Chapter 142 : An Attack

Chapter 142: Chapter 142 : An Attack As Charlotte held up the syringe carefully, trying to stay focused, Alex peeked one eye open and smirked. "What, you’re only gonna wear gloves? What about the sexy nurse outfit?" Smack! Charlotte bonked him on the head with her knuckles, hard enough to rattle his skull. "Just stay still or I might accidentally poke your eyeball instead." Alex shuddered. "Y-Yes ma’am." His grin vanished quickly. He glanced at the vials with a serious expression. "This medicine inside the vial... it’s dangerous. Don’t let it touch your fingers or anything else. Got it?" Charlotte immediately nodded, her playful air vanishing. "Understood." She carefully pumped the corrupted blood into the syringe, her fingers slow and deliberate. The liquid inside resisted unnaturally, pulsing like a living thing. Charlotte moved toward Alex’s right arm with care. As she held the syringe steady, Alex clamped his eyes shut. Charlotte smirked. "Oh~? Don’t tell me you’re scared of shots." Alex stammered, "Wh-What?! Who said that?! I—I, Alex Dragonheart, am not scared of anything!" Charlotte laughed softly. "Well, looks like we’ve discovered something else to add to your list of phobias." Alex’s mouth twitched... but this time, he didn’t respond. ’...Cute,’ Charlotte thought, glancing at his clenched fists. ’Still such a child sometimes.’ With a soft breath, Charlotte pressed the needle in and injected the abyss-tainted blood into Alex’s arm. --- A moment passed. Then two. The room was silent except for the faint hum of machinery. Alex slowly opened his eyes. His voice was calm but unusually serious. "Char... it might be possible I faint in a few seconds. Or I might be in... unimaginable pain. Just make sure I’m protected. Get me to the academy safely. Please." Charlotte’s teasing expression was long gone. She met his gaze and nodded. "Okay." --- Alex stood, a bit unsteady, but still upright. "I have to say goodbye to Lily. Let’s go." Charlotte opened the door. "Okay." They made their way quickly to Lily’s room. But as they reached the doorway, Charlotte immediately noticed something was wrong. Alex’s right hand. It was trembling—violently. She leaned close and whispered, "Alex... are you okay?" Alex took a slow breath. "Y-Yeah. I’m per—perfectly fine." But even his voice betrayed him. It was shaky, forced. The door hissed open. Inside, Ava was chatting animatedly with Lily, who was giggling and clearly enjoying the company. Seraphina was nearby, humming while setting up plates for snacks. The room radiated warmth and laughter. Alex stepped in, forcing a smile. He moved straight to Lily and stood beside her bed. "Lily... good news. I just talked to Miss Emma. She said they’re very close to finding a cure for your condition." The entire room froze for a moment—then exploded with light and emotion. Seraphina’s eyes welled with tears as she pulled Lily into a tight hug. "It’ll be alright now! You’ll be cured!" Lily nodded quickly, her eyes wet with hope. Ava wiped her eyes silently, smiling. But Alden... Alden wasn’t looking at Lily. His eyes were fixed on Alex. He could see it—Alex’s legs and hands trembling, his breaths shallow. No one else had noticed, but Alden did. And that was enough to make his brows furrow deeply. ’What the hell kind of mess have you gotten yourself into now.’ Alden turned his gaze to Charlotte. She looked at him, then gave a slight tilt of her head—a signal. ’We need to leave. Now.’ Alden nodded, then clapped his hands loudly. "Looks like it’s time to go, right, Alex?" Alex straightened and nodded. "Yeah. Lily... some urgent work came up. But I promise, next time I’ll bring an even bigger cake." Lily sniffled, still smiling. "Really?" "Really." Seraphina stepped forward too. "And I’ll bring even more sweets." Lily giggled and held out her pinky. "Promise?" Both Alex and Seraphina linked pinkies with her. "I promise," Alex whispered, kissing her forehead. Then one by one, they turned and walked out of the room, waving goodbye. The moment the door closed behind them— "What’s wrong?!" Ava gasped, eyes wide. Alex was on his knees. His right hand had turned a dark, swirling black, like ink spreading through cracked glass. It pulsed with heat and power. Charlotte pointed at him. "It’s spreading. Fast." Alden clicked his tongue. "Of course he did something stupid again. This idiot can’t go a week without nearly dying." "Alex!" Seraphina and Ava rushed to his side, faces filled with concern. But Alex could barely stay conscious. "Put up a barrier... and get me to the academy..." Charlotte didn’t hesitate. She raised her hand and conjured a powerful cloaking barrier around the group. Alden and Seraphina grabbed Alex from either side. "Let’s move!" As they exited the hospital, Draven was standing near the hovercar, casually scrolling through his EtherPad. When he saw Alex, he panicked. "What the hell?! He was fine before!" Charlotte spoke fast. "I don’t know! He took some weird medicine and now he’s like this!" Seraphina spun around. "What medicine?!" Charlotte shook her head. "I don’t know!" Ava stepped forward. "We should take him back to the hospital!" Alex suddenly raised his head. "NO!" he yelled. "Take me... to the academy!" Everyone froze. Even barely conscious, his voice was firm. Seraphina tried to protest. "But your condition—" "Please... Sera," Alex said softly. She hesitated... then nodded. "Alright. Let’s go." They lifted Alex and hurried toward the hovercar. Just as they reached the vehicle— Crack. Charlotte’s barrier—designed to hide them from attention—shattered like fragile glass. A shimmering dome exploded into shards of light, and in that instant, all of them went on high alert. Weapons were drawn. Charlotte raised her guard. Draven stepped forward, conjuring a twin-blade spell. Seraphina’s hair lit with magic, eyes glowing. Then—out of the shimmering mist—a figure appeared. He stood tall and composed, wearing a sharp white coat lined with gold. His long golden hair shimmered like flowing molten metal, and his golden eyes... glowed with a terrifying depth. Like they could see through fate itself, his sheer presence radiated power. It was Ethan Williams. The golden-haired heir to House Williams stood tall before them, his brows furrowed. "What’s going on?" Ethan asked, stepping forward. "Why couldn’t I contact any of you?" Then his golden eyes landed on Alex—and his breath caught. Even though Alex was being supported by Seraphina and Alden, the change in him was undeniable. His silver hair glowed faintly. He was even taller than before now, and the sheer presence radiating from his supported form was otherworldly. Ethan clenched his jaw. ’How the hell did he change this much?’ But he quickly snapped out of his stupor. "What the hell happened to him?!" Just as the question left his mouth, Alex screamed. A raw, blood-curdling scream that shattered the tension like glass. It echoed so loudly that everyone in a three-block radius must’ve heard it—if not for Charlotte’s earlier barrier. Everyone froze in horror as they saw it. Black corruption surged up from Alex’s right arm, reaching past his shoulder, creeping up his neck like a living curse. Ava rushed forward, eyes wide and wet. "Alex?! What’s happening?!" But Alex wasn’t looking at anyone. His eyes were locked onto a glowing translucent screen in front of him. > [Your physique is adapting to the Abyssal Corruption.] [Progress: 8%] His mind was on fire. Pain blazed through every nerve in his body. His ears rang, his limbs trembled, and finally— His world went dark. "Alex!" Charlotte shouted, reaching out. But he was already collapsing. Charlotte caught him just in time, laying him gently on the hovercar seat. Seraphina’s eyes trembled. "He’s unconscious...!" "Then we’re taking him to the hospital!" Ethan declared, stepping forward. "No," Charlotte said firmly, standing between him and the door. "You can’t be serious," Ethan growled. "He’s dying! That corruption is—" "He told me to take him to the academy," Charlotte said, her voice steely despite the tears forming in her eyes. "I made a promise to him. And I intend to keep it." Ethan’s jaw clenched. "You’d risk his life for a promise?!" "I’d risk everything for it!" she snapped. Just as the tension reached breaking point, Alden stepped forward. "Listen to her, dude. Yeah, Alex is a psycho, but he’s not an idiot. If he said take him to the academy... then there’s a reason." Seraphina nodded. "Alden’s right. Let’s go. Every second counts." The air remained tense for a moment more—then Ethan sighed and stepped aside. "...Fine." They carried Alex carefully to Seraphina’s hovercar—a sleek, enchanted luxury model fitted with both magic propulsion and defensive runes. Alex was laid down in a separate reclining seat, still unconscious, still trembling. Everyone sat silently around him, their expressions grim. Seraphina turned to the driver. "Let’s move. Fast." But just as the car began to activate— Knock knock. A soft knock echoed from the door. The window rolled down, revealing a young man in his twenties with short dark-blond hair and a carefree grin. His presence radiated Master-(peak)-rank pressure. "Hello, sorry to trouble you folks. My car broke down up the road," he said with a cheerful tone. "Mind giving me a lift? My girlfriend’s waiting for me at the mall, just a kilometer ahead. Don’t wanna be late for our date!" Charlotte frowned. "Sorry, we’re kind of busy. You can ask someone else." She began to roll up the window. "Wait—don’t you know me?" the guy interrupted, raising a brow. "I’m Carter Brown. Rising star in the hunter world?" ’That name...’ Charlotte’s eyes narrowed. "My girlfriend will kill me if I’m late," Carter added. "Please?" Draven suddenly leaned forward. "Wait—you’re the Carter Brown? The one who cleared the recent unstable rift zones?! Aren’t you about to break through to Grandmaster?" Carter grinned smugly. "Yup, that’s me. Give me a ride and I’ll even toss in an autograph." Seraphina glared daggers at Draven. "You think this is the time for autographs?" Draven immediately leaned back, hands up. "Okay, okay! Sorry!" Ethan gave a small sigh. "A kilometer’s not much. We’re headed the same way anyway. Let’s just take him." "But Ethan—" Seraphina started. He cut her off. "It won’t take long. Let’s go." Seraphina sighed, rubbing her temples. "Fine. You can sit up front with the driver." "Thanks!" Carter said. "Oh, and uh—do you mind if my manager comes with me? He’s got some business at the same mall." Seraphina stared at him. "Fine. Just hurry up." Carter and another man—his so-called manager—jumped into the front with the driver. The car sealed shut, and then took off toward the nearest warp gate that would send them directly to Zenith Academy. --- Minutes passed in silence. Alex’s body continued to darken—veins pulsing black, his skin flickering with eerie light. Ava looked toward Ethan. "What... are we supposed to do once we get to the academy?" Ethan’s voice was sharp. "We contact the Head of the Medical Staff. Immediately." But just as the car accelerated through the urban road, nearing the warp gate— The driver suddenly slammed the brakes. Everyone lurched forward. A tall, burly man stood in the middle of the road. His face was jagged with scars. His arms bulged with muscle, and in his hands... was a massive battle axe glowing with sinister energy. "What the hell is that?!" Seraphina shouted. The driver honked, shouting, "MOVE!" The man just grinned—a maniacal, bloodthirsty grin. The moment the car got close— The scarred man swung the axe down onto the road. CRACK—BOOOOOOOM! Space itself shattered as the blade struck the earth. It didn’t just break the pavement—reality warped. The air screamed as cracks of dimensional instability tore across the street. The impact was so massive that the entire hovercar exploded in a deafening BAM! Flames and magic clashed. The ground split apart. The world blinked red and black— And everything turned to chaos. ---------- A/N: So how was the Chapter? Tell me in the comments! Thanks for the ???? gift @Anju09 i really appreciate the support. Thanks for the golden tickets: @Goncalo0110, @Eventfullmars @BluuuuTea , JUST_justin @Ragnarock_22 , @Kyle_Yem @Dark_Ravin, @Anish_Hota @Ram_Cot , @Bjarne_H , @Peacej , @SleepyR26, @QueenMiMi_ , @mohammeddmmo75, @Capnmoonfire, @masken2007 I really appreciate the support, guys. ????