The giant hydra plummeted to the ground with nine of its heads still wildly flailing, releasing piercing shrieks. Its colossal form sent shockwaves throughout the battlefield, shaking the earth and echoing across the sky.
Nathan's lightning strike seemed to briefly knock the hydra down, but there was no visible sign of injury that appeared to heal rapidly. With a deep sigh of frustration, he glanced at his Lightning Thief Bracelet, knowing that he would only be able to perform a similar attack every 60 minutes.
"Tsk, this isn't going to be an easy opponent to take on," he muttered.
Gydarra hurriedly rushed to Nathan's side. His breath was rapid with excitement, and his face gave away his excitement as he exclaimed, "Master, what took you so long to arrive here?"
Nathan turned to Gydarra and, in a hushed voice, asked, "So, how many people were affected by this?"
Gydarra shrugged and responded, "I don't really know and, frankly, I don't care. Most of the damage had been done, we were so close to defeating the hydra, but we failed at the last moment."
"I see," Nathan said, nodding slowly in understanding.
"So, master," Gydarra continued in a hushed voice, "How about Muramoto? Could he make it?"
"He couldn't make it," Nathan replied in a composed tone, taking his gaze away from the giant beast before him.
"I had found out who had done this to Muramoto, and was about to take action, when Olivia, that bitch human, butted in and ruined it all."
Nathan turned to Gydarra but remained quiet. "Olivia will definitely have a different reaction if she finds out that this man has injured Muramoto, won't she?"
***
Max shouted enthusiastically at the camera when Nathan's presence gave everyone renewed hope. "Let's go! Nathan, show them we still have something to be hopeful for!" His voice was full of assurance, and the people in the studio stood up to give a loud cheer in response.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtMax exclaimed, "Can you all see? With one powerful attack, Nathan managed to make the fearsome hydra fall. Let's see if he can use his wits to get himself out of this tricky predicament!"
Max gestured toward the camera and continued, "Do you think this challenge can be passed? If you believe in someone who is striving to pass the CEHA entrance exam - the biggest obstacle they may be facing - come along and show your support!"
The raucous cheers of the people in the studio reverberated throughout the building, and they could feel the waves of emotion emanating from the participants, who seemed to have hit a wall. But then, Nathan arrived and gave them the hope they were looking for.
The audience erupted in joy and began chanting his name - that night, it seemed like there was no one in New Earth more talked about than Nathan.
"Nathan! Nathan! Nathan!"
***
Anonymous Deer: "This is incredible! Nathan, you're really something special."
Anonymous Horse: "Can he really overcome such an insurmountable obstacle? I'm concerned that he may not be able to do it, even with Olivia's help."
Anonymous Rabbit: "I'm not sure if he can succeed – I mean, it's a difficult task and Olivia has been struggling with it for some time. Do you think he can pull it off?"
Anonymous Cat: "It is uncertain what the result will be, but we can still have faith that things will turn out well."
Anonymous Mouse: "The executives at CEHA must be deeply distressed seeing everything unfold before them. They must feel a sense of helplessness as they watch events take place without being able to intervene."
Anonymous Elephant: "There is no hope for them. They are all going to die."
Anonymous giraffe: "Could it be that he is a god apostle too?"
Anonymous Snake: "No, I don't think so. He usually appears in his berserker form and I believe this is just an enhanced version of what he had before. Additionally, there was only one notification given by the system, right? Maybe the other god apostles haven't been able to unlock their power yet."
***
Following Nathan's instructions, Meriel was close to Olivia and Robert to better understand their situation and provide the right aid based on their decision. At that moment, she noticed that Olivia was quite severely injured, although her state had improved due to the god apostle's power.
"Ms. Meriel," Robert said in a hushed tone, "I beg you to prioritize Olivia and Lily; they will be of utmost importance in this battle."
Meriel nodded silently, the grimoire materializing above her in response. With a graceful wave of her hand, she cast a spell that healed both Olivia and Lily simultaneously, restoring their vitality and energy.
After some time, Meriel looked exhausted, her face appearing very tired and pale. "I'm sorry," she said softly, "but this is the best I can do," as Olivia and Lily's complexions regained a bit of their color.
Meriel utilized her healing powers to mend Olivia's fatal wound and restore Mana and Stamina to Olivia and Lily. Unfortunately, she was only able to provide a fraction of the Mana and Stamina they needed, as their capacity was quite high; she had already expended a lot of her Stamina to restore Nathan.
"Thank you, Ms. Meriel," Olivia murmured as she rose to her feet. She turned to Lily and added, "Let's go, Lily."
Lily nodded in agreement and quickly followed Olivia, hastening to join Nathan and Gydarra. Their strides were sure and swift, and their gazes were now focused and resolute, brimming with hope that they could find a way out of this problem.
The four of them then regrouped at one point – Nathan, Gydarra, Olivia, and Lily.
"Nathan Oppa," Lily called out to Nathan, her voice wavering with emotion.
Nathan turned towards her with a gentle smile and warmly greeted his half-sister. "Hi Lily," he answered, "how are you?"
Lily looked up at him with teary eyes. "I'm so glad you came, Nathan Oppa," she replied, her voice full of relief and gratitude.
Nathan slowly replied, apologizing, "Yes, I'm sorry, but I have something that needs to be finished first."
Nathan then shifted his gaze to the girl standing next to Lily. He recognized her immediately as Olivia Aveline, although something appeared to have changed about her. Her complexion seemed to have changed as drastically as Linda's had, but it was as if she was covered in a sheen of white, luminous skin.
"God apostle?" Nathan murmured softly.
"I might be the God Apostle that the system announced to everyone," Olivia answered, facing Nathan. "But I failed to defeat that monster. Hi again, Nathan. My name is Olivia Aveline."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmGazing at Olivia, Nathan instantly remembered Muramoto, but he realized that this was not the moment to bring it up. From the expression on her face, Nathan could tell that she didn't know what had happened to Muramoto or if she'd already received the news from someone else?
Yudan's suspicions that the God Apostle of Virtues had two modes were further confirmed as he saw Olivia's condition, which was still in her control. However, what had happened to Linda was the exact opposite of her virtue, leaving her without any control over her consciousness.
On the other hand, Nathan was still concerned that this blessing could be problematic if the user could not control their emotions.
"I lost my sword, Nathan," Olivia persisted. "So, I thought I could lend you my ability instead to help you out."
Olivia walked up to Nathan, "Excuse me, Nathan. I'm sure this will help increase your fighting potential," She said, then she touched his back.
At that moment, Nathan felt an injection of energy surge through his back.
"What is this?" he asked, feeling something strange writhing on his back as he ran his fingers over it.
"I'll lend you my wings - they should help you fly." Olivia said,
[An upgrade occurred, increasing the speed by 20% and decreasing the stamina needed by 30%.]
Nathan felt two wings extending from his back and a pair from his waist. After that, two wings sprouted from his legs, and a pair of wings grew from his neck, making four pairs of white, shining wings flapping slowly like angelic wings.
Nathan's mind quickly absorbed the instructions on using the wings; it was as if he had an extra set of appendages, and he felt like he could maneuver them like his own limbs.
Gydarra gasped when he saw what had happened to Nathan, pointing out in amazement, "How come Master has four pairs of wings while this poor girl only has two?"
Olivia gazed, dumbfounded, at Nathan. "I can't explain it," she replied, her voice quivering with confusion. "I've just acquired this ability myself."
Lily stared at Nathan with wide eyes and a faint smile. "That's incredible, Nathan Oppa," she said, her gaze then shifting toward Lewis, who stood in the distance, prepared for the next wave of monsters. "We must help Lewis," she added.
"All right," Olivia declared, surveying the immense hydra before them, which was trying to get up.
"We don't have enough time," she continued. "We have to behead nine of its heads simultaneously or within an incredibly short time frame in order to defeat it," she elucidated.
Nathan then took out a silver sword that had been entrusted by Muramoto to him for Olivia. He held it and then handed it to her. "That sword..." Nathan hesitated before continuing. "It's from someone, and you can use it."
Olivia was silent and awestruck as she read the description of the sword, admiring its gleaming blade. "Thank you," she said with a warm smile.