Chapter 153 - Dogfight (4)
“You won’t be able to run away so easily.”
The darkness around her danced as Corrupted Bodies rose up. The ominous product of black magic stopped the advance of the Guardian Shadows.
Kwah-kwah-kwahng! Kwah-kwah-kwah-kwah!
Darkness arose from the Book of Darkness, and it was as if several dozen magicians were attacking at the same time. Magic spells carpet bombed the party. It was a terrifying amount of firepower where she would be able to handle even an army by herself.
Koo-gwah-gwah-gwah-gwah……!
The mountaintop couldn’t withstand the a.s.sault, so it disintegrated.
As she oversaw all of this, Niberis mumbled to herself.
“It won’t work.”
Azell’s clone, which had been one with the darkness, had appeared from next to her. The clone let out a surprise attack
However, it was as Niberis had said. It wouldn’t work on her. She had already formed the Queen of Darkness spell, so it was akin to her having control over a castle wall and the troops within it.
“Koohk……!”
“Now that I know you are the great sinner, I will never treat you lightly.”
The emanating darkness blocked Azell’s surprise attack, and a spell appeared from within the darkness.
Ggwah-gw.a.n.g!
However, instead of Azell’s clone being destroyed, a powerful force struck her barrier. She raged as she was pushed back in midair.
“Laura!”
Laura had used Vitan’s Chalice to create a Dimensional Distortion, and it had turned Niberis’ attack on herself.
Niberis’ gaze met Laura’s gaze.
“…yes. I’ll use this opportunity to settle my ill-fated relationship with you too.”
In the past, Niberis did not have a Dragon Weapon, so Laura had always been superior to her.
That wasn’t the case now. She had inherited the Book of Darkness, and she had learned how to operate it now. At the very least, she was sure she was on par with Laura. No, since she had formed the Queen of Darkness, she was stronger than Laura.
However, when she was about to attack, the sight in front of her eyes suddenly became distant. It was the eternal plain opened through the Vitan’s Chalice.
Niberis’ eyes widened.
‘What the h.e.l.l?’
Laura had unnaturally expanded the s.p.a.ce of a particular location, and it created a severe problem for Niberis. She had spread a cursed Darkness over the entire battlefield, but now she was far away from that Darkness.
‘I’ve been had!’
Niberis was sure Laura had made this calculated move to exploit her weakness. As a magician… No, as a Dragon weapon user, Laura had predicted how Niberis would use her Dragon weapon. Niberis had completely lost in terms of reading how her opponent would use her Dragon weapon.
This hadn’t resulted, because she was inferior in terms of power. The difference came from Niberis’ lack of knowledge.
Laura had heard all the facts she hadn’t known about the Dragon weapons from Azell. She had heard all the account of how they were used during the Dragon Demon war. It was possible that Laura knew more about the Book of Darkness than Niberis.
This was why she was able to predict what Niberis would do, and she was able to come up with a plan to deal with Niberis.
When Niberis came here, she had already brought out her Dragon weapon, and she had activated the Queen of Darkness spell. Afterwards, she had been complacent. Laura had taken advantage of such mental weakness.
The cursed darkness she had spread over a large region continued to move farther away from her in the eternal plains. Then a light tore through the darkness as it moved towards her. It was the Sky Splitter.
“Ooh-oohk……!”
Cold sweat started to emanate from Niberis’ body. She had been able to block the attack thanks to the Book of Darkness, but her defense had been shredded into pieces in an instant.
Since she was focusing only on her defense, her situation was steadily getting worse. The eternal plain that had filled her vision started to distort as buildings that looked to be made out of countless mirrors started to emerge.
Niberis knew what this change meant. Her face paled.
‘This is the Vitan’s Maze!’
This technique had always been Laura’s strong point. It was a technique that created an isolated dimension.
At the same time, Niberis felt a terrifying amount of pressure wash over her. If she lost her concentration for even a second, all her magic spells would probably be canceled.
If she was to make a comparison, it was as if she was fighting in high alt.i.tude where oxygen was scarce. The act of trying to use magic in this s.p.a.ce put a much bigger burden on her.
It wasn’t simply that the Vitan’s Maze created a pocket dimension. The pocket dimension itself gave an overwhelming advantage to the owner of the Vitan’s Chalice.
‘This……!’
Laura joined in the attack as she let out a torrent of magic. Niberis was forced into a corner.
She had completely fallen for a trap. She had wanted control over the entire battlefield, so she had used the Queen of Darkness spell. She had used her magic over a large area, and that had been a mistake. From the moment she was isolated from the battlefield through the eternal plain, all the spell she had prepared on her body had been canceled. Moreover, her opponent had created a battlefield that was absolutely advantageous to her…..!
‘I knew who my opponent was yet I was careless! I’m pathetic!’
Niberis raged at her own easygoing att.i.tude.
Suddenly, a red flower petal fluttered past her eyes. The red flower petal was so stark against the cursed darkness that it looked unnatural.
Niberis knew what the flower petal signified.
‘Garden of Blood Flower!’
Afterwards, several hundred to several thousand flower petals started to invade the s.p.a.ce.
The attack applied on Niberis by Azell and Laura was blunted. As ma.s.sive amount of magical energy poured in, Niberis broke out of the Vitan’s Maze.
“Bleeding Star……!”
Kieren Baldazark had entered into the fight. Laura swallowed a groan when she realized this.
Laura had thought she had completely isolated Niberis from the others. However, when she was transitioning from the eternal plains to the Vitan’s maze, Kieren had applied a sharp attack. One had to be well informed about the special characteristics of the Vitan’s Chalice, and one had to focus one’s whole being into exploiting this opportunity.
The Vitan’s Chalice and the Bleeding Star were very talented at creating advantageous fighting ground for their wielders. The two techniques that influenced the battlefield clashed as a powerful repulsive force formed.
Ggwah-gwah-gwahng!
There was no time to warn the others. The Vitan’s Chalice and the Field of Blood Flower collapsed as storm swept over the surrounding.
In a flash, everyone on the battlefield halted.
The explosion itself was secondary. The wave of magical energy a.s.saulted everyone on the battlefield like a storm.
Hoo-oooooooooh……!
In the epicenter of the explosion, gust swirled as four people reappeared into normal s.p.a.ce.
“Laura, it is regrettable that our reunion happened under such conditions.”
It was a young Dragon Demon male with beautiful blonde hair swirling about him. He spoke, and it really looked as if he found the situation to be regrettable.
“I owe you my life thanks to your actions last time, but…. I cannot forgive traitors.”
“It is regrettable, sir Baldazark.”
Laura answered him.
“However, my heart wasn’t with your side from the start. I found my pa.s.sion when I met Azell.”
Since it was Kieren, Laura decided to tell him the truth. At the very least, Kieren had treated her like a person…..
Kieren asked her a question.
“Does this mean the nefarious rumors about the Aunsaurus tribe is true?”
“I’m not sure what you know, but it is probably true.”
“I see…….”
Kieren’s expression turned bitter.
Every rumor involving Laura had been nefarious In the Plain of Darkness, no one thought black magic experiments were wrong. However, these rumors had to do with the heir being made through an artificial process. Laura was his peer, so it was a bitter pill to swallow that Laura had been made through such a horrifying experiment.
“This is my last offer, Laura. If you surrender yourself, I’ll guarantee your survival.”
“You know my answer, right?”
“…yes.”
When he heard the answer he expected, Kieren let out a sigh. Soon, his face hardened from his resolve.
“Then I’ll treat you as the greatest of my enemies.”
Ooooooooooooh……!
Countless bead of blood rose around Kieren.
A large blood construct that was 10 meters in size was floating above his head.
Kieren spoke.
“I admit that the Vitan’s Chalice is a terrifying Dragon Weapon, but there’s been plenty of blood spilled on this battlefield. Do you really think you’ll be able to escape this place?”
Kieren had also summoned his Dragon weapon before he arrived at the battlefield. Then he fettered all the blood flowing on the battlefield. He changed the blood into his power.
Laura looked at Kieren and Niberis with nervous eyes.
Kieren and Niberis possessed powers that was on par with Laura.
The technique he had just used was proof of that.
If Azell’s body was whole, it might have been possible. However, they were at a disadvantage right now.
Suddenly, Azell spoke in a serious manner.
“…something is coming here.”
“Something?”
At Laura’s question, Azell answered through Whispering instead of vocalizing his words.
-I’m not sure. However, it is a being that is on par with Reygus in terms of power. This being is coming, while displaying his power quite openly….
-It’s that bad?
-Unlike these guys here, he hadn’t brought out his power, yet he is strong.
Kieren and Niberis was strong, but they were using all the power available to them. They were using their Dragon Weapons and the powers bestowed on them. The being that was coming towards them was setting his teeth on edge. The power he was leaking out was small, yet the latent power he possessed was huge.
-He is still far away. Still, he is overtly sending his presence only towards me as if he is trying to get a reaction out of me.
This truth caused Azell to shudder. This being was a long ways away, yet he was able to reveal his presence only to Azell, while hiding his presence from everyone else.
-He is coming here at an abnormally slow pace. It is as if he is taking a stroll…..
That was the part he couldn’t understand.
Azell made a decision.
-We can’t waste anymore time. We have to do this now.
-We are still too far off from being whole. If the sun isn’t up, the speed at which we can gather won’t be…..
-It’ll have to be enough. I’ll create an opportunity for our escape.
Leticia was occupying Jeffers. Yuren was occupying the magicians supporting Jeffers. Kairen was going around slaughtering the magicians one by one.
The Guardian Shadows still held the upper hand, but the problem was the fact the enemies were being reinforced as time pa.s.sed. If they stayed any longer, Reygus would be here. If that happened, they would really be stuck here. They had to get out of here before that happened.
Azell sent a Whispering to all the members of his party.
-Soon, the sun will rise. At the first hint of light, I’ll use a single attack. It’ll be a signal.
Azell would know the exact moment when the sun rises above the mountain.
The first one to break the glaring contest was Niberis.
After falling for Laura’s ploy, her cursed darkness had been cut off. However, there were some darkness that hadn’t dissipated. When she filled the partial darkness with her magical energy, it immediately attacked her enemies.
Pah-cheet! Paht! Pah-bah-bah-baht!
As a high speed magic battle occurred, numerous sparks flew into the air.
However, the taut battle lasted only for a moment. Laura started being pushed backwards.
Their abilities as magicians were almost equal. The problem was the fact that Niberis had raised all her abilities to the extreme.
Moreover, Niberis used the strong advantage that came with possessing the Book of Darkness. She was able to simultaneously use all the magic spells engraved into her weapon. Of course, Niberis was doing this, because she was worried the Vitan’s Chalice would send back her attacks using the Dimensional Distortion.
Kieren grinded his teeth.
“The Sky Splitter is really troublesome!”
He had joined forces with Niberis to overwhelm Laura with a single attack, but Azell didn’t allow them do that. Clones were appearing from all directions, and the sword made out light raced through the sky.
‘He is this strong even after suffering a life threatening injury! No wonder the king and my ancestor suffered defeat by his hands. If he was healthy, we wouldn’t have stood a chance.’
Kieren shuddered.
He could tell at a glance that Azell suffering from an injury. He was seriously injured yet he was able to use a combination of Incarnation and the Sword Splitter. He was showing unbelievable amount of battle prowess, yet it seemed he was having a hard time coping with the backlash from using his magical energy.
Kieren was at peak condition compared to him. In a battlefield overflowing with blood, he could use his Dragon weapon to its fullest potential. He would be able to take down the injured and out-of-breath Azell.
‘I have to take him down right here and now.’
Above all else, Azell had almost killed Niberis on numerous occasions. When he thought about that fact, he knew he had to bring this to an end.
Suddenly, Azell spoke.