"{This is a terrible idea,}" Higure grumbled as Rakna looked past a corner of the labyrinth.
'You think? I think it's a brilliant idea,' he quipped back and crouched next to a magic formation filled with runes and layers which he had spent nearly twenty minutes drawing with a self-refilling marker from his gear.
The ink was in fact liquid diluted Eion, which was even better for drawing runes and circles thanks to its energetic nature. "35, 36, 38. This should be enough," he muttered after counting the number of superimposed magic formations he had made.
"{Well… theoretically. But that monster has a much higher level. There is no guarantee it will work even with how powerful 'that' is. Seriously, could you please not?}" Higure tried to dissuade him once again. "{Think about it! If you die here, you won't be able to mate with me!}"
'Of course… and I am sure it will be my biggest regret,' Rakna retorted sarcastically and used half of his mana to summon low-level wolves. More than a hundred of them emerged from the walls and floor and ran off into the deeper levels of the labyrinth.
Rakna followed after them for a few meters before going to the right where there was a path that led to a dead-end. He hid there and drew another magic circle that would serve as the connection to the main formation and supply the mana.
The plan was simple, lure the Guardian to the magic formation, activate it, and sneak up behind it while it was defenseless.
"{Please don't tell me you expect to kill him in one blow.}"
'Of course not. I could try and use Skulk Life Down or the Spade Cards but there is something I've noticed about the creature that makes it uncertain.'
"{Which is?}"
'Regeneration. I couldn't see much with Appraisal, but if you look at its body, there are some parts of its fur that were either cut or somehow destroyed.'
"{And?}"
'But the flesh had no scar, dimwit. Not even a single trace. And not just below its fur, everywhere else, not a single visible trace of injury or scar. It might just be because of its high attributes but I don't believe that no one among the Hosts who got in here was able to injure it even a bit.'
"{Well… I guess it's a valid doubt.}"
'Furthermore, the Spade Cards are powerful but I can somewhat predict that they won't be able to do much to it due to the level difference. Then there's Sonata's perk that supposedly ignores defense and interferences. It is too broad, and therefore vague. Also, anything that does not specify it, has to be assumed susceptible to level gaps.'
"{All right… you have thought this out surprisingly well. But it doesn't really reassure me since all you have done for now is tell me how impossible it is.}"
'Really? You should be the first one to know my plan.'
"{Huh?}"
'What about you, Alexa? Did you figure it out?'
[Affirmative… I am 80% sure of your strategy's specifics. Moreover, by my calculation, it has about a 74% chance of succeeding. Caution is advised.]
"{Eh?}"
'Thanks.'
"{Wait, what? Hey, tell me what the plan is already!}"
'Shush. I need to focus now,' Rakna cut her off and took off his mask. He started smoking a cigarette in preparation for the Guardian's intimidating aura and closed his eyes.
"[Crystals of Frost Abide the Star's Wrath,]" he started chanting quietly and the first of his wolves made contact with the target.
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▅▃▃▃▅▃▃▁▂▃▅▅▅▂▃▂▁▃▅▃▂▂▅▃▂!!
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It was promptly killed and the monster proceeded to attack the next wolf. The manner Rakna had ordered them to lure it was a 'bread crumb tactic'. The wolves were not grouped, but one behind another. They were close enough so that they always could be spotted from any position, which effectively made the Guardian attack them in succession.
'As expected, that thing is not very bright. Makes it even easier,' Rakna thought.
"[Ought Rime Rip Bones and Flesh,]" he continued his Cōl Lāli whilst transforming into a werewolf and with Allegro automatically disappearing and altering itself so it wouldn't be physically notable or cumbersome in the concealed state.
"[In a Fireless Firmament, Shall the Star Blister and Flicker.]"
"[In a Lifeless Perdition, the Wolf Growls and Howls.]"
At the same time, Rakna infusing into the auxiliary circle he had drawn at his feet. The mana took physical form around his hand and dimmed greatly in color.
"[In Between The Heights and Depths.]"
"[Lies the Slumbering Mayhem of-]"
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▅▃▃▃▅▃▃▁▂▃▅▅▅▂▃▂▁▃▅▃▂▂▅▃▂!!!
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Rakna gritted his teeth as the roar sounded much closer. It even made the labyrinth quake.
"[-the Devourer.]"
"[Bathing in Blood and Rattling Death.]"
"[Mocking Fairness and Gorging Hearts.]"
The stomps accelerated and several more wolves died. Then, the Guardian ran past the path where he was hiding and headed to the magic formation on which stood the last wolf. When it got to it, it promptly bit off the lupine's head without minding the formation at all.
"[The One, They Offer Harvest.]"
Rakna completed the incantation and sent nearly the entirety of his mana into the runic circle. The 38 layers were activated at once and the Guardian looked down with a growl. But it was far too late for it to do anything.
The formation was essentially inscribed with two spells. However, at the time of the casting, they unexpectedly fused into one and filled the labyrinth with a black and cold mist. Its epicenter was incredibly dense and the Guardian breathed it in without thinking.
The creature immediately began to sway as if it was disoriented and after a few seconds, it made a muffled noise before falling on the ground; asleep.
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❮ ◈ ❯
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You have combined two elements!
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Congratulations! You have achieved Union Magic!
Union Magic is known as the apex of magic formation creation. It combines spells and elements in very intricate manners that can rarely be actualized.
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---
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You have learned a new Union Element; Frosted Sloth!
You have learned a Frosted Sloth spell; Niflhel Niflheim!
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---
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Niflhel Niflheim
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Concentrate the power of sins and stars to conjure the perfect mist of absolution. Upon being cast, a black and frigid mist will swallow all the volume it can possibly fill and afflict all within its boundaries with extreme drowsiness. Breathing in influences the effects by a large margin.
Additionally, every being that the caster has not personally approved will become unable to sense the presence of others within the mist. Everything will be akin to having thousands of people surrounding the targets at any given time.
Sounds will come from everywhere. Visual illusions will be created. Auras will disperse through the mist which will consequently imitate their signature.
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Cost: 500 MP (Correction: 300 MP)
Duration: 10 minutes.
Cooldown: 30 Minutes.
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❮ ◈ ❯
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"…wow. It went a lot better than I expected it to," Rakna admitted out loud. He stood up, still in his werewolf form, and made his way to the downed Guardian.
He didn't approach it more than he had to do in fear of waking it up. Fortunately, as long as the mist was present, there was a very low chance of that happening. He reverted to a therian with his mask not materialized and his hood down.
"{You were lucky…}" Higure sighed then realized something. "{Gosh, never mind. I'm the faithless one here. I was wrong to believe that you would not be lucky in the first place.}"
Rakna snorted and chugged down a mana potion whilst he monitored the Guardian's movements with Fabled Sight at all times.
"{So, what are you going to do now? If you attack him, he'll wake up. You already debunked the option of you killing him in one blow so how is this any useful?}"
'You really can be dimwitted when you want to,' Rakna retorted and she whined.
"{Come on~! Just tell me already. What would having him sleep…!}"
Back in the soul realm, Higure stopped herself and looked at the sky with a dumb expression. She groaned and let herself fall face-first into the field of flowers. "{…I just want to preface it by saying that I'm not used to other people having that trait, okay?}"
Rakna snickered subtly. "Sure," he said and soundlessly approached the Guardian. He stared at its head and breathed in. "Now, let's see what you can do."
"[Plant the Seeds of Marvel, Onera.]" The Guardian of Terror's mind was given a dream and in a flash of light, the therian vanished from the labyrinth.
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* * *
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Rakna mused as he observed the scenery in front of him. The sky was covered by a foul-looking miasma and on the ground, amidst the sand, countless stone vestiges were scattered.
"These ruins… are they from the labyrinth?" He wondered. "Is this the Guardian's dream? Does it want the labyrinth to cease existing?" He uttered intriguingly and began to explore the area.
He looked behind every piece of stone sticking out to see if he could find anything but after five minutes, he still hadn't come across anything of interest, much less the Guardian itself. It's only after an additional five minutes that something occurred.
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▃▃▁▂▂▁▁▁▂▁▁
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He recognized this sound. But it had nothing similar to what it was outside of the dream. It was a lot higher in pitch and somehow, it also seemed… happy.
Rakna headed toward the source and hid behind one of the ruins. He peeked over it and spotted not one but two chimeras in the distance. One of them was greatly smaller and also happened to be the one making the noises as it seemingly played on the lap of the other.
'A baby and…?' The therian thought to a halt as he started smelling the emotions from them. The only actual scent he had been able to get from the real-world Guardian was rage. But in here… he was perceiving true happiness, as well as affection, and… filial love.
'The baby is the Guardian… and the larger one is its mother. Is this a memory? A fantasy?' Rakna did not know what to think. 'The landscape… this scene lost in the middle of it… is the labyrinth the same as the Dungeons? A cage of Wilden?'
"{This might be even worse,}" Higure said solemnly. "{This chimera, it-he may very well have been taken away from his mother and left in the labyrinth until madness took over. At this point, dying might be a salvation for him. Give him peace, devourer.}"
Rakna didn't reply and watched the two chimeras a bit more. He sighed and looked at his hand in which a swirl of wind rose. "I've gotten used to it… this is basically like a soul," he muttered and came out of his hiding spot.
He calmly strode up to the pair of creatures and when the mother noticed him, she snarled and shielded her child with her arms. Rakna squinted and continued his approach. He stopped just a few meters away from them and opened his mouth, "Let me help your son."
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▃▅▃▂▂▅▃▂!
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The chimera roared and lunged at him. She opened her mouth and aimed to chomp his head but shockingly, she was stopped with only one hand. Rakna effortlessly overpowered the chimera and forced it to close its mouth and kneel on the ground.
He then crouched and looked right into the eyes of the creature. "You cannot win. Your son's mind and soul are far below mine in terms of control. I can dictate the physics in here. I will say it again; let me help him."
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▃▅▃▃▂▂▂▁▃▅▂▁▁
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She growled and Rakna sighed. He sat down on the sand, to the chimera's surprise, and pointed at the child who was in her arms, confused and afraid. "Look."
Her eyes shifted ferociously but when they fell on her child, they lost all of their ire. She let out a soft noise and caressed the baby, who despite being the dream maker, had absolutely no reaction to seeing Rakna at all.
"{There are many ways someone can manifest in their own dreams,}" Higure commented. "{This is a case that I call relinquishment. The actual owner of the dream is completely disconnected from the real world while another persona is taking over the role of cognizance. This mother is a facet of the real Guardian. She is as real as you can get in a dream.}"
Rakna listened to her explanation silently and waited until the chimera mother finally turned back toward him but without any animosity.
"Do you understand what I have to do?" He asked and she hesitatingly nodded. She slowly put her baby down on the ground with trembling hands but refused to let go of him entirely.
"Often…" Rakna spoke up quietly and she looked at him. "No matter how hard you try, you don't get the option to save someone the way you would have wanted to. But we all need to understand that we cannot forsake their salvation because we didn't like that option. We have to learn in due time that selfishness should not be the reason for another's suffering."
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▂▁▁▂▁▁
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"Once… your child wakes up, he will fall into folly. He might kill me and many more after. That will be his life. Trapped in a labyrinth which he cannot escape from, incapable of doing anything but spilling blood. Is that what you want for him?"
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▂▁▁
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At this point, the mother chimera's voice sounded weak. She took one last look at her child and gently pushed his back in Rakna's direction. She then growled sadly and nodded at Rakna before disappearing; as if her duty had been fulfilled.
The baby Guardian didn't even seem to have noticed it and was looking at the therian with a tilted head. Rakna returned the stare and put his hand on the creature's head. He gently stroked it and the baby smiled widely as if he was enjoying himself.
"Don't worry," Rakna said with neither a cold or gentle voice. But it was slightly hushed. "This will be over in an instant," he said and the Guardian sent him a confused look. "You will wake up… and your mom will be at your side. Now, sleep," he muttered and his eyes shone with shapeless power.
The baby closed his eyes and the miasma in the sky was banished in the blink of an eye. The ruins of the labyrinth levitated and burst apart, liberating the dreamland and offering it sunlight for its last moments.