The Goddess' Champion

The caves were narrow, the weather inside dry and hot… his sweat ran along with his running figure as he struggled to shut across the cave.

*BOOMM!!*

A great animal followed behind, crawling through as Constantine's earth magic narrowed the path just so he could run faster and farther away from it!

Waving his hands with a grin he continued to run, the situation so thrilling.

"Zebellia, do I get something if I defeat this crab!?"

"Who are you calling a crab, disgusting elf!?"

[Get something?] The Valkyrie asked with bewilderment.

"Yes, a reduction of my punishment, some sword or something!?" He yelled and evaded the creature's claw-like teeth, it wasn't its manoeuvrability that troubled him more than its ruthless strength that threatened to cause the cave's top to crumble on them.

[Ah? Do you think this is a game or something? At most you will get a chuckle from me…] The woman spoke lazily in his mind, entertaining herself with this charade even if a little bit.

"Hmph! Then it is not worth killing it…" As he thought about that with sadness, his gaze moved to the creature's teeth.

'That could work as a weapon, but how…'

*BOOMM!!*

As the creature stumbled across the paths and he ran, jumping and rolling, he noticed precisely what he desired, the path is getting more narrow.

'Just a little more…' Constantine grit his teeth in annoyance, he only hoped this path is not a dead end, but even if he is, he tried to chart the path in his mind.

This thing was even more troublesome than the previous ants.

"You little rat, stop running!" The cicada seemed to lose its patience, especially as the path constricted around it, its thirst for blood fuelled its movements even as the danger of death approached swiftly.

*BAANG!!*

It was then that Constantine started; the cicada wasn't able to go further into the cave, but rather than run, Constantine grinned evilly.

"Come here human!"

Its body impacted against the cave's hole several times trying to squeeze an inch further and wrap that disgusting elf In its claws, but Constantine wasn't idling either.

His magic rotated madly with all the cores focused on a single task.

"Ugh!!"

The cicada felt several tendrils start to protrude from the ground into its body!

"AAHHH!! YOU!!"

His roots kept the cicada in place as he grinned, two more roots came out of the ground, trying to keep their head in place by the mouth.

The laws of the creature were forced open, Constantine had to use two more as the strength behind that jaw wasn't a joke.

"I'll need those!" He grasped one of the teeth and tried to take it out, it was roughly the size of his entire arm!

'If this thing stabs me I'm done!' He smirked, that's precisely what he needed, something this sharp.

The creature struggled but at least sixteen roots were keeping it in place, it couldn't even retreat.

[Be careful, you're using your cores a lot here…]

[1st Ether Magic Core (Earth): 30%]

[2nd Ether Magic Core (Flora): 28%]

[3rd Ether Magic Core (Flora): 27%]

[4th Ether Magic Core (Flora): 32%]

"Got it!"

!!!

*CLANG!!!*

He removed his hands just in time for the jaws to pierce through the roots and clang with such a strength that were his hands to still be there, they'd be goners.

"You're a bad crab!~"

"I TOLD YOU I'M NOT A CRAB! RELEASE ME, ELF!"

Four more roots protruded, it took a while but they opened the jaw once again, Constantine knew he has to be quick, otherwise, his magic will run out.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

Twisting the teeth back and forth, he managed to take out one!

!!!

The creature groaned in pain, but with one of them gone, the other one was easy.

He touched the sharp teeth, 'it's so well for a lance, enough for me to do for now'

He pierced through the flesh encasing three more teeth and plucked them too, with this it's four!

The creature groaned unintelligible noises, something along the lines of 'Let me go!'

"You don't look so frightening now, do you?" The conqueror held the sharp weapons and smirked, the cicada was in a helpless state, his roots had sunk at least a metre inside its flesh, but he could keep this no longer.

'The only reason I'm not killing you is because I can't…'

His roots couldn't go any further into the insect's flesh.

He stopped his magic but the roots didn't disappear, they just lost their durability.

*CRACK!*

At that very moment, cracking noises emerged as the roots cracked under the cicada's struggle, but by then, Constantine was long gone further inside the cave.

Howling noises were heard as the root finally broke from the core, still protruding into its skin…

The cicada regarded the path with poison, but there was nothing to do, the prey was gone, together with four of its teeth.

**

**

[Nice run, but your cores are almost empty… if you encounter a threat now, you're almost certainly dead]

"And what do I have you for?"

[To punish you? I'd be more than delighted if some of those ants came here and impaled you now]

"You don't sound convincing." He stumbled after having run for at least a few dozens of metres, the cave grew dangerously narrow, rendering him to believe that it was a dead-end -much to his disgrace.

He hurriedly started to recover and absorb the mana around, panting… he threw the four bloody teeth on the ground, those were the spoils of war.

[*chuckle* there you go, are you content?~] Zebellia mocked, but relief could be heard in her voice.

"Oh, shut up…" He rolled his eyes, sometimes the Valkyrie can be quite infuriating.

[Sure sure~]

[-20 Karma points]

"What the fuck!? Why is my karma debt increasing!?" He immediate stood up in outrage!

[Direct disrespect towards your secretary is obviously against heaven's decreed punishment… hence, you get minus twenty points] The Witch spoke haughtily.

"You're chatting bullshit!"

[Uh huh…]

[-100 Karma Points]

"STOP!!"

He grits his teeth so much that they almost bled, this woman is clearly doing whatever she wants, what 'Fate Jewel' nonsense?!

[You already owe the universe nine billion, what is a measly hundred?~]

He wanted to cry but tears wouldn't come out.

[You enjoyed being a tyrant, how does it feel to be helpless?]

"If you ever show yourself in front of me, I'm going to slap that ass…" Unruly as ever, but it wouldn't last long.

[…] He could swear he heard a smirk before reality dawned with the strength of a thousand suns.

[-100.000 Karma Points]

"Ha…Haha… HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" There was despair in there, when is he going to see his wives like this?

[…]

[-20 Karma Points]

!!!

"I'M JUST LAUGHING FOR FUCK'S SAKE! ARE YOU GOING TO INCREASE MY DEBT JUST FOR EXISTING!?"

There was a smile on his face, but tears were rolling uncontrollably, the silhouette of his beloveds seemed so foggy now.

[I should, you either laugh or cry, pick one~]

"I'm not talking to you anymore!"

'Zebellia, I'll pay you back for this!'

[HAHAHAAH!!!]

The Valkyrie laughed heartily, wherever her body was, one thing is for sure, she was twisting and groaning out of laughter.

[Karma: -9.080.988.240 (Nine Billion)]