The pressure smashed into Elmer with a physical force Elmer Arrietti couldnÆt breathe His entire body locked up one joint at a time until he was a sweaty statue Behind him he could distantly hear his force groan and shudder beneath that abrupt pressure But perhaps because Elmer was at the front his consciousness was directly smashed to the side
Goddamnit it knees just collapse and let me fall over Elmer roared in panic at his unresponsive body A second wave of pressure spread outward from the Ghosthound It seemed KharonÆs creator was laughing hysterically raising his head and daring the world to stand in his way That laughter ripped into ElmerÆs vulnerable thoughts wiping everything away
Then all he could hear was a strange buzzing and all he could feel was sweat trickling down his back in a small stream His eyes remained locked on the Ghosthound in front of him Specifically his gaze was drawn into that intense darkness that grew from his left eye But the more he looked the more Elmer began to understand that he had severely underestimated their leader He had always known the man was powerful he had been at the GhosthoundÆs birthday celebration He had felt the pressure that he could casually unleash
In front of him the GhosthoundÆs skin of his shoulders and torso was translucent Although most of it was covered up by the dark grey armor he wore within the small amount of exposed skin Elmer could see pulsing golden veins His pale neck was filled with thick flexing topaz serpents The GhosthoundÆs smile stretched wider and wider He took a step forward and the pressure that Elmer endured intensified His entire body began to tremble
Randidly Ghosthound wasnÆt powerful because of his images He was powerful because he was his images personified The surrounding air began to howl ElmerÆs muscles continued to spasm As much as he wanted to flee from the powerful figure in front of him he was too scared to move
He was a mouse before a leviathan Randidly Ghosthound was a monster that had once worn human skin
Congratulations You have learned the Skill Image Resistance
Image Resistance Slightly decreases the influence that images have on your body and mind A Skill that only emerges under extreme circumstances Power of own images will slightly increase with Skill Level Amount of resistance increases with Skill Level
Congratulations Your Skill Image Resistance has grown to Level 2
Randidly Ghosthound took an extremely heavy step forward The amount of light swirling around his eye increased Almost the entirety of the left side of his face was obscured by the swirling liquid light and that pitch darkness at the core of it He became a faceless horror stalking forward toward KharonÆs police force
ElmerÆs entire body shuddered The twitches wracking his body became increasingly erratic Behind him he could distantly make out panting and low cries But Elmer didnÆt have any spare attention to focus on the people behind him His own body continued to betray him barely allowing himself to move
Please just
Congratulations Your Skill Image Resistance has grown to Level 3
Congratulations Your Skill Image Resistance has grown to Level 19
ElmerÆs breath was stuck in his throat His constricted organs writhed in agony as his muscles refused to relax It was like his subconscious was locked in a wrestling match with itself Half of him wanted to turn and run away while the other half wanted him to avoid detection by remaining exactly still Neither was able to grasp an advantage Each remained determined to succeed So Elmer stood still and trembled
The Ghosthound took another step forward A strange desperate howling arrived at ElmerÆs ears The very air around this avatar of power seemed to seethe and scream in agony The darkness in the GhosthoundÆs left eye seemed to round until Elmer could see the faintest shimmer of an egg
Congratulations Your Skill Image Resistance has grown to Level 23
After the third step Elmer went unconscious His eyelids fluttered and closed with the most reassuring sense of relief that he had ever experienced
The fourth step woke him back up to find that his traitorous body had remained standing even after he had been knocked out The strange wind that was blowing the GhosthoundÆs hair finally reached Elmer somehow chilling him to the bone and scouring his skin like a raging sandstorm
Small wounds appeared up and down ElmerÆs arms As soon as he bled the liquid of life was whisked away into the deadly maelstrom around the Ghosthound
Congratulations Your Skill Image Resistance has grown to Level 40
Oh Interesting Considering your determination IÆll have Helen design a private training program for you Commissioner Arrietti Good job The GhosthoundÆs voice rumbled He released his image ThatÆs all for today I feel like I have a good understanding of what you are all capable of
Even now Elmer couldnÆt move His muscles had strained themselves to the point that he didnÆt have the strength to relax them He remained locked in place even as the Ghosthound turned and walked away Behind him most of his police force was unconscious unable to help him
Six months
Tears silently coursed down ElmerÆs cheeks
Chapter 1424
Sydney sat at DrakeÆs bedside with her hands folded in her lap Her eyes remained fixed on his still face Since she was able to rescue his familiar from Ace the lines around DrakeÆs eyes and mouth had certainly eased All of the doctors in DonnytonÆs premier hospital believed that his vitals were trending in positive directions According to them these sorts of results were basically unheard of Everyone was astounded by the physical power that was present in DrakeÆs body
Yet now a week after he was supposed to have been fully healedÆ Drake still slept without stirring The wait was difficult It wasnÆt that Sydney had given up hope of a recovery but her expression was becoming increasingly bitter as she observed her subordinate Perhaps I truly waited too long to take action the mental strain the continuous torture it has been years I have failed him
A single tear began to run down SydneyÆs cheeks but a crackle of electricity raced across her face Instantly the small tear was transformed into a small ball of ice Her skin itched at the sudden change in temperature With an irritated expression Sydney reached up and tore the tiny frozen orb off her face and threw it across the ward It clattered across the ground and bounced off the wall
Sydney pressed her eyes shut and did her best to prevent further tears
She sat there for several minutes until she could hear the sounds of footsteps walking down the corridor The very exact timing between the steps immediately revealed the identity of the approaching individual Hope and despair warred in SydneyÆs heart until her familiarÆs image descended and froze everything When the cold was strong enough even emotions succumbed She would be strong She would look with clear eyes no matter what the result was
Regina Northwind pushed open the door and looked at SydneyÆs stiff form She didnÆt smile Instead she walked smartly up to SydneyÆs side and offered her the folder in her hand This is the best that we can do Physically and with regards to his Aether Drake is entirely healthy The cause of his continued coma is likely psychological in nature
Sydney took the folder However due to the heavy level of chill she maintained to suppress her emotions her vision was somewhat fuzzy Although she looked down at the paper in front of her she didnÆt actually see any of the details on the page They were just tight lines and squiggles an unintelligible sprawl that left her feeling helpless
Regina took a step back but didnÆt leave the room Instead her sharp eyes focused on Drake while she waited for Sydney to speak
Finally Sydney thawed enough to clear her throat Do you have any ideas what might be going on