grinned as she blitzed toward Jin, who ran to meet her charge. To be fair, she was more than glad she no longer had to deal with Quinn’s troublesome ability.

…

Meanwhile, the other agents, Amira, a dark-haired, pale-skinned girl, and Kevin, a light-skinned operative, had successfully infiltrated the main research chambers of the facility where the experiments were conducted. They had defeated all the armed guards posted at various checkpoints throughout the hallways and elevator shafts leading to this central chamber.

The chamber itself was a sight to behold and horrify in equal measure. Rows of towering cylindrical containment tubes lined the space, each standing approximately ten feet high and reinforced with transparent alloy. Inside these tubes floated the Transform-Type Visors, suspended in clear stasis fluid.

Wires and monitoring nodes trailed from their bodies like technological umbilical cords, while their eyes remained shut, though some twitched subtly, reacting to internal simulations. Large observation screens lined the walls, displaying vital signs, DNA graphs, energy flux readings, and behavioral diagnostics in real-time.

The remaining lab-coated scientists moved about frantically, some desperately trying to find an escape route now that they knew their facility was under attack.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep