Azgoroth lifted his staff, pointed it at me, and a blue magic circle along with a barrage of ice arrows appeared. They were heading straight towards me, and I knew that they were powerful enough to kill me. I was able to dodge them, but just barely.
"Damn you. Why won't you die?!" Azgoroth yelled. He was clearly frustrated. Azgoroth then created a magic circle that had a diameter of 10 meters. The magic circle was filled with runes that were constantly moving and changing.
What are these runes? I do not recall creating this type of magic. Is it a different language? I thought to myself. The runes in the circle began to glow brightly and then they shot out a barrage of magical attacks that were heading straight for me. I used Imagination Amplification to create a bubble that deflected the magical attacks against us.
Azgoroth's face was a mixture of shock and rage. He was not expecting that. He raised his staff again and created another magic circle that shot out another barrage of magical attacks. Once again, I created a bubble that deflected the attacks against us. I was starting to get tired. I wasn't used to using this much of my power and it was taking its toll on me.
"I initially had no desire to hurt Cyrus' body but since he is dead, I have no choice but to retaliate. Let me show you the power of the Author of Life." I dropped the shield bubble and conjured a magical axe using Imagination Amplification. I then teleported in front of Azgoroth and swung the axe but Azgoroth managed to block with his staff just in time.
"Damn, you're fast." Azgoroth said.
Azgoroth then tried to cast a spell but I interrupted him by swinging the axe again. I kept swinging the axe and managed to cut Azgoroth's arm off.
"Ahhhhhh!" Azgoroth yelled in pain.
Azgoroth then tried to cast a healing spell but I interrupted him again by swinging the axe. I kept swinging the axe and managed to cut off Azgoroth's leg.
"Ahhhhhh!" Azgoroth yelled in pain. He fell to the ground and was unable to move.
Erol, Will, and I gathered around Azgoroth. Azgoroth was in a lot of pain and was bleeding heavily. He was trying to cast a healing spell but was unable to focus because of the pain.
He raised his remaining arm, pointed a finger at me and a beam of black light pierced my shoulder causing me to recoil from the pain. Azgoroth then tried to crawl away but Erol stepped on his head. Erol and Will were looking at me with concern.
"I'll be okay. I need to deal the finishing blow," I said, ignoring the pain in my shoulder.
Azgoroth stopped struggling and looked at me with hate-filled eyes.
"Kill me if you must, but the Great Tree shall never die. It is eternal and it will destroy all of you. The Great Tree shall rule this world along with the elves and it will be glorious. The Great Tree's will is law and it will not be denied."
I raised my axe and swung it down on Azgoroth's neck, decapitating him.
His head rolled to the side and his body went limp. I was exhausted and fell to my knees.
"Man, I'm tired. I need to rest for a second." A wave of sadness fell over me. I had defiled Cyrus' body although I had to in order to survive. Still, it was a traumatizing experience for me.
I was about to pass out from exhaustion when I heard a loud noise. The Great Tree was screaming in anger and agony. It was in pain because of Azgoroth's death. The Great Tree's roots were thrashing around and the walls were shaking.
"Are you guys okay?" I asked Erol and Will as I stood back up. They both nodded.
"So, Thomas, you managed to kill Azgoroth. I had expected you to fall in this battle. You are at your limit correct?" The Great Tree's voice reverberated throughout the dungeon.
"I am, but I have enough juice left to chop you down. What are you gonna do? Kill everyone that stands in your way? What kind of protection is that? I will be a god that protects the innocent and does not kill them." I replied.
The Great Tree replied, "You are a fool, Author of Life. I am the protector of the elves. I will do what is necessary to protect them. I will kill all those who oppose me. I will not allow an inexperienced brat like you to rule over the elves. A great calamity is coming in the form of the humans. They will destroy everything I know and love."
I scrunched up my face in anger and said, "No, the elves and humans will coexist I'll make sure of it."
The Great Tree laughed. "You think that the elves and humans can coexist? You are a fool. The elves will always be superior to the humans. The humans will always try to destroy the elves. The only way to protect the elves is to destroy the humans. To do that, I need sacrifices to fuel my power."
I shook my head and said, "No, there has to be another way. I will find it." Erol, Will and I made it the final room where the Great Tree's core remained.
As we approached the final room where the Great Tree's core remained, the atmosphere changed drastically. The air was heavy with a strange energy that seemed to weigh us down. It was as if we were walking through a thick fog, and the air was charged with a powerful aura that made the hairs on the back of our necks stand on end. As we entered the room, our eyes were drawn to the center, where the Great Tree's core was located.
The core was a large, glowing sphere that hovered in the air. It was surrounded by a swirling vortex of energy that pulsed and hummed with power. The core was a deep, rich green color, and it was covered in intricate patterns and symbols that seemed to shift and change as we watched. The room itself was dimly lit, and the walls were covered in strange, glowing runes that pulsed in time with the core's energy.
What stuck out to me the most wasn't the room itself but rather the core. From what I remember, I never created the Great Tree's core. This lead me to believe that the Box of Dimensions worked in a somewhat game-like way. It used "catalysts" to have some semblance of logic and the core was a catalyst in itself. I needed to look into this further in the future.
As we moved closer to the core, we could feel its power wash over us, filling us with a strange sense of dread. We knew that we had to destroy it, but the thought of what we were about to do filled us with a deep sense of unease. I knew what I had to do but my heart was still conflicted. I didn't want to destroy the Great Tree, but I had no choice. It was almost a bittersweet thing. My first creation rebelling against me.
"It seems my time has come, right Thomas?" The Great Tree said. "I have no more energy nor willpower to continue. I only hope you come to your senses before it's too late. I'm sorry that it has to end like this. I'm sorry for killing your friends."
The Great Tree's voice was heavy with emotion, and I could hear the pain and regret in his words. Despite everything that had happened, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He had been corrupted by his desire to protect his people, and it had led him down a dark path that had ultimately destroyed him.
"I accept my fate."
I walked up to the core and held my axe tightly. I prepared to swing when I heard Erol call out to me.
"Wait, Thomas, I have something to say before you cut the Great Tree's core. Once you do so, I will cease to exist. I was born from the core. I just wanted to say how happy I was to be at your side and to thank you for saving my life. I wish you the best in your journey." Erol said as he bowed his head.
I was surprised by his words, but I felt a surge of gratitude towards him. Erol had been by my side for a good portion of our journey, and he had saved my life more times than I could count.
"I have no more power to imbue you with a soul. All I can do is deeply apologize to you, Erol. I am grateful for time we spent together. I will miss you dearly." I replied, as I felt a lump in my throat and tears welling up in my eyes. I knew that Erol was a demon, but he had been more than just a demon to me. He had been a friend, and now, he was going to die but I had no choice but to destroy the Great Tree. I wiped the tears from my eyes and swung the axe down, making a crack in the core.
"Before you finish me off, Thomas, allow me to set Erol free," the Great Tree said in a weak, trembling voice. I had never heard him sound so vulnerable before. He sounded as if he were on the verge of death, and it was clear that his energy was fading quickly.
"I will grant Erol a soul, so that he may continue to live," the Great Tree said, his voice growing fainter and fainter. "I will use the last of my power to set him free."
I watched in amazement as the Great Tree as a whole began to glow with a bright, white light. The light engulfed Erol, who let out a gasp of surprise. As the light faded, I could see that Erol was different. He looked more alive, more vibrant, and there was a spark of life in his eyes that hadn't been there before.
"Erol, are you alright?" I asked, stepping closer to him.
He nodded, looking down at his hooves as if he couldn't quite believe what had just happened. "I feel...different," he said. "I feel like I have a purpose now. Like there's something I'm meant to do."
I smiled, placing a hand on his neck.
"Now, you are free to end me. Good luck, Author of Life. You will need it for what is coming."
Those were the Great Tree's final words before I swung my magical axe one more time on its core and shattered it.
"Well, I suppose it's time to return to my world," I said with a sigh, turning to leave the now-empty room.
As I started to walk out, the walls and the ground began to shake and rumble.
I heard Erol call out to me. "Thomas, the dungeon is collapsing! We have to go!" I turned and saw that the walls and the ground were starting to crack and crumble. Erol was already galloping towards me, and I quickly mounted him.
"Use your wings, Erol!" I yelled. "We have to get out of here!"
Erol nodded and spread his wings, flapping them as hard as he could. We rose up into the air, dodging falling debris and pieces of the crumbling dungeon. I could see the walls and the ground below us beginning to break apart and fall away. I held on tightly to Erol's mane, feeling the wind whipping past me as we flew. Finally, we made it out onto the surface.