Chapter 132: Three Phantasm Beast (1)
The stairs led down into darkness that even the gas lamps couldn’t fully penetrate. But Joseph took the lead as he could see in the dark with the help of the dark elements. And so they followed his lead while descending with their Beast Spirit ready.
All of them recall the previous floors and didn’t believe the next one would be any easier. Although Reinhard was a little bit curious about what Phineas would do. His mind even drifted to the thought of Phineas having Stellar Beasts rushed out to come fight them.
As they continued down, the gas lamps became sparser, creating pools of shadow between islands of flickering light. The air grew colder with each step, carrying a metallic taste that coated the tongue.
Reinhard and the others moved down the stairs, their footsteps echoing in the enclosed space, and then they reached the fourth floor. Walking off the steps, Reinhard saw a corridor that stretched ahead, its walls smooth and pillars pointing upward. The floor was polished stone that reflected the sparse lamplight, and there was only one path ahead.
They moved quickly, with Reinhard leading in front, as the corridor was illuminated. While Scath followed behind him with Roana, then Marie, Gran, Joseph, and Nikki.
The corridor stretched perhaps a hundred yards, ending in another doorway. But as they approached the halfway point, sounds reached them from ahead.
Reinhard paused as he furrowed his brows, hearing a crashing sound as if something was being punched through. Then, there was a grinding screeching noise as something was dragging its claws on the wall, and the floor was trembling.
The sounds intensified, and they began to realize something massive was destroying the room beyond. Then abruptly, the noises stopped, and then silence descended, but that just made them all frown.
They continued forward cautiously with the doorway ahead revealing a large chamber, perhaps fifty feet across. The ceiling stretched high overhead, disappearing into darkness beyond the reach of gas lamps.
But it was the three shapes moving in that chamber that caught their attention.
Reinhard’s eyes widened at the familiar Phantasm Beasts.
The first was tall and thin with white fur covering its body. But embedded in that fur were dozens of black orbs that looked like stones, distributed across its form like additional eyes that didn’t blink.
Under the white fur, visible through gaps where the material was thinner, was a black shadow with countless blue veins spreading everywhere. Its head bore two purple eyes stacked vertically rather than horizontally, both glowing with ominous light.
When it walked, long claws scraped against the floor, making sharp, echoing sounds that set teeth on edge.
Nibel Eater.
Behind it stood another beast, tall and draped in white bone armor plates that covered it from head to toe. Except for its chest and face, which opened up to display shadow with two burning eyes. Inside that shadow, orange flowers bloomed before wilting and dying, before another appeared.
Stellar Bone.
And finally, the last one with its body shining. Its skin was faint gold, and faint blue marks ran along its arms like veins of crystal beneath the surface. Gentle wings of light flickered behind its shoulders, constantly shifting between solid and translucent, giving off particles of orange light that drifted downward like luminescent snow.
Butterfly Princess.
"The Phantasm Beasts the Director fought." Reinhard said quietly, his mind racing through implications. How were they here? Had they escaped? Was it released deliberately?
Scáth’s eyes lit up with fierce joy, her wine-colored irises blazing. "I’m glad these three are alive! I’ve been wanting to fight them!"
Roana sighed heavily but nodded. "Seems we have no choice. Here they come!"
All three Phantasm Beasts turned toward the doorway where Reinhard’s group stood. Their attention is fixed on the new arrivals, and then they roared out, shaking the room.
Then they attacked.
The Nibel Eater moved first, its arms slamming into the ground with devastating force. Frost spread from the impact point like a wave of crystallizing air, racing across the floor toward Reinhard’s group.
They scattered just as ice spikes erupted from the floor where they’d been standing. Dozens of frozen pillars shot upward, each six feet tall and wickedly sharp, creating a forest of death.
But the attack wasn’t finished as above them appeared six massive blocks of ice appearing from nothing. Each easily ten feet across, formed from compressed frozen air, and they rushed downward like meteors.
Reinhard gripped Zenuken before chopping down and cutting through one of the massive blocks of it. Leading to the other two halves to continue crashing into the floor and sliding with specs scattering.
Marie leapt over one of the meteors by several feet, landing gracefully as it smashed into the ground behind her.
Then, hurling her spear towards the other one, she rushed to Roana and smashed into it, forcing it to crash away from her.
Joseph used Wind Drift, compressed air cushioning his movement and redirecting the meteor’s trajectory slightly. It missed him by a few feet, close enough that he felt the cold radiating from its surface.
Scáth’s weapon became a massive shield, which she raised overhead. The meteor struck with tremendous force, the impact driving her to one knee. But the shield held, and she threw the meteor aside with her terrifying strength.
Gran’s Vector Path showed him exactly where his meteor would land three seconds before impact. He simply stepped aside with minimal movement, the meteor crashing harmlessly into space he’d already vacated.
Niki’s flames melted her meteor mid-descent, reducing the solid ice to steam that billowed around her but caused no damage.
The Stellar Bone reacted while they were recovering from the ice attack. The floor beneath them erupted with bone spikes, leading to massive structures that burst upward with explosive force.
Each spike was covered in autumn leaf markings, orange and red against white bone. They extended from each other, creating a branching network and forming a forest of bones.