Saintess Summons Skeletons

Chapter 55: True Solstice

Sofia was anxiously monitoring her system prompt.

The timer had hit zero a good minute ago, but she was still there, waiting on a cold roof. The trial hadnt ended. Am I stuck here?

Hey Mr.Archangel, did you die while I was in there? Don't forget me...

Under her eyes, the letters of the system message morphed, forming new words.

[Trial completion : Commit to your thievery before the true solstices end]

What! Hey what is this! I am getting scammed!

What true solstice? What damn thievery? The trial should be over! I dont even understand what you expect me to do!

She was rightfully upset but no one was here to answer her complaints. Had this whole thing been the Archangels way to punish her for something? An elaborate trap? Maybe this whole trial thing was rigged in the first place. Nobody even understood why or how it existed.

Sofia was still asking herself what she should be doing, looking around, when the sky disappeared. As if the night sky and its stars were a torch that got snuffed out, replaced by a dark void.

Sofia knew of her own bad habit of overthinking and talking to herself, especially looking back at her fight against Orvod, she thought she could be more efficient if she toned down the pointless chatter in her head. It was easier said than done, but in times like this she at least managed to rapidly switch to a more survival oriented mindset.

This dark sky felt very familiar.

The city that had been in somewhat of an uproar until now had turned silent, everyone looked up at the sky. Reality shook with a muted thump.

The sound and shock repeated a few seconds later, then a third time.

A crack opened up high in the black void, a fissure spewing down eerie red light on the world from the high heavens. The crack grew larger and larger with each tremor, and out came something.

It was a large pillar, like a tree trunk, or some sort of giant stake, carved out of polished, cleanly cut, opaque ice blue crystal.

The pillar was slowly coming down out of the crack, its height seemingly endless. Sofia didnt want to believe it, but after she used her self made [Identify] she could only think of one thing, running away. The simple fact that the [Identify] worked meant it wasn't a monster. This was a sentient being.

The pillars name was exactly along the lines of what she had feared.

[Alphageid]

Sofias 360 degrees vision was a bit of a curse at times like this. Even while fleeing she couldnt help but see the thing come alive. When the pillar had almost reached the ground, its lower point had split into multiple smaller pillar branches, spreading out like the roots of a massive crystalline tree. These roots, however, had a life of their own, and they were quick to descend on the city. The silent city was silent no more, the citizens screamed and fled, but none could escape the sprawling tentacular roots when they had locked in on them.

This thing was killing everyone without a sound. There was no deadly looking monster or flashy fire attack, only a red light and the things roots impaling all of the living, and bringing them back to the floating pillars base. Some larger roots had also planted themselves in the ground, pulsating in otherworldly rhythms.

Sofia soon reached the edge of the capital city, trying to escape. Her path was soon blocked by the very thing she had tried to flee, the roots had come from the underground, and they writhed and split more and more, forming a tight-knit net around the city that started expanding to the sky.

No one would escape unless they could fly. Even with her new body she wouldn't manage to jump over. Some braver people tried their luck nonetheless, rushing to make their way through the closing wall of crystal roots. The roots around them would split again into smaller threads, impaling them for all sides in a sea of crystalline thorns. When these outgrowths fused back to the main roots, nothing was left of the unfortunate souls who tried to cross the wall, not a single drop of blood.

No escape Did all of this actually happen in the real world? How have I never heard of it I dont doubt that this thing will eat everyone. Well, if I complete my mission the trial should end and I can get out before its too late. Commit to my thievery

When the hell did I steal anything! Plenty of times actually. Shit. Doubt the damn Archangel cares much about some orphan stealing bread though. Then what? Or has Aurelia stolen anything? The king did mention her trying to steal the scaredy princess seal but that sounded more like her being framed and less like actual thievery.

For now the main roots of the monster were busy rampaging in the center of the city so the outskirts were still pretty safe, as long as you didnt approach the walls. Sofia had expected more chaos to break out, but despite the [Alphageid] appearing a mere ten minutes prior, most of the people that had witnessed the new outer walls were now praying in large groups. Of course, some outliers were also searching for a way out, which didnt exist. Sofia could see quite far and a single jump over the roofs had confirmed that the whole capital city was already walled in. The root walls were forming a large dome around them that encompassed even part of the forest behind the royal palace.

My skills are all useless against that. Cant even try [Hollow heart]Im pretty sure Ill die if I get too close. Could try the arm throwing thing again but does that thing even have a heart? It looks closer to a stone tree than a living being Shouldve really studied the anatomy of the lesser Phageids a bit more back in Zangdar. At least this one isnt releasing poison gas. Yet.

Further away, an old, white bearded fire mage had tried to blast open the root wall. The explosion was impressive. The wall stood unharmed. The pavement near it was charred black, and that was it. He had been standing quite a distance away, nevertheless, a root had separated from the wall and charged at him. He dodged the initial blow and even cast multiple fiery barriers around him as he ran. He could run a few meters before the root split in four. He was impaled and dragged back to the wall. His barriers hadnt even slowed the roots.

This looks a bit desperate. I cant even move that much. I can still avoid the parts of the city that are being targeted right now, but Ill end up cornered soon

In the distance, a winged woman had managed to cross the root wall by flying over, carrying a child out with her.

[Hero - Lv. 178]

Sofia had no time to focus on that. Up above, the void was no longer silent. With a good enough hearing, one could detect a low rumbling. It came from somewhere near in the sky, but it was hard to pinpoint.

The sound came in waves, in her head Sofia pictured a huge snoring monster. It was getting clearer until it got everyone looking at the sky once again, only to be met with the same vision of a red crack and a crystalline murder tree. With a dome of roots closing in on them by the second.

The noise didnt stop, it got louder and louder and louder, until it was all anyone could hear.

Most people saw nothing of what happened next, only Sofia with her wider and superior vision could catch a glimpse of the thing that had traversed the sky in an instant. It was a golden and blue blur. Moving at an unimaginable speed. As it passed by the creature out of the sky, it split up. The golden light kept going forward, while the blue lights course changed to a straight line toward the crystalline pillar.

Then the world turned white.

If the rippling and crashing waves of pressure and heat that washed over the city weren't enough, one thing was unmistakably giving away the true nature of the blue light.

The roar of thunder.