Super Spark of Duper Pride [OB] - Act II: Deconstruction

4-F: Catching a Star (Apex 5)

Apex 5:

After levelling up my [Telepathy], I am now making my way to Kasanagara.

The normal exit is located in the Upper Stratum, where most of the tunnels are far too small for me to use.

Besides, Humans guard the entrances in an attempt to control their environment, to feel safe.

Weak, discomfort is what drives improvement, remove that and you begin to stagnate.

So as much as I dislike change like any other Dragons, the reason I am ultimately willing to embrace it is for the sake of self improvement.

Anyway, the only way for me to get to Kasanagara without having to deal with them is to use the underwater exit.

There is one of each on both ends, guarded by a Water Dragon each.

Of course, being a Dragon myself, I have free passage through them, though I have heard of a certain Labyrinth Guide who has managed to successfully bypass the guards and used these hidden entrances.

Most impressive, I would like to meet them someday.

But for now, my priority is the Rising Star.

Then suddenly, the entire labyrinth shook.

The most likely culprit would be the Queen Taratect using her Dragon Breathe.

But why? Not long ago, Rend challenged her, and lost his army.

Then he challenged the Rising Star as well, losing his life.

Wait, does it have to do with the Rising Star then?

The Queen Taratect is not pleased with her disobedience afterall.

With that in mind, I quickly made my way to the scene of the crime instead.

There, I found a new shaft leading up to the outside, with the sunlight shining down on me.

Ugh, I do not enjoy this new sensation, but I suppose I just have to get used to it.

More importantly, did the Queen Taratect leave via this to chase the Rising Star?

Then my [Danger Perception] went off madly, the Queen Taratect is returning to the labyrinth.

I stayed to meet her, and she was not happy to see me.

While our Makers have the same goals, the relation between Dragons and Taratects is hardly devoid of tension for the Taratects' Maker, Ariel, is not fond of how we Dragons are only here to maintain the status quo, and not help change it for the better.

And honestly, I agree with her sentiment despite my inherent instinct to resist change.

Still, her dislike of Dragons has been passed down to the Queen Taratect much like how my Maker dislike for change has been passed on to us.

<I wish to battle the strange one once again, may you point me in its direction?>

I decided to get straight to the point, to spend as little time with Queen Taratect, to avoid annoying her to the point of using her Dragon Breathe on me.

She grumpily told me that the Rising Star is back at her homebase fending off the ambush the Queen Taratect has set up there.

She also informed me that she has called upon her Maker to help deal with the Rising Star, so I better hurry if I really want a rematch.

And that I shall, I need to save her...somehow.

I trust that she will survive the trap, but Ariel is too much.

I can at least warn her, so she may use her [Spatial Magic] to keep her distance, but that will require me to gain her trust, enough to communicate the facts to her however the means.

And of course, I need to catch up to her first of all.

I made my way through the Middle Stratum, being far more spacious and thus easier to travel through for a creature of my size.

But I was too late, she had already left.

And I have no idea where she is headed now, unless...

I focused my efforts on my [Spatial Perception], and just vaguely felt the direction she had teleported towards.

Towards Kasanagara, likely outside where she will have more room to evade the QueenTaratect, at least I hope I have guessed correctly.

This time, I used the newly opened path to get outside for the first time.

From there I carefully searched for any clues on where the Rising Star had gone, when suddenly, a trail of destruction blitzed by me.

Ariel? Oh no.

I followed her path, during which she once again passed by me in the opposite direction, paying me no mind.

Did she already...

I now feared the worst, and eventually reached the coast.

I see a castle made of sand, and what appears to be the wreckage of a tiny boat.

Then I noticed it, her blood and body parts floating on the waters.

My heart sank for a moment, before I sensed just the faintest Presence of a Soul.

I swam up to her, and confirmed that she is still alive and slowly healing, somehow.

Must be [Immortality], I want to say I am surprised, but not really.

In fact, I am proud.

Still, this Skill alone does not make one invincible.

They can imprison her, or just erase her with [Abyss Magic].

Sooner or later, they will realise she is still alive as well, and she is in no shape to fight, especially when she isn't even conscious.

I need to get her as far away from them as possible, to buy as much time as possible.

So I gathered her body parts and held them in my jaws, and swam into the ocean.

This is to avoid leaving a trail behind, for the work to cover up the tracks on land is much more than simply swimming across the sea.

Moreover, my [Dragon Scales] should be able to block off the connection she has with the Queen Taratect via [Kin Control], so they wouldn't be able to track us.

That said, I am worried the same Skill of mine will completely hinder her [HP Auto-Recovery].

Thankfully, I can confirm that her head is still healing, albeit slower than before.

Now it's only a matter of time before she regains consciousness.