MTLNOVEL Chapter 7: The New God II
Nothing happened.
Kai's eyes remained fixed on the chaotic scene before him, his initial confidence crumbling into bewilderment in an alarming rate .
He stood still, his breath caught in his throat as he watched Alisson and Sia face imminent death.
The monstrous form of the Worm Devil towering above them with its writhing tentacles and cavernous jaws.
There was supposed to be a change—something, anything.
Kai had wished for it. He'd believed in it, that was the procedure he had taken for Muri's death, right? Or was emotion required as well?
'No, no, no, no! Why isn't it working?!' his mind screamed, irrespective of Jaya who knelt by his side. Fortunately for him, Jaya was lost in the fear of what he was witnessing and had failed to notice any of his movements.
Panic crept through his thoughts like ice spreading over his skin.
'I said the words right, didn't I? All I have to say is "I wish" right?'
A desperate hope flickered in his chest.
Maybe there was an activation phrase he'd missed, some hidden nuance that made wishes come true. But no, the only special phrase had always been "I wish." That was it.
'Why isn't it working?'
Then, as though mocking his desperation, the familiar chime echoed in his ears, displaying the system's notification.
[Ding!]
[User wishes: I wish the Worm Devil would drop dead.]
[Progress: 0%… 22%… 47%… 71%… 89%… 99%… Failed!]
[Please try again]
Kai's heart sank as he read the message, with a dazed expression laced on his face.
'Failed? What does that even mean? So it's real... but why didn't it work?!'
His breaths came in ragged gasps as his eyes darted back to the battlefield.
Alisson and Sia were mere meters away from being devoured by the beast, its jaws glistening with anticipation.
'It can't fail. It just can't. If it does, Alisson will...Alisson will...I wish the Worm Devil would drop dead. I wish… I wish.. .'
He repeated the desperate mantra over and over in his mind, his voice trembling in silent pleas.
Jaya, still trembling with fear, caught sight of Kai's rigid form and the sheer terror etched into his features.
"Kai..."
But Kai wasn't listening. Instead his fear rose progressively as the system continued to mock him.
[Progress: Failed.]
[Progress: Failed.]
[Progress: Failed.]
The cold, unyielding notifications drove spikes of frustration and helplessness through his chest. It was relentless. It had no intention of granting his wish.
Then the Worm Devil struck.
Its monstrous body crashed down toward Alisson and Sia, the sheer force of its attack enough to shake the ground.
At the last possible second, before the worm devil had struck, Alisson shoved Sia out of the way.
The Worm Devil's crushing blow narrowly missed her, sending her spiraling through the air before she landed hard, crouched low with her warrior blade already summoned in her hand.
A sharp grunt escaped her lips as she steadied herself, eyes locking onto the beast once more. Its tentacle-like eye swiveled toward her, unblinking and menacing.
For a moment, she thought of returning to her previous attempt to flee, but then a realization dawned on Alisson.
Throughout their relentless assaults, the Worm Devil had remained indifferent, almost amused by their futile attacks.
It had ignored them entirely—as though they posed no threat whatsoever.
But there was one exception.
"It's the eye..." she breathed, her voice tinged with newfound determination.
It had always avoided attacks to its eyes or retaliated whenever they had attempted to strike its eye. Could it be that that was its weak spot?
Her knuckles whitened around the hilt of her blade.
"Sia!" she shouted.
"Get its attention! I have a plan!"
Sia, on hearing this, hesitated for a fraction of a second, confusion flickering across her face.
But trust in her comrade won out. She broke into a sprint, summoning her short blade as she charged toward the beast.
The Worm Devil growled, a guttural growl that resonated through the battlefield as it watched Sia approach.
Kai, however, remained frozen, trapped in his spiraling thoughts.
'This is all my fault. I wished for Muri's death... and now they're going to die too.'
Alisson, in a swift manner, began her sprint towards the worm Devil as well.
'Was Muri's death just a coincidence? Is this system even real? Or is this all just... in my head?' The thought crept through Kai's mind as he began to weigh the possibility of an actual system choosing him of all people.
The two sorcerers closed the distance rapidly, weapons at the ready. Sia, in an attempt to complete her task, let out a deafening yell, drawing the beast's attention fully to herself.
Alisson seized the moment, leaping into the air with her blade poised to strike.
'Perfect timing, Sia!' she thought, her heart pounding as she aimed for the creature's vulnerable eye.
However, but the Worm Devil was faster, and unfortunately for her, it had anticipated the attack.
Its eye swiveled toward Alisson mid-leap, its jaws widening in anticipation of her descent.
The beast awaited her fall with twisted glee, gravity sealing her fate.
'H-how?' was all Alisson could think as she plummeted toward certain death. There was nothing she could do, but fall to an inevitable end.
In that very moment, Kai crashed into her, tackling her away from the monster's jaws at the last possible moment.
"K...Kai?" She muttered.
'I'm not going to let anyone die! Atleast not the ones I care for!' his mind roared with fierce resolve.
But victory was fleeting.
The Worm Devil retaliated swiftly, its jaws snapping shut around Kai's left leg with brutal precision.
A sickening crunch echoed through the battlefield as Kai and Alisson crashed a few meters away. And Kai's leg? Well it was gone.
Kai's agonized scream tore through the air as he collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from the mangled remains of his leg.
Alisson scrambled to her feet, her face pale with horror.
"Kai... oh my God!" she ranted, her voice trembling.
The beast's roar reverberated through their ears, its tentacles thrashing wildly.
Alisson gritted her teeth, adjusting her stance once more as she rose to her feet.
"Thank you, Kai," she said softly.
"I promise I'll finish this quickly... just hold on, okay? You'll get proper treatment soon."
Kai, on the other hand, lay sprawled on the ground, his vision blurring from blood loss. He knew better than to believe her words.
'She can't do it... none of us can.'
Yet in his delirium, another thought surfaced—a ridiculous, perverse, and completely out of complex.
'if you wanna reward me then just go on a date with me... or better yet, flash me.'
The absurdity of it almost made him laugh.
But there was no time for levity.
The Worm Devil roared and lunged toward them, its massive form barreling forward with deadly intent.
'Funny enough, I knew tonight was going to be bad, but this? I didn't sign up for this...To be honest...'
Tears welled in Kai's eyes as despair gripped him.
'...I don't want to die!'
And then, right when the worm devil was only about a few centimeters away-
A sudden explosion of purple blood erupted from the beast's side, staining the battlefield with its grotesque essence.
The Worm Devil screeched in agony, its charge faltering as it wiggled vigorously.
What happened next, however, occured too fast for Kai to follow. But the result however, left Kai's eyes widened in utter amazement.