Shota's Isekai NTR Adventure Chapter 1983: Defense test (3)

Queenie cast an awkward glance in my direction once the barrier began to fracture.

The expression on her face spoke volumes, yet I had no intention of letting her off the hook simply because she looked uncomfortable.

Her inability to perform wasn't an excuse; it was an obstacle to be overcome.

If she lacked the internal drive, I simply had to provide the necessary 'motivation' to push her forward.

"I gave you a chance," I remarked coldly, before making a motion as if to drop the object gripped in my hand.

"No, wait, don’t!" Queenie cried out, but her plea came too late as I smashed it against the floor.

The instant the object shattered, a chaotic new variable was unleashed upon the environment.

This newly released entity immediately began searching for a target to strike.

Its aggression wasn't born of malice, but of desperation; having been imprisoned for so long without sustenance, it was in a severely weakened state and required energy to drain if it wanted to survive.

Being the closest person to the impact site, I was naturally its first target, far closer than Queenie or her swarm of bugs.

Consequently, it lunged toward me before anyone else.

However, as it drew near, the entity on the ground abruptly halted its advance. It began to tremble violently, as if it had suddenly sensed a presence it should instinctively fear.

I was the source of that terror.

The item I had shattered was a concentrated sample of corruption energy.

I had made it a practice to carry samples of this corruption energy with me, never knowing when such a tool might prove useful. Since my journey involved encountering the messengers of the gods, having this energy on hand was occasionally a necessity.

Because this particular sample was in a diminished state, I found it quite simple to manipulate.

Of course, for anyone else, controlling such a force would have been an impossible task.

My dominance over it was entirely due to the immense divine energy I possessed, a power that the corruption energy feared above all else.

The moment the corruption energy moved toward me, I surged with a thick layer of divine energy. This power acted as a natural nemesis to the corruption; in its frail condition, it was no match for the overwhelming divine energy I radiated.

Had it dared to touch me while I was shielded by such force, it would have been instantly purified into nothingness.

Recognizing the danger, the corruption energy swerved away from me, redirecting its hunger toward Queenie and her insects.

She looked at me with pleading eyes, hoping I would intervene, but I remained indifferent to her silent request. "If you want to protect yourself, you’ll have to raise that barrier," I told her firmly.

Queenie stared at me as if I had lost my mind when she heard my words.

With the corruption energy closing the distance, she realized she had no other options. She began funneling her divine energy into her bugs, causing them to glow with renewed light.

Despite her desperate efforts to fortify the barrier using her controlled insects, the defensive wall remained at its previous, insufficient level of strength.

Initially, the corruption energy paused, sensing the divine energy barrier blocking its path. After a brief hesitation, it began probing various points of the shield, searching for an opening.

It poked and prodded at the divine energy barrier, as if it were methodically testing the limits of its durability.

Eventually, the corruption energy identified several structural weaknesses and forced its way through the divine energy barrier.

Queenie reacted instantly, sending more bugs to patch the breaches, but the corruption energy managed to snatch away several insects that had been part of the barrier's composition.

By consuming these bugs, the corruption energy began to replenish its own strength.

As its power grew, it became increasingly easy for the corruption to tear away more sections of the divine energy barrier.

Queenie struggled to repair the damage and upgrade the barrier simultaneously, but the corruption energy was evolving and strengthening at a pace she couldn't match.

It appeared to be only a matter of minutes before the corruption energy would shatter Queenie’s defenses entirely.

That would have been her fate, if an icicle hadn't suddenly struck the corruption energy mid-attack.

The impact caused half of the corruption energy to vanish instantly, forcing the remainder to retreat from Queenie’s barrier. It huddled together, seemingly terrified to make another move.

However, no second icicle followed the first.

Queenie looked toward me, expecting further assistance since I had been the one to fire the projectile, but I remained motionless.

Once the corruption energy realized the immediate threat had passed, it resumed its assault on Queenie’s barrier.

Queenie fought to hold it back, but she was powerless to stop the corruption from gradually rebuilding its lost power.

Yet, every time it regained a significant amount of strength, another icicle would fly out and strike it down.

The cycle repeated endlessly, and with each wave, Queenie’s barrier grew slightly more resilient and powerful.

It was a brutal, extreme method of training, but this was the level of pressure I was willing to exert.

"If you want to be lazy, then I’ll make it impossible for you to be lazy."