Chapter 582: Chapter 582 - Taming the Fourth Year: Journey - Struggle

The encysted seed inside Ren seemed to vibrate in response to the creature’s shriek, but not with the uncontrolled intensity of the first time. The black roots began growing again, but remained small for the moment, thin filaments extending barely a few centimeters under his skin like delicate veins of corruption held in check.

The sensation was uncomfortable but manageable... Unlike before, when the marks had threatened to consume him entirely, now they felt more like extra power, a tool he could potentially control rather than a force that would inevitably engulf him.

The group finally began the fight when Ren endured the intense sensation pulsing from his core and launched into attack.

He channeled his most powerful yet still controllable amount of elemental energy into a powerful light ray directed straight at the abomination’s torso. The black arm intercepted part of the attack without receiving visible damage, but the main impact connected with the creature’s body with violence.

One of the protective plates disintegrated under the assault, revealing beneath it semi-transparent violet flesh that pulsed with that unnatural irregular life. And within that flesh, glowing like a corrupted gem, there was a core.

"Like the other mutant beasts!" Ren shouted while jumping backward and dodging a counterattack from the arm-claw. "It must have several cores too! We need to find them all!"

Zhao immediately seized the opening Ren had created, his experience allowing him to read the battlefield in an instant. He launched a succession of feathers that pierced the exposed flesh like guided projectiles.

Each feather found its mark, drilling deep until they impacted the brilliant core at the center.

When the core was destroyed, a powerful and unnatural shriek resonated from what might have been the abomination’s throat, confirming that the attack had worked. A small part of the organic systems connecting the sphere to its back visibly withered.

Julius seized the creature’s moment of disorientation to attack another section. Giant mineral claws, empowered by his Qilin, tore through another protective plate, exposing a second core that pulsed with the same light.

Liu coordinated perfectly as well, his concentrated sonic roar destroying armor in a third location. The sound was focused like a laser, creating destructive resonance frequencies that made the creature’s protective plating crack and crumble.

Zhao launched more feathers that destroyed both exposed cores almost simultaneously. The creature’s organic systems began cascading failure, but it still wasn’t enough to bring down something of this magnitude.

Taro, Mako, and Shizu worked in coordination to keep the beast’s legs almost immobile. Earth pillars emerged from the ground, gripping the abomination’s extremities and holding it in position so attacks could continue with precision rather than desperation.

But after this first partial victory, when three cores had been destroyed, the monster finally revealed its secret weapon.

The same defense that had prevented Julius from doing anything effective during his first encounter with similar creatures activated now.

A massive wave of lesser mutant beasts emerged from tunnels that opened spontaneously around the combat area. Dozens, then hundreds of creatures headed directly toward the group, threatening to overwhelm them through pure quantity rather than individual strength.

"USE THE FULL FUSIONS!" Julius shouted above the roar of the approaching horde. "Things are going to get much worse!"

The air immediately filled with transformative energy as each group member except Ren and the guards activated their maximum fusions. They knew they had minutes, maybe less, before exhaustion left them vulnerable to counterattack.

But they also had only this opportunity to destroy enough cores before being completely overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of secondary enemies.

♢♢♢♢

Luna crouched low, observing the patrol patterns she had memorized during years of formal visits to the castle. At her side, Liora trembled slightly, not from fear, but from amusement at "playing spy" again, the thrill of forbidden adventure making her eyes bright with excitement.

All of them wore artifacts and hoods to conceal their mana signatures.

"This is madness," Matilda murmured, her voice barely above a whisper as she pressed against the stone wall. "If they discover us, they’re going to..."

"They won’t discover us if you shut up," Luna responded with the confidence of someone who had spent years learning the castle’s hidden spaces. "I know the service routes better than the guards themselves thanks to our old adventures with Larissa."

"Lady Luna, escaping from the academy was already serious enough. Now infiltrating the castle during a crisis..." Kira began.

"I don’t want to hear it," Luna interrupted, her tone carrying the finality of someone who had moved beyond argument. "You lost and agreed to be obedient so we would let you follow us, remember?"

Kira, who still had a red nose from their earlier confrontation, sighed and pointed toward a section of the wall where shadows created natural concealment.

"Ah. The blind spot between the guard towers that we used 4 years ago. We can climb through that space if we still fit," Liora analyzed with the fast assessment of someone who had spent years learning mischief.

"Are you sure Larissa will help us?" Mayo asked while they prepared to move, her voice carrying some concern beneath her usual sharp demeanor. "After what happened with Ren..."

Luna stopped, unconsciously touching her lips with one finger... a gesture so brief she might not have been aware of it. She pulled her hand away quickly to speak.

"Larissa has ways to access official seals and knows almost all the procedures. Although you’re right that we haven’t been able to mention anything about Ren when visiting her for a long time." Her voice became softer, carrying understanding. "Even so, I think she’ll help me... If anyone understands what it’s like to live with guilt over decisions that affected others, it’s her."

They waited until the patrol passed, then moved like shadows toward the wall. The timing had to be perfect, too early and they would be spotted in the open, too late and the next patrol would catch them climbing.

Luna was the first to scale, if you could call it scaling when she simply jumped between shadows created by the proximity of the two structures. One by one, the others followed her path.

Once on the desired floor, Luna guided them through service passages she had explored during visits from her earliest childhood. Corridors that connected the kitchens to the main quarters, routes designed for servants to move invisibly through the castle’s daily operations.

"Larissa’s quarters are close," she whispered while they moved through a barely illuminated corridor that smelled of old stone and recent cleaning.

The sound of footsteps made them freeze. Luna gestured for them to hide in a niche while a servant passed carrying urgent documents related to the crisis.

When the hallway was empty again, they resumed their advance with even greater caution.

"We’re almost there," Luna murmured when she recognized the characteristic decorations of the wing where Larissa’s quarters were located.

But before reaching the door, the sound of familiar footsteps made them hide again.

Larissa’s strict tutor was walking in their direction, carrying some books and scrolls with the measured pace of someone who took her educational responsibilities seriously. Luna urgently gestured for everyone to hide in the nearest niche again, pressing harder against the cold stone wall.

The footsteps approached, paused and deliberate. The tutor stopped just before passing where they were hidden, as if some instinct had warned her of something amiss.

Luna tensed her muscles, mentally preparing to have to knock out another person if necessary.