Psychokinetic Eyeball Pulling

Chapter 43: Friendship

The man stood up from his looming seat. He had wrapped enormous chains around his wrist as they coiled on the floor. They reminded Astrid of the chains of an anchor. He raised his arms like they weighed nothing.

“Astrid, make sure you stay behind us.” Daniel said. “If he tries that shit again with those chains, you know what to do.”

Astrid nodded. Her heartbeat rose. Once again, her life was on the line. She didn’t know if she was going to make it out alive. It was a peculiar feeling. There was no fear or anxiety. Her heart was beating out of excitement. She knew keenly that one mistake made here would be the end. Astrid already had her Illusionary Armour and Mind Barrier around her like a fortified blanket.

The man opened his mouth, as if to speak, but no words left his mouth. Astrid attempted to read his lips, but she couldn’t make out a single word. It was nothing but gibberish. He began thrashing his arms around as the hefty chains clinked and smashed together. Astrid flinched back at the sudden movement.

Before he made his move, Astrid’s mind was working overtime to predict what he was going to do. She attempted to use Identify, but it didn’t show his name. Astrid could only guess he was that Jailer person from the description of the item, The Eternal Jailer. The only thing that made her calm down slightly was that the question marks were still in the triple digits. They had a chance, at least.

Astrid hoped he had more illusion type skills. If that was the case, she could see through it all and help everyone as they focused on fighting him. He moved. His face twisted in wrath as he snapped his arm forward. The hulking chains tore straight at the middle of the group like an oversized whip.

Leena took hold of Astrid’s waist as she dashed to the side. Right where they were standing, the chain collided with the floor. It broke the hardened black tiles into fragments; the chain gouged itself into the floor. He didn’t stop there, thrashing his other arm. The other chain hurtled straight for Rob. Astrid immediately used Mind Barrier on Rob, and with it, the room’s temperature dropped. A shiver ran up her spine as Rob’s shield emitted a frigid cold. A layer of ice emerged from the thick metal as the chain collided against it. As Rob’s body slid back, the chunky layer of ice shot up the chain and crawled up the man's arm.

“Now!” Daniel shouted, but it was unnecessary. Leo and Henry charged forward. The Jailer swept the chain in his hand horizontally across the floor. Henry’s shield shone a brilliant golden light as the chain collided with his shield. Golden particles split off like sparks, then a raw energy blasted from the surface of his shield, sending the midsection of the chain hurtling back.

But the chain was too long. It whipped around Henry and the tip struck towards Astrid and the others as it forced them to jump. Astrid activated levitate as her body hovered in the air. She formed clusters of matter at the Jailer’s eyes and [Crashed] them, creating explosions that peppered his face. He simply covered his eyes with one hand and pulled back his frozen hand as the ice shattered into fragments.

Leo approached like a rampaging beast. Red mist vapour rose from the back of his broad shoulders. A wild scream left his throat as his axe swept towards the Jailer. The air tussled at the movement as the red from his shoulders merged to the edge of his axe, leaving mist trailing behind it.

The Jailer was quick to react. Chains shot up from the ground and latched around Leo’s legs and arms, finally coiling around his throat. Astrid widened her eyes. It was another illusion. She ignored how real it seemed as she connected to the illusion and [Crash] it. With a rumbling explosion, Leo’s arms broke free, and his axe along with it. The terrifying momentum of Leo’s enormous weapon of war cleaved into the Jailer’s collarbone. With a snap, the axe continued further–deeper.

The Jailer’s mouth opened wide, veins formed on his forehead. Chains shot out from his back in the hundreds as they smashed into Leo’s chest, sending him flying back and crashing into the floor. Leo slammed his axe into the tiles, sparks flew as his body ground to a halt.

Astrid looked in awe as the Jailer had hundreds of chains all swaying behind him. He didn’t give them a chance to be awestruck for very long as the chains began thrashing around in every direction. The tanks dashed forward, blocking the attacks. Then the mana within the room swirled. The Jailer’s mana container exploded forth, blue tendrils branched out like roots like a magnificent tree within his body.

Men with no eyes and chains around their throat began crawling out of the floor, like hot steam from a boiling kettle. Astrid’s eyes twitched. She could tell they were an illusion, but they rushed towards them at an incredible pace. Leena stepped forward as her umbrella formed a round shield. The man’s fist slammed into her. She recoiled back a step.

Astrid frowned at the monster. It was an illusion, yet the force it held was true. She connected to the matter inside of the man and [Crashed] it. The man’s body trembled. He fell to one knee as Leena’s thrusted her umbrella lance forward, piercing through his skull. The spear went straight through, like stabbing a knife through sand.

Astrid used more mana this time, as an explosion obliterated the man’s body until there wasn’t a sign of his existence. More approached.

“Leena, you focus on blocking. I’ll deal with the eyeless men!” Astrid shouted.

Leena nodded as she deflected another strike from the illusion.

Astrid couldn’t worry about her mana usage. The others were also struggling with the illusions. It looked like magic was the only way to deal with them, as Rachelle was forced to use her mana to attack rather than heal. It was the same for Peter. He was throwing strange circular balls of light. With a boom, they exploded, throwing needle-like shrapnel all over the battlefield.

Daniel and the others were dealing with the Jailer, but Astrid knew that wasn’t her fight. She needed to focus on the enemies in front of her. With another bundle of matter created, explosions rapidly followed as the illusions turned to smoke as it billowed up to the ceiling.

An enormous force blasted Leena off of her feet and sent her hurtling backwards.

“Leena!” Astrid shouted.

Someone from the other team caught Leena from flying out of the formation. Astrid spun around as the culprit dashed towards her. He was different. A golden collar adorned his throat. His hammer looked to be made from gilded metal. She felt her mind turn numb as the great-hammer smashed into her. It sent her tumbling to the floor. Blood seeped from her mouth as her Mind Barrier shattered into pieces. Astrid corralled a mass of matter to the man and immediately exploded it. With another step, the man was missing more than half his face. Gnawing her lip, Astrid screamed as she used the rest of her mana as the man’s head crumbled entirely.

Reaching to her waist, some of the mana potions had shattered. Spilling their fluid onto the floor. Taking one that remained, she swallowed the contents within as her weary mind buzzed back with excitement.

“Astrid, are you okay?” Leena dashed back, her shield slamming back the incoming attack from another illusion.

“I’m fine!” Astrid scrambled to her feet.

Astrid glanced over at Daniel and the other team leaders. The fight was turning intense. The Jailer’s chains were thrashing around with enough force to crush bones into dust. Although their fight was becoming incredibly fierce after Astrid had defeated the hammer illusion, the rest dwindled.

Is he getting tired?

Astrid thought as it sent Leo flying, despite the many wounds marred in his body. He only became more excited. A savage grin covered his face despite the blood flowing from his face. With another beastly roar, he leapt forward.

Guess not.

Henry moved around like a beacon of light. Every time his shield flashed a golden light, he would blast out damage equal to that he received. It seemed the Jailer had learnt his lesson as he no longer wasted energy on creating illusions since Astrid would just explode them whenever they appeared.

Daniel stood still for a second before his eyes flashed with many lines, only it wasn’t in one eye anymore. It had moved to both. His feet repeatedly shifted, as if he was dancing. Then, he moved forward at break-neck speed. Astrid simply couldn’t follow his movements as his curved blade sliced straight through the Jailer's nape. With a hard thud, his head fell to the floor. Like a snake, the chains kept on wriggling. A ball of light emitted from the Jailer’s cut neck as the mana within the room swirled like a vortex.

Astrid had the feeling of impending doom as it latched onto her heart. The air surrounding the Jailer distorted and fragmented. The light flashed into a blinding existence as it threatened to ravage her eyes. Rob and the tanks rushed forward, but their faces held despair within them. Everyone could feel the energy the Jailer was emitting. The energy of unfathomable chaos.

Leena rushed in front of Astrid and held her arms around her to protect her from the blast.

“Astrid.” Leena said.

Rob and Losef stood in front of Astrid with their shields covering her. Lisa and Rachelle stood to the side, protecting her flank. Daniel dashed back.

Daniel flashed a smile. There were no words, but they weren't needed. She saw defeat in his eyes.

Astrid’s eyes glistened. A pain pricked into her left iris. She could see it this time. The x on full display. Leena widened her eyes at the sight.

Your Friendship has reached 85/100

Your Friendship has reached 90/100

Your Friendship has reached 100/100

They would give their lives for me? Astrid felt an overwhelming sensation take over her body. It felt familiar, yet alien at the same time. Memories of her time with Daniel and the others flashed through her mind. Their jokes, and protection. They treated her as a human and not a noble, she was part of their team, their family. Then her gaze settled on Leena. She had been with her since young, always by her side, protecting her from anything that came her way. She was always there, no matter what. The long forgotten memories of bullies from her childhood resurfaced like flashbacks. She was excluded, all alone, but Leena was always there to make her feel better. When she would cry, Leena would rush around in an attempt to make her feel better. They were her friends.

Overload: Friendship.

Increasing intelligence by 200.

Increasing wisdom by 100.

Increasing Mind Barrier strength by 300%

Increasing Psychokinesis control by 300%

Mana capacity exceeded by 500%

Astrid’s Mind Barrier shot out like an oversized, armoured bubble as it encased the different teams. The explosion erupted like a primal volcano. She could feel the intense pressure grind on her mind. Blood spilled from her face, but she gnashed her teeth together.

Hold. Please hold!

Astrid screamed in agony. It felt as if her brain was being ravaged by blades repeatedly. One cut, two cuts, they reached the thousands in the blink of an eye.

“Astrid, stop!” Leena hugged Astrid’s trembling body as blood trickled down onto her armour.

After a few minutes, which felt like an eternity. She felt her mind turn hazy. Pain wracked the side of her head. Daniel stood to the side with the pommel of his blade on display.

“It’s our responsibility,” Daniel said.

The overpowering energy ripped into Henry’s shield. It was the same for Leo, however, he purely relied on his body to tank the hit. Rob grit his teeth and walked forward. The frigid ice covering his shield melted away, and then quickly formed once more. But the energy was too strong. His heavy shield slowly disintegrated. It continued until there was nothing left of his shield. He took a step forward with his arms crossed. The mana began eating away at his flesh like devouring ants.

“No!” Astrid screamed.

Rob turned his head. The energy had already started melting away the metal helmet that encased his head, revealing a deep smile.