Seed of Titan-Chapter 89: The Crimson Dome

Jian heaved a sigh of relief as he watched Peanut shoot into the distance like a comet. He then straightened his messy clothes before throwing a middle finger in Peanut’s direction.

"So long, weirdo!"

As he released his empowering skills, Jian finally felt the pain from Peanut’s attacks. With a grimace, he eyed the multiple small holes all over his body.

’Fuck, I really need to take a bath. Who knows if those dead fingers carry some strange disease?’ Jian shuddered in disgust.

Shortly after, Drai and Christo arrived at the junction. Feeling grateful for his timely rescue, Jian immediately fist-bumped Drai, who had reverted to his normal size.

Gazing in the direction of Peanut’s flight, Christo remarked, "So that’s two out of three."

"Two? Did you beat up someone before coming here?" Jian questioned.

"Yeah. Drai defeated Venus," Christo replied. On their way here, Drai had told him about the black pill, along with the intruders’ identities and their purpose for coming here that Drai had inferred from Donk’s and Venus’ conversation earlier.

"So the dumb candy guy is the last one, huh?" Jian said, recalling the scene earlier where Donk pleaded on his knees for candy.

"Uhm... He’s actually not dumb anymore," Drai said. He then proceeded to explain the whole matter to Jian, just like what he had done to Christo before.

Upon hearing about Donk’s transformation, Jian clenched his fist and exclaimed, "I knew it! Fuck alchemists, man! Using this stuff is obviously cheating!"

Christo shook his head and disagreed with Jian’s sentiment. "Don’t you know the saying ’All is fair in love and war’? For the sake of fulfilling their mission, honor can easily be casted aside. The same goes for us too."

Jian scratched his head awkwardly, realizing that he did just scam his way out of danger a few minutes ago without any concern for his honor.

"Anyway, let’s head to the girls just like we had planned," Christo said as he led the way. Drai and Jian nodded and quickly followed, walking beside Christo.

Along the way, their group didn’t meet many people—only a few first-years who were hurriedly zooming past them. The upperclassmen’s dorms had been deliberately placed far away on the other side of campus by the academy to help prevent freshmen bullying that used to be prevalent in the past, so it wasn’t strange that all of the people they saw in the vicinity were first-years.

As Drai and his friends entered the academy’s main road that would lead them to the female dorm, a peculiar sight greeted them.

"What the hell is that..." Jian muttered as he stared at the large dome that was covering the entirety of the academy’s central area where most of the professors lived in.

"No way!" Drai exclaimed as he immediately rushed forward.

Arriving at the edge of the dome, he carefully touched the dark red wall in front of him. His fear was soon confirmed, as his hands could sense the sturdiness of the barrier.

After making sure that his surroundings were clear, Drai released Colossal Augmentation to the max. He then swung his fist, slamming onto the dome with all his might.

A deafening boom ensued, which forced the nearby Jian and Christo to cover their ears. Yet, to Drai’s dismay, the dome wasn’t budging at all. In fact, he had failed to even leave a tiny crack on its surface.

Drai readied his stance, preparing to breach the dome once more. However, his movements froze upon hearing a familiar voice.

"It’s useless, baby heretic. The crimson dome is made to withstand attacks from fifth-stagers. What can you do when all your professors inside can’t even leave a dent on it?"

Drai looked behind him and saw Donk’s well-built figure standing atop one of the nearby buildings.

"That dome is the smaller version of the one that’s keeping all of you here while preventing the capital’s forces from interrupting our mission," Donk mentioned while pointing at the dark red sky above them.

Drai didn’t care for Donk’s explanation and immediately shifted his stance, ready to blast Donk into the sky like he had done to Peanut earlier. However, Donk’s figure instantly blurred and he soon reappeared between Christo and Jian.

"Don’t do it, boy. You wouldn’t want to squash your friends too, would you?" Donk said while gripping Jian and Christo by their necks, one in each hand. Both of them were showing painful expressions due to Donk’s tight grip.

Drai quickly lowered his stance to quell Donk’s aggression lest he break his friends’ necks. However, he decided not to revert to normal, as he thought it would just make the three of them easy pickings for Donk. At least he had some bargaining power if he maintained his current form.

"What do you want?" Drai’s voice boomed toward the three tiny figures below him.

"Nothing much. I just want a nice little chat before I go back to being an idiot," Donk replied with a shrug.

Drai fell silent. He didn’t know if Donk was telling the truth or if this was a ploy to catch him off guard.

"I know what you’re thinking," Donk continued, "but I’m being totally honest here. There’s really not much time left for my transformation. The black pill isn’t that powerful—at least not yet. That’s part of the reason why we’re targeting your academy. You’re the Anomaly, right?"

"Anomaly?" Drai asked in confusion, not knowing what Donk meant by that.

"Yeah, the Anomaly who’s working together with Manic Friend to rekindle Vainly Probe. Actually, only the team leaders are privy of this info, but since I’m originally dumber than a stone, most people are careless around me and often divulge sensitive info," Donk explained.

Drai’s eyebrows furrowed as he became even more confused, wondering what Donk meant by ’Manic Friend’ or ’rekindle Vainly Probe’.

Upon seeing Drai’s confused expression, Donk couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Oh boy. I didn’t realize you’re a slow one—although lucky for you, not as slow as the fat me."

Drai was a bit offended but decided against talking back since Donk was still holding his friends hostage. He instead took a peek at his System screen.

[Colossal Augmentation active. Remaining duration: 5 minutes 49 seconds]