Reborn As The Minor Villain In A Romance Fantasy Novel - Chapter 200

Chapter 200: Denied!
“H-he got swallowed!” Luna cried out.

Vanessa didn’t waste time panicking.

She snapped her hands together, activating the bloodrop tattoo embedded in her palm.

The mark glowed, gathering every drop of blood she had stored and compressing it into a thin, needle-like beam.

She thrust her hand forward and fired.

The beam shot across the open air and struck the centipede-like monster that had taken Lucius into its maw.

But instead of piercing flesh, the beam bounced off the creature’s glossy exoskeleton like a pebble hitting steel.

Vanessa winced.

‘Damn, I didn’t gather enough momentum to pierce. The technique only works against these tough skins if I build speed.’

She yanked her hand backward, pulling the returning stream of blood toward her, preparing for a second attack.

But she never got the chance.

A thunderous shockwave burst from the ground as Supreme Man launched himself upward like a cannonball.

He slammed his fist into the monster’s side with crushing force.

The impact sent a violent tremor rippling through the creature’s body, and a pained shriek erupted from deep inside its throat.

Supreme Man landed back on the ground in a slide, leaving a trench beneath his boots.

Yet still, Lucius did not re-emerge.

The monster stilled, then slowly turned toward the awakeners.

It didn’t have eyes, but everyone felt its attention like a cold, crawling sensation down their spine.

Its jaw spread open, clicking grotesquely, and the plates around its mouth snapped shut in an intimidating flex.

Everyone tensed.

But the creature never attacked.

Instead, its entire body convulsed… once then twice before bloating grotesquely.

The awakeners backed away with their weapons raised.

The monster’s abdomen expanded like a balloon filled with too much air, its surface cracking in blood-filled lines.

Then it exploded.

A massive burst of pressure and blood rained over the forest like a grotesque downpour.

The shockwave rattled trees and sent nearby birds scattering.

When the red haze cleared, Lucius stepped out of the dissolving guts, soaked but completely unharmed, looking deeply irritated.

“Damn… I really hate these kinds of monsters.” He glanced around and frowned. “Why do you all look like you bathed in blood?”

The awakeners groaned in collective despair.

Supreme Man let out a defeated sigh.

Vanessa who was completely splattered in blood like everyone else, quickly composed herself and shook her head.

She lifted her palm and made a small circular motion. The blood on the bodies, trees, and ground stirred violently.

Every drop flowed together as if obeying a master’s whistle and surged toward Vanessa’s palm, disappearing into the bloodrop tattoo.

‘At least I got a lot of blood to prepare,’ she thought.

Her tattoo glowed in a satisfied crimson.

“Let’s get to crossing!” Supreme Man said, gesturing forward.

They walked across the ground where the lake had once been, ignoring the slick, wet terrain.

Now that the earthworm monster was gone, the “lake” had revealed itself to be nothing more than a pool of saliva and dissolved stone.

Bones jutted from the muck like uneven stepping stones.

Lucius wrinkled his nose with clear distaste.

They moved quickly, and just when they stepped onto solid forest floor again, a thick burst of pink smoke erupted outward from the ground.

The mist raced upward, blanketing the entire forest behind them and swallowing the space where the lake had been.

Lucius narrowed his eyes. “What happens when someone falls into that thing?”

“I’ll check,” Grimm volunteered immediately.

He handed the bunny to Luna and nodded decisively.

“Sure, dive inside and I’ll pull you out,” Lucius responded casually.

The awakeners paused, forming a loose semicircle to watch.

Grimm took several steps back, braced himself, and gently patted the bunny’s head.

“Be safe,” he said in a heroic tone.

The bunny blinked innocently.

Then Grimm ran forward and jumped straight into the pink mist.

Lucius felt something shift.

The pressure of the air change above him making him look upward in instinct, and sure enough…

Grimm was falling from the sky like a budget Ironman with his limbs flailing and mouth open in a silent scream.

“What the hell?” one Awakener whispered.

Another muttered under his breath, “Is that… normal?”

[@SkyWatcher88: BRO WHY IS HE FALLING FROM ORBIT??]

[@PinkFogTheory: So the smoke TELEPORTS you upward??]

[@GrimmNation: MY BOY GOT YEETED]

[@RNGeesus: Imagine falling back into the same spot 10 times]

[@BunnyDad21: Protect Grimm at all costs]

Grimm plummeted straight into Lucius’s outstretched arms.

Lucius caught him easily, barely shifting his stance.

Grimm coughed twice. “Boss, there’s nothing inside the mist. I was covered in pink smoke and suddenly I found myself in the sky. We… we can’t go back.”

Lucius nodded in understanding, but the position they were in… Grimm cradled in his arms like a princess, made several people pause.

Luna stared wide-eyed.

Vanessa’s eyebrow rose.

Rita’s face was literally painted with jealousy.

[@HeartStringz: THEY’RE SO CUTE TOGETHER???]

[@FatedBond: I SHIP IT]

[@VioletNexus: Grimm x Lucius CONFIRMED]

[@MorePlease: Hold him tighter, king]

[@WattpadWriter: Someone draw this]

[@Worldcrafter: Grimm is BLUSHING LOL]

“Come on, the sun is still high up! Let’s get to the staircase!” Supreme Man called out, interrupting the moment.

…

Hours later, Lucius deeply regretted not investigating the staircase earlier.

‘It didn’t look that far,’ he thought bitterly as he swatted away yet another tiny flying creature that had made the mistake of buzzing near his ear.

The hike across the open clearing, through smaller clusters of monsters and annoyingly slippery terrain had taken more time than he wanted.

The mountain loomed before them looking tall and impossibly steep.

At its peak, the Staircase waited… a radiant structure that, up close, looked impossibly intricate.

What caught their attention wasn’t the staircase itself but the long mountain path carved out beneath it.

A normal staircase zigzagged its way up the slope, leading all the way to the top. It was a long, tedious climb, but it looked perfectly functional.

As the awakeners inspected the massive mountain stairs, Lucius stepped forward and then placed his foot on the first step.

“I’ll be seeing you guys at the top.”

The moment he shifted his weight forward, he vanished.

Gasps erupted behind him.

Then, in the same blink of an eye, he reappeared in the exact same spot, standing as if he’d never moved.

A glowing text floated in front of him:

[Unique Spell: Teleportation has been denied!]

Lucius’s eyes widened. “Oh come on!”