Ex-Rank Awakening: My Attacks Make Me Stronger - Chapter 374

Chapter 374: EX 374. Into The Hallow
“It’s fine,” Leon said aloud, brushing off the comment as he studied the barrier’s endless surface.

“I left a clone to handle everything. And…” he narrowed his eyes, sensing the dormant power behind the seal,

“I don’t think the Hallow will be much of a threat.”

A soft, ancient chuckle rippled through his mind.

‘Famous last words.’

Elizabeth stepped forward, hands weaving through the final arc of the Infinite Barrier Breach spell.

A thin line cracked across the barrier, widening just enough, nothing more than a doorway made for a single step.

Then the corruption hit.

It rolled out like a black tide, thick enough to claw down to the soul.

From the border to the distant domains, everyone felt their bones tighten and their breath turn sharp.

The wave crawled through Pandora, like a raw, starving force that seemed intent on swallowing the world whole.

And then it vanished.

Cut clean, as if it had never existed at all.

Leon stared at the faint opening, the silence around it stretching unnaturally long.

His squad remained still, their Lord auras simmering beneath their skin.

Even Originus held his tongue for a breath.

Leon finally tilted his head.

“That’s all?”

The words drifted into the corrupted winds, careless and almost disappointed, as if the first strike of the Hallow had been nothing more than a greeting that failed to impress.

Behind him, 5 Lords readied themselves with the same eager confidence.

And ahead of them, the Hallow loomed, unaware of the storm standing just outside its door.

****

Leon stood at the front of the group, watching the rippling entrance of the infinite barrier fade behind Elizabeth.

The air still trembled from the burst of corruption that had washed over all of Pandora.

It lingered in the back of his mind like a foul aftertaste, yet he didn’t look worried.

If anything, he looked mildly unimpressed.

To him, the Hallow’s power hadn’t felt like the world-ending catastrophe everyone expected.

It reminded him of every other corruption cluster he had walked through, only thicker, only more unpleasant.

Threatening? Not to him.

The other rulers would have collapsed if they heard that thought, but Leon wasn’t being arrogant. It was simply the truth from where he stood.

Even so, he let out a steady breath and thought it best not to get complacent.

“Still,” he told himself, “Its better to stay cautious.”

He turned to Rachel, who stood a short distance behind him with her hands clasped, waiting for his signal.

Her emerald gaze lifted slightly when he faced her.

“Is the connection set?” Leon asked.

Rachel nodded at once.

As Warm satisfaction pulsed through her aura as she answered,

“It’s ready. Even if the barrier closes, the feed inside will continue reaching the outside.”

Leon gave a small approving smile.

“Good.”

She almost melted on the spot. For her, linking the battlefield to the outside world through her Lord talent was nothing less than an honor. Lesser elves might have seen it as a menial task. She didn’t.

Not when it came from her Overlord.

Nothing he requested could ever be demeaning.

Her thoughts spiraled with quiet hunger.

‘I was useful to the Lord. I hope he is pleased.’

‘Maybe he will ask something else of me after this. Maybe he will ask me to su—’

A firm tap touched her shoulder.

Rachel snapped out of her fantasy and looked around sharply.

There was no one near her except Malachi.

“They went in.”

Rachel blinked.

“Oh my bad.” She said before stepping quickly toward the narrow breach Elizabeth had opened.

Malachi sighed under his breath, shook his head in disappointment, and followed after her.

The moment his foot crossed the threshold, the breach snapped shut behind them, sealing the squad inside the Hallow.

The world outside was left staring at silence.

The world inside braced for whatever waited in the dark.

****

A soft splash of fog curled around Malachi’s boots as he stepped through the breach.

The moment his heel cleared the threshold, the opening behind him sealed with a clean, final snap.

He paused out of instinct and glanced back, but the fog swallowed everything.

Their was no point dwelling on it.

He’d chosen to follow Leon and there was no turning back now.

He exhaled once and moved forward.

Shapes took form through the haze.

Leon and the others stood ahead of him, frozen in place, their silhouettes carved out by the dull grey light leaking through the mist.

Malachi quickened his steps until he reached them.

Eden didn’t look away from the fog ahead.

His voice was quiet but also curious.

“Something’s in the mist.”

Malachi followed his gaze.

A pale glow glided between the shifting clouds.

It was slow, steady and purposeful.

And in a moment later, it broke through.

As the fog bent around a silver wolf the size of a transport bus.

Its fur caught the dim light like polished moonstone, scattered with faint runic patterns that pulsed with ancient power.

Intelligent amber eyes studied them, the eyes were sharp, aware, and carrying the weight of something old.

Then the wolf’s body brightened.

Light rippled across its form, collapsing inward as the massive beast shrank.

When the glow settled, a woman stood where the wolf had been.

Her hair trailed down her back like moonlit silk. Amber eyes, still predatory and appraising watched them with quiet intensity.

Her dress was regal yet carried a dangerous grace, the fabric hugging her frame like it obeyed her rather than the other way around.

Wolf ears peeked through her hair, and a silver tail swayed behind her.

She stepped closer, her presence pressing on the air.

“What, are you doing here?” she asked, her voice cool and steady

As her gaze drifted toward Elizabeth.

A subtle change rolled across her expression, with her posture sharpening and the mist around them stirring as if responding to her mood.

“And more importantly,” she said, a low threat threading through her tone,

“why does your spell feel exactly like my daughter’s?”

****

-Authors Note-

Mass release if we reach top 60 of golden ticket ranking.