My Girlfriends Are Hardcore Yanderes - Chapter 170

Chapter 170: Cursed Sea
She gripped the end of the table to steady herself, her mind racing. The source of the attack remained invisible, cloaked in the endless shroud of mist.

The Storm Eagle let out an irritated screech, flapping its massive wings to climb higher. Despite the altitude, the streams of water continued to pierce through the mist, reaching them.

At first, it was just one or two, but soon, the attacks multiplied, striking in rapid succession.

Asher remained calm. This was nothing to fear, or so he thought she was overreacting.

Lucia’s fear, however, was not entirely groundless.

The Storm Eagle was a powerful beast, its bloodline at the apex of the food chain. If other creatures dared to attack it, they must be nearly as strong, which spelled trouble for them.

Being in the air made it worse; a fall into the ocean would mean certain death.

Lucia’s heart pounded. She had heard the tales of the cursed sea, of the creatures that lurked beneath the surface, and of the unseen dangers that even the most powerful sorcerers couldn’t predict. Asher had no idea what they were up against.

“Can you sense it?” she asked.

“Don’t worry,” he quickly reassured her.

She couldn’t help but feel a pang of frustration as he acted with his usual detachment. The more he shrugged off the threat, the more the doubt gnawed at her.

But his next actions proved otherwise. He chanted, and a golden barrier appeared around the Storm Eagle, thicker and more radiant than before.

Attacks kept on coming, but each one dissolved into mist after striking the shield.

Lucia sighed in relief. With it, they could simply let the barrage of attacks pass by.

“I thought you said the Storm Eagle usually scares off other beasts,” he asked.

“It should. Something’s not right,” she responded, her eyes narrowing in confusion.

CRACK!

Another attack struck. This time, thunder roared and howling winds whipped through the air, slowing the Storm Eagle.

The barrier could stop the attacks, but the wind itself made it harder for the eagle to stay airborne.

On top of that, the number of water jet streams from below multiplied. They were being bombarded by hundreds of creatures.

Though the barrier held strong, the amount of energy he had to supply increased dramatically. If nothing changed, he would be exhausted before they could escape.

“I think someone is controlling them,” Lucia pointed out. The timing and rate of the attacks were just too much of a coincidence.

“I don’t really care. I just need to stop it,” Asher stepped onto the balcony, his eyes narrowing as he focused.

Lucia, curious about his plan, started to follow him. Before she could get too close, he turned and said firmly, “Just sit and wait. Right now, you’re only a distraction.”

She froze in place, frustration flickering across her face, but she obeyed. In this environment, most of her attacks would be ineffective, so it was better to stay quiet and let him figure it out.

He finally found the silence he needed, closing his eyes for a moment to center himself. He also suspected someone was pulling the strings, and if that was the case, it was better to display some of his power to discourage any future problems.

‘I’m just trying to get out of this world. Why do you all have to get in my way?’ he muttered under his breath, a sigh escaping his lips.

Raising his hand, his finger pointed skyward as he began chanting. The spell took time to prepare—an area-of-effect incantation demanded focus and precision.

This type of attack wasn’t ideal for combat, given its long casting time. It left him vulnerable, and the timing had to be perfect. But for wiping out a large number of enemies in one sweep, it was perfect.

‘Still nothing?’ he questioned. He expected someone to take this opportunity to land a heavy blow, but there was none.

He kept his guard up, just to be safe, and finished his incantation.

“Fulmen Aureum!”

The moment the final words left his mouth, a magic circle appeared above him. It was massive—ten times the size of the storm eagle’s wingspan—its brilliance blinding even Lucia for a split second. She stared in awe as the intricate patterns of the circle began to shift, written in a formula she couldn’t recognize, foreign to her in every way.

Then, without warning, the circle expanded again, growing to thirty times its original size.

Golden sparks of electricity erupted from it, filling the sky.

The lightning rained down in every direction, crackling with penetrating power as it unleashed its full force.

CRACK!

CRACK!

CRACK!

For a full thirty seconds, the whole area held its breath. The mist parted with the force of the attack, and even the winds died down in awe of its might.

And then, as quickly as it had begun, the spell faded. Silence fell over the scene. No wind, no storm, no sound except the lingering hum of dissipating energy.

Slowly, the mist began to surround the area once again, making it seem as though the devastating attack moments ago had never happened.

But below them, the corpses of powerful beasts floated in the ocean, charred from biting off more than they could chew.

Asher stood silently, his expression nonchalant, treating what he had just done as nothing more than a simple act of self-defense.

He didn’t look satisfied or arrogant by the sheer power he had unleashed, nor did he think it deserved any attention.

But for Lucia, it was different. She was in awe, still trying to process the enormity of what had just happened.

The spell he had cast could have wiped out half her academy if he had chosen to. Though it took time to cast, the barrier he had erected was a high-level one, meaning that, in theory, as long as no one was strong enough to destroy it quickly, he had all the time he needed to cast his spells without even having to move.

The scariest part was that she had a feeling it wasn’t even his strongest attack.

As these thoughts clicked in her mind, an idea began to form. She had thought it would take years to pull off, but his presence here could change that.

‘Maybe he can help me?’ she muttered under her breath.