It was easier than he thought. Of course, it was all due to that Ginnung's honorable sacrifice.
Seline didn't look too happy with the result, though, "You did it on purpose," she said in an embittered tone. Yikes.
"You didn't intervene to help him," he shot her a smug smile, rolling his eyes, "Come on, it's not my fault he got distracted. I did warn him, didn't I? As a matter of fact, you should be grateful I killed those strays. I highly doubt you would have been successful if I wasn't here."
His words didn't please the team of Gunnings. Then again, it didn't really matter what he said. They wouldn't have been pleased anyway. He wasn't bothered by that. They were all bark and no bite.
"You're arrogant," Seline balled her hands into fists, then slowly unclenched them, and sighed, "But... you did help us. And for that, you have my gratitude."
Jered really wanted to know what was truly going on in her mind.
She met his stare with empty eyes, not giving away a clue.
The fact that she didn't burst into an angry outcry didn't sit well with the Ginnungs. Their Lady should have been stronger than that. Her emotionless reaction was disappointing, just as was the thought that they couldn't even avenge their fallen comrade.
Meanwhile, the Lord and Vozremeth's clash had reached a deadlock where none could get the best of the other. However, Jered knew that this was just a matter of time. Vozremeth could regenerate, and as an undead, it couldn't physically tire. The Lord's mana moved restlessly to patch up any new wounds. It was obvious that at some point he would be on the losing end.
Jered didn't know whether to help him or not. He didn't even know if he could help at all. His 'Pharaoh's Flame' was a Royal Tier spell. He couldn't make full use of its potential, and nor could he use it for too long. Getting involved was a bad idea, but if the Lord lost, then not getting involved was a bad idea too.
A shockwave kicked up a heap of dust and cobble in the air. Seline re-cast a simple barrier since she looked almost mana-drained. The strays' bodies piled up everywhere around them. At least the ones that were not incinerated by Jered. Luckily, no more of them came out of the gate, which gave them a brief reprieve from the constant fighting.
The Ginnungs were tending to each other, while also taking turns in growling at him. How cute.
Evelyn was rather pale, her face clammy with sweat and soot, "What if he loses?" clearly, he was not the only one chewing over that thought.
"I don't know. I don't have an answer to everything, Evelyn. There's very little I can do in this situation."
She didn't argue with that. Maybe it was because he had achieved nigh-impossible feats that she believed he would have found a way out yet again.
Vozremeth spat out another crimson beam of mana.
The Lord used his broadsword to cleave it in two—the now severed beams whizzed past him and plowed through the wall behind him.
Unfortunately, the blast that came after easily tore Seline's barrier apart. She didn't panic, but the Ginnungs did. They quickly sprung up in front of her, shielding her from the hot rush of wind. Evelyn protected herself and Jered by casting a barrier spell. Luckily, he was quick to over-feed it enough mana to withstand the pressure, or even that would have crumbled, "I'm... tired..." she wheezed out, letting herself fall into Jered's arms.
She was mana-drained.
The Ginnungs were half burnt to death. He doubted they'd make it past dawn without receiving immediate medical attention.
As for Seline? She was an enigma. She was clearly tired, on the verge of collapsing, yet she remained calm.
The Lord's stamina showed signs of running out. That was not good news. And he knew it too. That's why he ramped up his attacks. With a grunt, the mana around him lit up like swaying flames, swirling around his body. Vozremeth was not deterred and conjured hundreds of crimson arrows in the air. Their tips pointed down at the Lord, and then bolted at him. The sound barrier was broken, a deafening rumble going off.
"You're in for a hell of pain," the Lord blurred out of sight, easily maneuvering around the shower of arrows before flying at Vozremeth. The moment he reappeared in front of the stray, his broadsword glowed, "You've done enough damage. Go back now," the blade drew a beautiful arc in the air, followed by a crescent, shaft of darkness that split the ground and chopped Vozremeth's limbs off.
A jet of blood splattered everywhere, like a broken hydrant.
Contrary to before, the wounds were not healing. It was the first time a flash of alarm crossed its eyes.
"Damn you!"
While Vozremeth was dead, and thus couldn't fear dying again, it didn't want to go back to hell. Naturally, when cornered, its reaction was bound to be explosive.
An eruption of crimson mana spread outward, but the Lord was not intimidated. He met the wave head-on, and with a swift slash of his broadsword, a path had opened up in front of him. Vozremeth felt threatened. The black swirl of mana dancing around the Lord's blade was dangerous. It didn't know what it was, but it knew that it had to stay away from it.
Therefore, when it saw the Lord approaching at breakneck speed, it leaped backward with a strong push of mana. The Lord didn't lag behind, and followed up with a diagonal cut. A tide of darkness flew at Vozremeth, who twisted out of the way, and answered with a fat, crimson spear through his chest. A fountain of blood splashed out of the hole, slowly pooling on the ground.
There was no way something like that would have killed him, though. Nevertheless, he had to end the fight before he received additional damage.
With a timed flick of his wrist, another blast of darkness slammed Vozremeth against a wall. Fortunately for the creature, it managed to cover itself in a crimson dome just in time. Not that it made much of a difference. Its feeble attempt at defense was easily broken through by the sword attack, and a huge gash almost tore Vozeremth in two, "Ridiculous!" it hissed, instinctively casting a swarm of red orbs.
The lights twinkled ominously before they darted at the Lord. He sidestepped one, but it followed him. A slight distraction cost him another hole in his chest, but it wasn't that severe. However, it would have been a different story if he got pierced by all of them. He flew up in the air, slicing through a group of orbs. There were way too many for him to simply cut them down.
A surge of scorching, white flames came to his rescue.
The crimson orbs collided against the mantle of fire, vanishing into wisps of red smoke.
"That human again..."
The Lord was visibly thankful. He had been using a taxing technique to injure Vozremeth, and hence would rather not use any more mana than he already was.
Jered wished he could level up 'Pharaoh's Flame'. The spell was hard to control, incredibly taxing, and now it was hurting him too. He was either going to die from Vozremeth's indignant fury, or from overexerting himself with a spell beyond his rank. He pumped more mana into his 'Pharaoh's Flame'. The heat inside the dungeon had reached dangerous levels, and it was still rising.
"Well done, kid!" the Lord chuckled as he teleported in front of an outraged Vozremeth, "You struggling cockroach!" with lightning speed, the tip of his broadsword penetrated through the monster's back. It was a well-timed strike. Vozremeth was weakened, and bleeding profusely. Technically, it should have been over. At least, that's what Jered assumed.
Vozremeth's rattling breath came out with drops of blood, "You look so happy," it burst out laughing, but had to stop to cough, "I'm not going back. Not without you."
A huge mantle of crimson mana shot out of its back and wrapped around the Lord.
"You think you can trap me with just this?"
A suction force suddenly began to pull both of them into the gate.
"Hell wants you."
The Lord scoffed, breaking free from the binding with a blast of mana, "Maybe next time," even though he said so, he was still skidding towards the gate. He didn't like the way Vozremeth cackled, and was determined to iron out their differences by bursting its head open. However, the stray was not a fool. It knew that the gate's pulling force was not nearly enough to swallow the Lord. Therefore, it had come prepared.
"I pity you."
It wasn't unreasonable to think Vozremeth was trying to throw him off with its words. Between the two of them, it was the one closest to bite the dust, the only one who had to resort to petty bluffs for a chance at life. Not that it would work with him. He already experienced the creature's conniving nature, "I'm the owner of this place. You're just a tumor," another swirl of darkness traced the sharp edge of his broadsword, but Vozremeth's confidence didn't waver. Its grin only widened as it flew back towards the gate.
"You're trying to escape, huh?"
The Lord didn't pursue, however. He loaded his broadsword behind his head, his hands tightening. Then, with a shout, he whipped it down. For a fleeting moment, the whole dungeon seemed to be eclipsed by a shadow. A jagged, crescent wave of darkness laced with wisps of white made a beeline for Vozremeth. The ground quaked. Jered, Evelyn, and Seline lost their balance and fell down.
A shower of rocks and dust rained down on them.
Evelyn coughed, her breathing coming out in short bursts. Luckily, Jered had hugged her and repelled the debris with a powerful burst of 'Low Telekinesis'.
As for Seline? She somehow managed to come out of it unscathed.
Not only that. She quickly climbed back to her feet and began to chant a verse on her grimoire. She even drew out a ceremonial dagger. Jered couldn't make out what she was saying, but she was definitely exhausting whatever drops of mana she had left.
A warped cackle wafted out of the gate.
Vozremeth survived. Though, if the strips of blood left behind were anything to go by, it still had to pay a hefty price.
"You're a rat in a hole," the Lord spat out, fatigued. His broadsword felt heavy, but he couldn't afford to drop it. Not until Vozremeth was dead, or close to it, "You can only hide."
"Hahaha..."
The situation was not looking good. Jered wanted to help, but he was close to being mana-drained too. He hated feeling so helpless.
"If you don't come closer, you can't kill me."
Tendrils of crimson mana shot out of the gate and clutched around the Lord's limbs. He tried to swat them away with a slash of his broadsword, but it lacked strength. It was too half-hearted. It was then that he realized that killing his foe was nothing but a pipe dream. He squeezed every last morsel of energy he had left and prepared to deliver one last attack.
A hazy, cloud of darkness coiled around him.
"Looks like today is not the day either," with a drawn-out sigh, he elevated himself up in the air, "I shall see you again in 50 years," his broadsword glinted hungrily, wispy curls of darkness dancing around the blade.
Vozremeth grinned, "No, you're wrong. Today is the day!"
A crimson orb shone in the gate.
The Lord swung his broadsword down. A torrent of darkness lashed out angrily. Vozremeth's beam swirled out of the gate and met it halfway. A tug-of-war ensued between the colossal attacks. The shockwave alone could have torn down a building. Clearly, the dungeon was more durable than it looked. Jered and Evelyn were sent flying against a wall on the far back.
Seline stood there, motionless, as if attached to the ground.
She was still chanting.
The clash ended just like earlier. In an explosion that proclaimed no winner.
However, Vozremeth surprisingly barged through the billowing smoke, its limbs mid-way regenerated.
It was a risky move on its part. And the Lord wasn't about to go down like that. Mustering some of his fading strength, he attempted to cut it down. He would have been successful if not for an unexpected variable. Seline's chant had come to an end. A dozen purple, magic patterns spawned all around the Lord. And from within them, obsidian chains clanked out, "S-Seline?" he croaked out in disbelief, struggling.
The chains tightened.
Vozremeth didn't hold his laugh back, "Who's the rat now?" a crimson blanket of mana enveloped around them, "You're coming back with me."
Jered had to do a double-take at that. And here he thought Seline was going to help his father.
"Shit," he couldn't let him die. How were they supposed to go back otherwise? "Stay here," he told Evelyn, likewise befuddled by the sudden betrayal.
White flames snapped out of the ground, rising higher and higher.
Jered didn't want to do that. He barely had a smidgen of mana left. It was his last 'Pharaoh's Flame' of the day.
He redirected them towards the Lord and Vozremeth. Of course, he didn't think that he would manage to kill Vozremeth. As long as the Lord was free, his mission would have been accomplished. It sounded neat, sure. But pulling it off was a different matter altogether.
The Lord knew what he wanted to do, and struggled harder. The white fire twisted into Tutankhamon's face as it railed against the sturdy, crimson binding.
Another explosion went off.
"You're quite persistent," Vozremeth hissed. Due to his weakened condition, he did feel pain. But it was just that. The sting of a bug could have been irritating, but not lethal. Still, it didn't like those flames. A tendril of crimson mana wiggled out of its back, like a tail, and spearheaded towards Jered. He didn't have time to react. A gasp of pain wheezed out of him when the tendril drilled through his gut, leaving a gaping hole spurting out jets of blood.
"F-Fuck..."
He dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach.
"JERED!" Evelyn felt her heart stop, "NO!"
And then her arms were all over him.
The Lord sighed, a bitter chuckle following his next words, "I guess I do deserve this, right? Seline."
"You do indeed, father. What you've done is deplorable."
"To the point that you had to collude with... with this disgusting, foul being?"
Seline didn't miss a beat, "You're more disgusting than him."
"Hahahahaha!" Vozremeth guffawed, "Humorous. Very humorous indeed!"
The chains clasped around the Lord began to glow and crackle. He ceased his struggling, knowing already that it was over for him.
"That's a very dark spell, but I can see you've made up your mind..."
"..."
"For what it's worth... I'm sorry, Seline. I've been a horrible father... and an even worse lover. I have fucked up... I shouldn't have killed our child."
"..."
Seline clenched her teeth, her hands trembling, her eyes burning with bitter tears.
"YES.... YES.... YES!!" Vozremeth was having the time of its life.
"I... don't forgive you..."
The chains contracted, stretched, and swathed around the Lord in layers upon layers of metal. Until he looked like a mummy.
Vozremeth didn't waste another second. It pulled the listless Lord along with it inside the darkness of the gate, "You've done well, kid. I shall uphold my part of the contract now."
The doors creaked closed.