I grow stronger by making my wife happy.

Chapter 280: 280:Leaving.

Silver’s eyes narrowed. His sword was better for close-range spatial attacks but it seems it still wasn’t helping. He tightened his grip.

"Ravenna!"

"I know!"

She charged.

Fire Step

Her body surged forward.

Flame Edge

Her flaming sword struck the same damaged section Silver had opened, the blade digging deeper.

The queen roared.

Ravenna immediately retreated as the queen swung its head. Silver stepped forward.

[Short-Step Lv2 Activated]

He vanished. The jaws snapped shut where he had been. He reappeared above the queen’s head, his sword coming down.

[Space Slash Lv2 Activated]

The spatial distortion tore through the air and the wound widened. Before it could rest, Antony appeared. He transformed mid jumped from his female form and punched the worm, his hand sinking into the flesh. He dissappeared immediately afterwards.

The queen screamed.

For a brief moment, Silver thought they had found a weakness, then the queen’s body twisted. Its tail smashed into him.

Silver crossed his sword in front of his body. The impact sent him flying. He struck the cavern wall hard enough to crack the stone. Pain shot through his back.

He fell to one knee.

Ravenna immediately turned.

"Silver!"

"I’m fine!"

He forced himself upright. The queen lunged toward him.

[Short-Step Lv2 Activated]

Silver teleported sideways and the queen’s jaws crashed into the wall. The entire cavern shook.

He appeared behind it, raising sword.

[Space Slash Lv2 Activated]

The attack struck at the exact same wound, although it was closing. The queen twisted, its tail caught him again.

This time he managed to avoid the full impact, but the force still sent him sliding across the ground, Antony managed to catch him before he could hit the wall.

"Thanks."

"It’s nothing."

"Stay next to Ravenna."

"Seriously you two, can’t I have free will."

He ran towards her, leaving Silver nursing his injuries. He popped one of the healing pill into his mouth, though he wasn’t sure which he had chosen.

His breathing became heavier, then the familiar system warning appeared.

[WARNING]

[Mental strain detected.]

[Repeated use of Spatial Sense and spatial abilities is increasing cognitive load.]

[Continued excessive usage may result in severe headache, temporary loss of consciousness, or spatial skill failure.]

Silver gritted his teeth. He had been expecting it. He had seen it coming from a mile away.

His Mind Fortress had significantly reduced the painful headaches he used to experience when overusing his spatial abilities, but it hadn’t made him immune to mental exhaustion.

He couldn’t simply spam his abilities forever. He forced himself to breathe.

"Silver!"

Ravenna appeared beside him with Antony, clearly annoyed, following behind her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

She looked at his face.

"You don’t look okay."

"I’m still standing."

"That’s not an answer."

Silver smiled faintly.

"I’m fine."

Ravenna looked like she wanted to argue; instead, she turned toward the queen.

"Then stay behind me for a moment."

Silver raised an eyebrow.

"You?"

"Yes."

She stepped forward.

Blazing Guard

Flames surrounded her body. The queen attacked and Ravenna met it head-on. Her sword struck the creature’s jaw. She slid backward but Antony managed to steady her.

The queen attacked again.

Ravenna blocked. The force drove her several meters backward. She gritted her teeth.

Flame Edge

Her blade became brighter. She swung upward.

Burning Arc

A concentrated wave of fire slammed into the queen. This time the attack forced the creature to turn its head.

Silver watched.

Ravenna wasn’t trying to kill it; she was buying time. He understood immediately. He tightened his grip around his sword.

"Thanks."

Ravenna glanced back.

"Don’t mention it."

Silver stepped forward.

[Spatial Sense Lv2 Activated]

The mental pressure increased immediately.

He ignored it.

The cavern expanded inside his awareness. He could see the queen’s movements before they happened; its weight, position, the gaps between its armor plates, the tunnels beneath it and the unstable sections of the cavern. Everything became interconnected.

Silver suddenly saw the battlefield differently.

"Ravenna."

"What?"

"Keep it facing you."

She smiled.

"That’s all?"

"For a few seconds."

"Got it."

Ravenna charged.

Fire Step

She moved like a streak of flame. The queen turned toward her.

Flame Edge

Her sword struck and the queen roared.

Burning Arc

Another attack followed. The queen swung its head but Ravenna blocked with...

Blazing Guard

The impact pushed her backward, but she remained standing.

Silver moved.

[Short-Step Lv2 Activated.]

He appeared on the queen’s blind side. His sword rose.

[Space Slash Lv2 Activated]

The spatial strike passed through the gap between two armored plates. The queen screamed, blood spraying across the ground.

Silver immediately retreated.

"That worked!" Larry shouted. "Hit the gaps!"

The group adjusted their strategy. They stopped attacking the armor; instead, they targeted the exposed joints and softer sections. For several minutes, the battle became a coordinated assault.

Ravenna controlled the queen’s attention, silver used Short-Step to reposition, his sword targeting openings. The others attacked whenever the queen exposed itself.

The battlefield became a blur of fire, steel, bullets, and shattered stone but the queen was still overwhelmingly powerful. Every attack against it cost them energy, every mistake could mean death, and eventually, the queen became enraged again.

It reared its massive body, then slammed itself into the ground. The impact sent a shockwave through the cavern. Several contractors lost their footing.

The ceiling cracked and large rocks began falling.

"Retreat!" Larry shouted.

Everyone looked toward him.

"The cavern is collapsing!"

Silver immediately activated Spatial Sense. He felt the truth.

Larry was right.

The queen’s attacks had destabilized the chamber. Chunks of stone were beginning to fall from the ceiling. The tunnels were collapsing.

"Move!"

The contractors began retreating. Silver and Ravenna followed. The queen didn’t pursue immediately, it remained in the center of the cavern; surrounded by its destroyed eggs.

Then it screamed. The sound echoed through the tunnels and more worms emerged in hundreds. The retreat became desperate.

"Keep moving!" Larry shouted.

The group fought their way through the swarm. Silver and Ravenna stayed together with Antony followed close behind. Silver used his sword whenever something got too close.

[Phantom Draw Lv3 Activated]

A worm lunged.

Bang.

It fell.

Silver immediately switched back to his sword.

[Space Slash Lv2 Activated]

Another creature was cut apart. Ravenna’s blade burned beside him.

Flame Edge

She cut through another. The three of them moved together naturally. They had fought beside each other long enough that they didn’t need verbal instructions.

But then Silver felt something; a cold, wrong sensation crawling up his spine. He looked toward Larry.

Larry was moving with the others, but the way he kept glancing back was off.

Silver activated Spatial Sense.

The tunnels ahead unfolded in his mind. Most were already collapsing. Only one path remained stable and led toward the surface. Larry was herding the others straight toward it. Infront of them, it suddenly divided into two paths.

He suddenly shouted, voice sharp and urgent.

"Everyone, this way! Move! Silver go to the other, we should divide into two groups. I’ll follow behind you guy!"

They followed without hesitation.

Silver’s eyes narrowed. He looked at the tunnel Larry had chosen for them. The space ahead narrowed rapidly. The ceiling was already cracking, unstable, and a dead end waiting to happen.

"Ravenna."

She turned.

"What?"

"Wait. Something’s wrong."

Before he could explain, Larry’s voice rang out again, louder, sharper.

"Move! Now!"

The others poured into the stable tunnel. Larry lingered for half a second at the entrance, just long enough to meet Silver’s eyes. There was no panic in them, only cold calculation.

Then he kicked the walls of the still open passage way and turned. They collapsed behind them before Silver could comprehend what was happening.

A massive section of rock thundered down, sealing the path between Silver’s group and the others. Dust choked the air.

Ravenna coughed hard, blade still raised.

"Where are they?"

Silver’s Spatial Sense flared again. The answer hit him like a blade between the ribs.

"They’re gone."

Antony stared at him.

"What do you mean?"

Silver’s voice was flat.

"They left us."

Ravenna’s eyes widened.

"Why? Larry... he’s been... he’s always looked out for us."

Silver didn’t answer at first. The truth settled into place with brutal clarity.

The tunnel they had taken was one of the few routes that still led toward the surface. The one they had been left in was a trap; surrounded by collapsing passages, unstable ground, and the queen still hunting behind them.

Larry hadn’t made a mistake, he had chosen.

He had deliberately sent the three of them down the wrong path. The ones everyone still thought of as the weakest. The ones who could buy the others time.

They had been used as bait.

Ravenna’s voice was quiet, almost disbelieving.

"Silver...?"

He tightened his grip on his sword until his knuckles went white. The man who had smiled at them, who had given them orders like they mattered, who had acted like they were part of the team, had just thrown them away without a second thought.

"We’ve been used as bodies Ravenna, I’m really really sorry."

The cavern shook harder. Behind them, the queen began to move again; slow, deliberate, and this time coming straight for them.

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