Chapter 84: Chapter No.84 Showdown (4)
[Samael Ashwood's POV]
"Shit indeed, Because we too are bound to protect this place and kill any intruders," the man finished, his voice cold and detached. As he and the one who was sleeping awoke with a sudden, unnatural jolt, the atmosphere in the chamber shifted dramatically. The once-slumbering figure now stood beside the other, his eyes glowing with the same eerie light.
Both of them exuded a palpable aura of malevolence, their bodies tensed and ready to attack.
The twisted beings on the platform, who had been locked in their grotesque battle moments before, now turned their full attention toward me. Their eyes gleamed with an unnatural hunger, their twisted forms pulsating with dark energy as they started to converge on my position.
I gripped my sword tightly, feeling the surge of magic coursing through my veins. The oppressive energy in the chamber was overwhelming, pressing down on me from all sides. But I couldn't afford to hesitate. These creatures, these twisted remnants of humanity, were bound to protect this place at all costs—and that meant they would stop at nothing to kill me.
The first of the twisted beings lunged at me with terrifying speed, its limbs elongating unnaturally as it closed the distance. I sidestepped its attack, slashing with my sword as I moved. The blade met flesh, but instead of blood, a thick, black ichor oozed from the wound. The creature didn't even flinch as the wound was healed even before it could land on the ground.
Its grotesque smile widened, revealing rows of jagged teeth as it continued its relentless assault. I barely had time to react before another one of the creatures lunged at me from the side, forcing me to pivot and block its attack with my sword. The impact sent a jarring vibration up my arm, and I could feel the immense strength behind each of their blows.
These weren't ordinary enemies. They were something far more dangerous—guardians twisted by dark magic, their very existence fueled by whatever cursed energy permeated this place. And their ability to regenerate almost instantly made them even more of a threat.
I needed to change my approach.
Channeling my magic, I unleashed a wave of destruction energy from my free hand, the dark, crackling force sweeping across the chamber. The blast hit the advancing creatures, their forms writhing as the destructive energy tore through their bodies. This time, the regeneration couldn't keep up; several of them collapsed into piles of disintegrating flesh and bone.
But the humanoid figures—the ones who had spoken—remained unaffected, watching me with an eerie calm. Their expressions were unreadable, but I could sense their power, and it was formidable. They were not like the others; they were something else entirely.
The one who just woke up lunged at me with its claws stretched out dripping with some acidic liquid that hissed as it dripped onto the stone floor, leaving small pockmarks where it touched. I quickly sidestepped, barely avoiding the attack, and countered with a swift slash of my sword.
The blade met the creature's arm, but instead of severing it, the sword was met with an unnaturally hard resistance, as if I had struck solid metal.
The creature snarled, its mouth opening wide to reveal a maw filled with razor-sharp teeth. It was faster than I expected, its other claw swinging toward me with lethal speed. I raised my arm instinctively, casting a quick barrier of starlight. The claw collided with the barrier, sending a shockwave through the chamber, but the barrier held—barely.
The other figure began to chant in a guttural, incomprehensible language, its voice echoing ominously throughout the chamber. Dark tendrils of energy started to coalesce around it, forming a dense, shadowy mist that spread across the floor like living smoke. Whatever spell it was casting, I could sense it was something far beyond the usual dark magic—something ancient and deadly.
But before I could even do something, the remaining twisted figures jumped from all over the place pressing onto me with relentless ferocity. Their twisted limbs and jagged claws slashed through the air, a flurry of attacks that left me no room to breathe. I parried and dodged as best as I could, but they were coming from all directions, their numbers overwhelming.
I unleashed another wave of destructive energy, aiming to clear some space, but it only slowed them down for a moment. The dark tendrils of energy that the chanting figure summoned were beginning to wrap around me, constricting like a serpent. I could feel them leeching away my strength, weakening my defenses.
I had to act quickly. My mind raced, searching for a solution as the situation grew more dire by the second. My sword wouldn't be enough, and the twisted figures were too many, too persistent. The chanting figure's spell was nearing completion, and I could feel the oppressive energy growing stronger, its dark power threatening to overwhelm me.
Then it struck me—if I couldn't defeat them with brute force, I would have to outsmart them. My magic had always been my greatest weapon, and it was time to use it in a way they wouldn't expect.
I concentrated, pulling every ounce of power from my affinities, and channeled it into the ground beneath me. The earth responded to my call, and with a tremendous rumble, the stone floor of the chamber began to crack and split apart. The twisted figures faltered, their movements unsteady as the ground beneath them shifted.
The chanting figure paused, momentarily disrupted by the sudden quake. That was the opening I needed. I poured more energy into the earth, forcing the cracks wider until the very foundations of the chamber began to give way. The stone floor collapsed in sections, sending the twisted figures tumbling into the dark abyss below.
But I wasn't done yet. I focused on the remaining humanoid figures, the ones who had proven resistant to my attacks. They were the true threat here, and I needed to deal with them before their spell could be completed.
I reached deep within myself, tapping into the shadow affinity I had only just begun to understand. The shadows around me responded, swirling and coalescing into a dense, impenetrable barrier. I infused the barrier with starlight and destruction, creating a volatile mix of energies that crackled with raw power.
The humanoid figures watched me, their expressions unreadable, but I could sense their growing unease. They could feel the power I was summoning, and they knew they couldn't allow me to finish.
But it was too late for them.
With a surge of effort, I unleashed the combined power of light, shadow, and destruction in a single, devastating blast. The energy tore through the chamber, obliterating everything in its path. The humanoid figures screamed as the blast hit them, their forms disintegrating under the onslaught.
The chamber itself couldn't withstand the force. The walls crumbled, and the ceiling began to cave in, sending chunks of stone crashing to the ground. I could feel the entire structure collapsing around me, but I didn't stop. I kept pouring my energy into the attack until there was nothing left of the humanoid figures but ashes scattered across the floor.
Exhausted, I stumbled back, barely able to keep my footing as the chamber continued to collapse. I needed to get out of here before I was buried alive. With the last of my strength-
"Space Magic: Wrap!"
Due to not having enough mana to teleport directly home, I decided to teleport to the entrance of this sealed or we can call this ruined floors now.
The chaotic energy of the collapsing chamber swirled around me as I activated the Space Magic spell. My vision blurred for a moment as reality twisted, the very fabric of space bending to my will. When the world came back into focus, I found myself standing at the entrance of the ruined floors, the air still thick with the lingering echoes of destruction.
The once formidable chamber had been reduced to a crumbling ruin, its walls and ceiling now nothing more than heaps of shattered stone. The oppressive energy that had filled the air was fading, the remnants of dark magic dissipating like smoke in the wind. I took a moment to steady myself, my breath coming in ragged gasps.
The battle had taken a lot out of me, and I could feel the weight of exhaustion pressing down on my shoulders.
"Numbers still overwhelm me, I have to rethink my strategy if I want to survive this place," I muttered to myself, feeling the lingering tension in my muscles. The twisted figures and humanoid guardians were not something I could continue to face head-on, especially in my current state. But I couldn't afford to back down either—there was too much at stake.
"M-My lord, W-What was that? And how did you end up in this state?" A familiar voice stammered from behind me. I turned around, finding myself face-to-face with the warden I told to stand at the entrance of the sealed floors of the prison.
I looked at the warden, who was clearly shaken by the devastation he'd just witnessed. His eyes darted around the ruins, taking in the chaotic aftermath of the battle. He seemed unsure whether to be relieved that I had survived or frightened by the sight of the wreckage.
"Stay back," I said, raising a hand to signal caution. "There were powerful guardians here, twisted by dark magic. I had to use everything I had to defeat them. The chamber has collapsed, and the place is no longer safe."
The warden nodded, swallowing hard as he glanced at the crumbling walls and the remnants of dark magic still lingering in the air. "I—I see. My lord, are you injured? What can I do to assist you?"
"No need," I said while trying to sense any movement in the rumbles.
"A-Mm... My lord, Lady Clarissa is here-" Warden said but before he could finish his words.
"WHERE IS THAT INTRUDER?"
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[To Be Continued]
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