The silence that followed Garret's collapse was absolute.
The towering walls of the mana box had shattered into glowing dust, leaving the party completely exposed. Claire stared at the motionless, giant body of the A-Rank Warrior, her red eyes shaking.
Elara was still, her hands clamped over her mouth, completely paralyzed by a terror so profound it had broken her mind.
And the bug-beast was celebrating.
Hundreds of black cockroaches and centipedes crawled out of Garret's mouth, ears, and wounds, multiplying rapidly as they swarmed together and mixed into the main body.
"A feast!" the insect-man shrieked, its thousands of mandibles clicking in zealous joy. "A sacrifice for the great Lord!"
But Hide wasn't looking at Garret.
He was staring at the swarm.
A cold, paralyzing numbness washed over his entire body, instantly followed by a violent, suffocating heat.
Shhhhhk.
It wasn't just happening now. It had happened before.
