Milt produced a tainted black crystal shaped like a conch shell and channeled his ability into it.
Immediately, an ancient incantation began to echo from the crystal. The sound carried an immense, piercing quality, rapidly penetrating the ears of every beastman present.
Nina was taken aback. Isn’t this the exact same trick the red-eyed monster used? How does Milt know it too? Could he be connected to that creature?
The vast majority of the beastmen felt no particular reaction upon hearing the chant. They were entirely bewildered, unable to fathom what kind of trick Milt was trying to pull.
However, a small faction of the crowd suddenly clutched their temples, desperately fighting to suppress a violent surge of killing intent and raw energy.
Idir was among them. Clamping a hand over his forehead, he flew up to Nina’s side. "Nina, Milt is trying to trigger the curse within us."
Nina glanced at Idir before looking down at the beastmen below who were on the verge of snapping. Her brow furrowed deeply. She had to find a way to snatch that crystal away from Milt as quickly as possible to stop the sound. If the curse broke out across so many afflicted beastmen simultaneously, it would inevitably result in massive casualties.
With that in mind, she launched a fierce, relentless assault against Milt, hunting for a window of opportunity to seize the crystal.
Reading her intentions perfectly, Milt avoided engaging her head-on. He focused entirely on shielding the crystal, waiting for the curse to take hold of Idir and the others.
He gloated triumphantly, "Nina, you might be able to tie me down, but can you stop the outbreak down there? Soon, they will lose every shred of their sanity. One by one, they will turn into mindless, bloodthirsty monsters that don’t even recognize their own kin—including your precious husband, Idir!"
"Don’t count your chickens just yet," Nina retorted.
Idir could handle it, but the other afflicted beastmen down below were in serious jeopardy. The incantation was highly effective at inducing the outbreak, and they had yet to find a reliable way to keep the curse under control. If things truly spiraled out of hand, she would have no choice but to resort to her ultimate contingency plan—though that was a last resort she wanted to avoid.
She glared venomously at Milt. This wretched snake... I am absolutely destroying him today.
As the incantation continued to drill into their ears, several of the cursed beastmen finally lost their grip on reality, turning around to violently attack the comrades standing right next to them.
Narrowly dodging a strike, one beastman yelled in protest, "Apao! Why are you suddenly attacking me?!" Then, catching sight of the glowing curse marks flaring on Apao’s temples, he panicked. "You... you’re one of the cursed ones?!"
Fighting to claw back a brief moment of lucidity, Apao gasped, "Run... get away from me!" The other beastman shot him a deeply conflicted look before quickly fleeing the scene.
Moments later, more and more beastmen fell under attack.
"The curse! It’s the curse!"
"Their curses are breaking out! Run for your lives!"
...
Chaos erupted across the plaza below. Odian and the rest of the team did everything they could to maintain order.
Hearing the commotion down below, Nina was forced to split her focus, summoning lines of vines to wrap around and restrain the beastmen who were actively losing control.
Idir clenched his fists so hard they trembled, doing everything in his power to suppress the roaring brutality surging in his chest. That damn phoenix and the others kept saying I was incredibly annoying whenever I lost control.
Sure, going feral means I get to monopolize Nina for a bit, but to avoid making things difficult for her—and to keep the other husbands from ganging up on me, isolating me, or giving me petty grief later—I’d better keep my head straight. I will absolutely not lose control.
Seeing him resist, Milt only grew more smug. "Nina, look! Your husband is right on the edge." He was dying to watch them tear each other apart. Glancing down at the mounting chaos below, he smiled; he always did enjoy the sight of a bloodbath. He looked at Nina and Idir with pure malice, waiting to mock their downfall.
Nina creased her brow, her mind racing as she calculated her options.
Seeing that the beastmen below were beginning to lose the battle for their sanity, Phar knew Nina wouldn’t be able to wrestle the crystal away from Milt in a short amount of time. He resolved to step in and help.
The energy Milt wielded originated from Thraxxis, and it was far too massive for Phar to confront directly right now. But at the very least, he could help his little female keep the rampaging beastmen under control first.
But if his little female needed it, he would help her—even if it meant suffering a severe backlash himself.
Phar channeled his energy, and a gentle, pale gold light began to radiate from his body. In the blink of an eye, the luminescence rippled outward at extreme speed, quickly blanketing the entire area.
Bathed in the soft glow, the rampaging beastmen felt a rush of warm energy wash over them. The roaring killing intent churning in their chests seemed to be gently pacified, slowly settling down.
As the closest one to Phar, Idir experienced the most dramatic effect. He could feel that the curse within him had been completely suppressed. He shot an astonished look at Phar, who was still cradled in Nina’s arms. This little white beast could actually suppress the Serpent clan’s curse? Being so close, he could tell without a doubt that the pacifying force originated from the light emanating from the creature.
Down below, the rampaging beastmen froze in bewilderment before erupting into pure ecstasy. The curses that had just broken out were actually being held at bay; they weren’t going to turn into mindless monsters after all!
Instinctively, they looked up toward the source of the power. It was Nina—she really could suppress the curse! From their vantage point on the ground, they could only see Nina.
The nearby beastmen who had just been under attack were equally amazed to see their afflicted comrades snapping out of it. Following their gaze, they all looked up at Nina as well. So it was Lady Nina who had saved them!
Odian also glanced in Nina’s direction. This little white beast is definitely something special.
Idir closed the distance to Nina. "Nina, the curse has been suppressed."
Nina looked down at the creature in her arms. "Is it because of Snowflake?"
"Yes. This spiritual beast of yours is incredibly powerful," Idir confirmed.
Nina was absolutely thrilled. "He really is." Last time, Snowflake had come through for her, and now he had saved the day yet again.
She gently rubbed Phar’s back and said happily, "Thank you, little fella! You’re amazing!" Overjoyed that bringing him along had paid off so spectacularly, she couldn’t resist the impulse to plant a kiss on him.
Carried away by her excitement, Nina lifted Phar up and planted a firm kiss right on his forehead.
Phar froze. The... the little female kissed him?
A sudden blush burned across his face. Flaming red, he quickly buried his head back into Nina’s embrace, though his mind couldn’t stop playing the sensation over and over. So this was what it felt like to be kissed by his little female? It was soft... and it felt a little sweet.
Idir felt a sudden pang of jealousy. Spiritual pets certainly get all the best perks.
Meanwhile, Milt was completely dumbfounded. What is going on? How did Idir and the others suddenly snap out of it?
He channeled his energy into the crystal conch with even greater force, sending the incantation blaring out again. Yet, neither Idir nor the cursed beastmen below showed the slightest reaction. Tightening his grip on the crystal, he ground his teeth. Another piece of useless garbage.
Milt stowed the crystal away, resolving to focus entirely on taking down Nina. He would drain her energy first today, then hunt down the others to reclaim his sacred artifact. Without Nina, those males would be entirely helpless against him.
By now, the vast majority of the beastmen in the plaza had been evacuated, leaving the surrounding area wide open.
Idir shot a glare at Milt, then turned to Nina. "Nina, this foul green snake is an eyesore. Let’s beat him down together."
Nina let out a soft laugh. "Alright. We’ll have snake stew tonight."
"Sounds like a plan," Idir smiled.
With that, the two of them lunged at Milt in tandem.
A sinister light flashed in Milt’s eyes. Shifting forms, he morphed into a massive green serpent and lunged forward to viciously clash with them.