"Estence...?" I muttered, the word feeling foreign on my lips. The creature towered above us, a monolithic figure made of rock and moss.
Every detail of its form, from the craggy texture of its skin to the uneven, jagged lines that marked its features, seemed meticulously designed to inspire awe and dread in equal measure.
Its presence emanated a peculiar aura, a force that drew me in while simultaneously compelling me to flee.
Where one would expect eyes, there were only glowing orbs of cerulean. The term 'Estence' resonated in my mind; was there a connection to this behemoth?
"Takeshi..." Akane whispered, her eyes fixated on the colossal figure that loomed ahead. A palpable tension emanated from her, a mixture of fear and recognition that I couldn't quite decipher.
"We need to leave." Her voice was more commanding this time.
Without waiting for my response, she grabbed my arm with a firm grip and began leading us through the maze-like corridors of the sanctum.
Every step we took was hurried yet measured, as if she were calculating our best escape route on the fly.
"But can't we confront it?" I protested, my voice echoing slightly in the vastness of the sanctum.
"No." She barked, her urgency now bordering on desperation, "That thing is not to be trifled with."
Her words were final, and I knew better than to argue. Before I could say anything else, Akane came to a halt.
Yet, as we turned to flee, the creature appeared before us. The corridors of the sanctum, which once seemed vast, now felt claustrophobically small. The stone giant, despite its size, moved with an eerie, fluid grace. It radiated an intense, very dangerous aura.
Akane, usually unflappable, hesitated.
"Looks like confrontation is unavoidable."
The creature's every motion was a contradiction. Despite its hulking, rock-like form, it moved with surprising fluidity.
Each step it took resonated through the sanctum, the vibrations sending tiny tendrils of energy up through my feet.
The deep-set, glowing orbs focused on Akane, casting her in a haunting cerulean light.
Akane shifted, positioning herself between me and the oncoming threat. Her stance was protective, her silhouette framed by the ambient glow of the sanctum.
"Stay behind me." She whispered, her fingers flexing as a glimmer of her magical abilities manifested.
The creature lunged, its gargantuan fist cutting through the air with tremendous speed.
Akane sprang into action. In a blur of movement, she vanished, leaving behind only the ghostly afterimage of her form.
The fist smashed into the ancient stonework, sending a web of cracks rippling through the floor. I stumbled, trying to regain my balance, my mind racing with questions.
Where had Akane gone?
How did she just disappear like that?
As I tried to process what had just happened, the creature's blue orbs fixed on me, its gaze almost paralysing.
The looming silhouette started its advance again, faster this time. Every lumbering step made the ancient walls of the sanctum tremble. I could feel its intent—raw and predatory—and my heart raced with fear.
[Illustration]
"I don't have time for this! I'm supposed to be saving Takako, not dealing with some giant stone monster attacking me!" I brooded.
Inhaling sharply, I felt a surge of energy within. This was my Karma—a power I was still coming to terms with. Slowly, my fingers started tingling, and a warm sensation spread across my palms.
I imagined the creature, the threat it posed, and the barrier I needed. I could feel the karmatic energy pulsating, yearning for release.
Opening my eyes, I extended my hand outward, releasing a burst of pure, crimson energy. The beam shot forward, illuminating the sanctum with its lustre.
The crimson beam hit the creature square in the face, illuminating its rocky form with a fiery glow.
But to my astonishment, the creature seemed unfazed.
It simply shifted its weight, absorbing the energy like a vast mountain would a gentle breeze, and continued its relentless advance.
Its glowing orbs bore into me with an intensity that felt like it was peeling layers off my very soul.
Before I could attempt anything else, Akane reappeared in a flash of movement, delivering a powerful roundhouse kick to the monster. The impact should have produced a deafening boom, but it remained unscathed, as if mocking our futile attempts.
The monster let out a low, guttural groan that sent shivers down my spine.
A stifling silence had descended upon the sanctum, wrapping us in an eerie shroud. The absence of sound was palpable, pressing on my senses like a weight I couldn't shake. The vicious thuds of the creature's steps reverberated through the stillness.
"Stay alert, Takeshi," Akane murmured, her voice barely audible.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to tap further into my Karma.
My power was but a flicker compared to the blazing inferno that was Akane.
I was startled when I saw ancient and otherworldly symbols lighting up around her.
They circled her in a dance of cosmic glyphs that made the very fabric of reality seem to shimmer.
Mesmerised, I watched Akane's every move. Her fingers danced gracefully, tracing patterns in the air as she whispered incantations.
Her voice, usually filled with mischief and playfulness, now took on a sombre tone, carrying a haunting melody that seemed older than time itself.
The very air around her shimmered, giving birth to cosmic symbols and runes that spun around her, feeding off her energy and adding to the mesmerising spectacle.
Every word she spoke seemed to cause ripples in her surroundings.
The stone walls of the sanctum began to vibrate, resonating with her voice.
"Akane, what are you—"
"Quiet!" she hissed, her darting eyes never wavering from the creature.
Suddenly, the ground beneath our feet began to tremble—tiny fractures appeared in the ground—and before I knew it, tiny hairline fractures began to appear, spreading outwards until they formed a gaping chasm revealing an abyss of pure blackness.
Chains, ostensibly made out of macrocosms, burst from the ground and cocooned the rocky behemoth.
The behemoth seemed momentarily retained, and a dark energy began dragging the creature into the abyss.
But the stone giant bellowed—a deep, guttural sound that threatened to shatter my eardrums. Its cerulean eyes pulsated, casting an even deeper shade of red, and the chains started to quiver.
Akane's chants grew louder, her voice carrying an undertone of desperation.
The chains, though formidable, struggled to contain the behemoth's power. It flexed its rocky limbs, straining against the ethereal bonds. The ground quaked as it thrashed, causing cracks to spiderweb outward.
A sudden surge of panic swept over me as I watched the massive behemoth's growing resistance.
"Akane!" I exclaimed, my voice echoing through the chamber, "It's breaking free!"
Before anyone could react, the behemoth abruptly broke free from its restraints and charged directly at me, sending me into a state of shock and fear.
Despite its tremendous size and menacing appearance, it closed the distance with remarkable agility.
The creature's eyes, those haunting orbs, were fixed squarely on me.
Every step it took brought a new wave of dread, like the sound of a ticking clock marking the inevitability of time.
Its intention was clear as the weight of those eyes bore down on me: annihilation.
With a sweeping motion of her hand, Akane summoned a vast wall between us and the monster and started dragging me away at speeds I couldn't fathom.
"The material used to seal this entrance is pure adamant, a truly unbreakable material. It shouldn't be able to break through it."
"Can't you teleport us out of the Sanctum?" I questioned.
"Well, unfortunately, teleportation is out of the question. It's disabled." Came the disappointing reply.
I couldn't help but feel frustrated.
"Of course it is." I muttered under my breath.
For a fleeting moment, relief washed over me, and I thought we had managed to put some distance between us and the beast.
But the subsequent, deafening roar shattered that hope. It was so loud and all-encompassing that the very walls of the sanctum seemed to shake in response. But what truly sent a chill down my spine was the direction it came from. The roar, filled with rage and malice, wasn't echoing from behind us...
The deafening roar left my ears ringing, and the sensation was almost numbing. As the resonance receded, the harsh reality set in. The behemoth hadn't been left behind; it was right ahead of us.
"Akane!" My voice barely broke through the pounding of my heart, but she was already ahead of me, her silhouette framed by the creature's ominous glow.
With a noise that seemed less beastly and more mechanical, the behemoth lunged, its stone fingers aiming for me, its palm creating a ball of cerulean darkness.
I tried to evade, but my movements felt lethargic, as if time itself was slowing down. I watched in horror as its palm started to swirl, creating a ball of cerulean darkness. Was it a weapon, an innate power, or some manifestation of the Estence? I didn't know, but I felt its malevolence.
A burst of wind rushed past me as Akane made her move.
The wind created by Akane's rapid movement threw up dust particles, making it momentarily difficult to see. Her agility was unparalleled; she was a blur to the naked eye, but her face was a canvas of concentrated determination.
"Can't you beat that thing?" I asked.
"Not with the current lack of enabled abilities I currently have." Akane's response was filled with frustration; she didn't look back, her darting eyes taking a glimpse of every corridor before she made her move.
"Estence shouldn't even be possible..." She continued silently, her voice twitching with disbelief.
"What do you mean Estence shouldn't be possible?" I questioned, my voice barely audible over the loud footsteps of the massive rocky creature.
Akane hesitated for a moment before letting out a deep sigh. It was clear that she wasn't comfortable discussing the topic.
Realising what I asked, I quickly tried to retract my question.
"Actually, never mind. I didn't mean to—" I tried adding apologetically.
But Akane interjected. "Estence... Was supposed to be banished... Along with him..." Her cryptic revelation left more questions than answers.
Who was this mysterious "him" responsible for unleashing the malevolent estence? What connection did it have to their predicament?
Akane, darting left and right, took unexpected turns, hoping to lose the behemoth.
The sanctum was a labyrinth of ever-shifting corridors, staircases that seemed to lead nowhere, and doors that were mere illusions. Every turn felt like a gamble.
The corridors seemed to close in around us, their shifting walls creating an ever-more claustrophobic maze.
My heart palpitated, not only from fear but also from the frustration of not having more answers.
It was as if the very sanctum conspired against us, leading us further into the unknown.
As we sprinted through yet another corridor, I couldn't help but marvel at Akane's grace and control, even in such dire circumstances.
It was like watching a dancer amidst a storm, her movements precise and purposeful.
I tried to catch my breath amid the frantic escape, "Akane, you mentioned 'him' and the banishment of the Estence. Who is this 'him'?"
Her response was hesitant, and her quick glance conveyed a sense of caution.
At last, she uttered two chilling words that sent shivers down my spine: "Pure evil."
The weight of those two words seemed to linger in the air, as if they were a curse that couldn't be lifted.
A sudden bang caused my body to jump in surprise. I gritted my teeth; the ominous feeling of being pursued was ever-present.
"That creature... It's relentless! What exactly is it?!" Its movements, though swift and powerful, still maintained robotic precision, devoid of any emotional intent.
"Most likely a mindless puppet." Akane admitted.
The revelation was quite unsettling, causing a chill to run down my spine.
The creature's brutish precision only served to confirm its puppet-like nature.
Each step it took echoed with the precision of a clock's tick, devoid of randomness or organic flow.
The creature didn't merely hunt; it pursued with relentless decisiveness.
It lacked any semblance of sentiment, acting purely on a functional level.
But who or what could possibly control such a formidable creation?
Akane's voice echoed through the narrow space, breaking my train of thought, "Up we go!" She hollered, pointing towards the ascending stairs.
I followed her lead, my feet pounding against the cold stone steps.
The staircase was narrow and steep, lined with worn-out carvings of figures that seemed to twist and turn with every glance.
The staircase seemed never-ending, with each step making my legs burn.
Akane moved with an ease that belied our desperate situation. I envied her stamina and her knowledge of the sanctum's ever-shifting pathways.
Finally, we reached the top of the staircase and emerged into another maze of corridors and rooms. Each one was filled with red crystals and stone linings.
"I can't believe this." I muttered under my breath, my voice laced with frustration.
My feet moved restlessly, as if they were searching for a way out of the situation.
Akane's watchful gaze followed my every move, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.
Suddenly, she leaned in and muttered something inaudible before tugging me along once more.
Amid the relentless pursuit, the world around us morphed into a blur of indistinguishable moments, characterised by the rhythmic pattern of our footsteps.
As we raced forward, every moment blurred together in a dizzying rush, our footsteps beating out a relentless rhythm. My mind raced ahead of me, back to the spiritual plane and the Tree of Karma.
What I saw through the threads of fate.
"We're getting nowhere..." I gasped, struggling to keep up.
My breath came in ragged gasps as we ran, my heart racing and sweat pouring down my face.
But Akane seemed to be taking it all in stride, doubled over with laughter.
"Takeshi, you're absolutely rubbish at this running thing!" She uttered while laughing uncontrollably.
I shot her an annoyed look, "Is now really the time for jokes? And how do your emotions change so quickly?"
She responded with a sly smile, shifting from one emotion to another with astonishing speed.
"That, my dear friend, is a secret," she whispered, winking at me before turning down another corridor.
"Since when were we friends?"
It wasn't long before we stumbled across a broad gap in one of the walls.
With swift thinking, Akane unexpectedly yanked me through.
Her eyes lit up with excitement as she looked through to the other side.
I couldn't help but wonder what lay on the other side. With trepidation, I walked through the opening, carefully scanning every inch.
We came across a relatively big chamber, the most prominent feature being the immense stone skull carved into the wall.
[Illustration]
The chamber was sparsely furnished, with only a few pillars, cascading neon blue liquids, a colossal platform at the centre, and some ancient runes etched into the stone; its walls were slightly decayed.
A shiver crept down my spine as I slowly backed away, my eyes never leaving the pulsating blue streams.
"Sooo cool!" Akane was overjoyed at the near-empty chamber, but I wouldn't put it past her.
The chamber was also eerily silent; the air felt like doom was slowly arriving.
"Akane," I began, eyes still scanning the room, "this doesn't feel right." My intuition was screaming that this chamber might be the perfect battleground.
Akane's eyes sparkled with optimism, but her voice was soft as she spoke, "You may be right, but we've been fine so far. Let's keep moving forward!"
"I sometimes despise her positivity..." I thought to myself.
Akane ran onto the platform and twirled around, her footprints being left on the gravel. Just like last time, her emotions changed faster than speed itself.
She looked pensive; she was sketching something on the platform's surface with her finger, her brows furrowed in deep thought.
I continued to examine the chamber, and I couldn't help but wonder about the purpose of this place.
The neon blue liquids coursing down the pillars seemed to respond to our presence, their flow quickening and the room filling with a soft, resonating hum.
My unease grew stronger, and I couldn't shake the feeling that we were not alone in this chamber, even though no monsters lurked in the shadows. Yet.
"Hey..." Akane called out to me, "could you tell me more about your sister? And why she was sold?" She asked.
Remembering Takako, I sighed.
"Takako and I were captured and sold into slavery. Every day was a battle for survival," I said, reminiscing on the harsh times, "We relied on each other, leaning on each other's strengths to make it through each day."
"I remember the house we grew up in. It was modest but filled with warmth and love," I began, my voice slightly shaky, "One day, our parents just disappeared without a trace. There was no note, no message, nothing. It felt like the world had been ripped out from under us. It's still a pain that lingers, not knowing what happened to them. The house felt cold and empty."
Akane watched me intently, her usual playful demeanour replaced with empathy.
"Only a day later, the illusion of safety was shattered," I continued, "Three men barged into our home. They were muscular, and their expressions were void of any compassion. They took us away, kicking and screaming. And then we were thrown into that hellhole. Chains, dirt, and the ceaseless cacophony of human despair."
I felt a lump in my throat but pressed on, "The worst part wasn't the hard labour or the lack of food or clean water, but watching my sister, my own flesh and blood, being sold to another master. I swore that day, no matter what, I would get her back."
I took a deep breath, attempting to calm my nerves after recalling the traumatic events.
My gaze fell on the intricate patterns etched into the chamber's stone floor.
As we lingered in the chamber, an unspoken understanding passed between us. The room's ambience, while ominous, seemed to fade into the background as we focused on our shared mission.
"Wait," Akane whispered suddenly.
A faint rumbling sound could be heard in the distance, growing louder with each passing second. The vibrations coursing through the chamber floor were palpable.
As if that wasn't enough, the neon blue liquids cascading down the walls intensified, their lustre increasing with each passing moment.
Suddenly, the very air in the chamber grew dense, almost suffocating. The hum from the liquids became piercing, forcing me to cover my ears.
"It's back..." Akane whispered as she turned around. The stone behemoth had entered the chamber, the only opening behind it vanishing.
"Akane, do you have a plan?" I tried to keep my voice steady, though my heart was racing.
She took a deep breath, her eyes never leaving the behemoth, "Not exactly, but we can't keep running forever. We have to face it here."
"I can't even use my Karma that well!" I clamoured as the stone colossal sent forth a beam of cerulean energy at me, dissolving the walls and floor of the chamber.
"To use it effectively, you'll need to calm yourself." Akane gracefully sidestepped multiple arcs of devastating energy, each one leaving a trail of immense shockwaves.
Amid the relentless chaos, a jagged chunk of rubble, propelled by some unseen force, grazed the side of my head, leaving a stinging trail.
I could feel the warmth of my blood mixing with sweat and trickling down my face.
My heart raced, and I instinctively lashed out, desperation fueling my every move, "Calm myself? How can I be calm with everything going on?!" I ejaculated ferociously.
Akane's steady and unyielding gaze met mine, "Just try!"
Listening to Akane's words, I took a hesitant step backward. I closed my eyes, shutting out the relentless barrage of sensory overload, the blinding explosions, and the ear-splitting roars.
Gradually, the pounding in my chest began to ease, replaced by a growing ember of tranquillity.
I felt it.
An aura of crimson engulfed my body, radiating a soothing warmth that spread through me. I felt powerful.
I tried to raise a protective barrier in an attempt to shield myself from the impending blast. The surge of crimson energy crackled around me, but it was like trying to stop a tidal wave with a sandcastle. So much for feeling powerful.
The force was so sudden and overwhelming that it felt like a gust of hurricane wind. The world blurred for a fraction of a second.
With a sharp inhale, I was thrust backward, my body colliding with a stone pillar with an excruciating thud.
The impact was so hard that I could almost visualise an imprint of my body being left behind on the cold, erratic stone.
From the abyss of nowhere, Akane's hand manifested a weapon—a scythe cloaked in the richest crimson. The blade wasn't just sharp; it radiated an aura of molten lava, but it felt like it was birthed from something far more potent than mere lava.
But the handle had the rugged, dark texture of an igneous rock, as if it were forged in the heart of a volcano.
Struggling to rise, I found myself trapped. Rocks pinned my limbs, and no matter how much I strained, an unseen force held them firmly. I couldn't move.
Despite my vulnerable state, Akane stood unwavering, her spirit burning brighter than ever. Yet the creature, with its body resembling the toughest of mountain stones, had its gaze fixed solely on me. Its rocky feet derived cessation with each step it took towards me.
Even in my beleaguered state, it wasn't hard to see that Akane's relentless onslaught barely scratched the creature's surface. It seemed utterly oblivious to Akane's relentless slashes from her scythe.
I began pondering.
"Although most of Akane's abilities are supposedly disabled, she's still a supreme primordial demigod. Shouldn't she at least have immense physical strength? She is barely doing any damage to it, so... Just how powerful is this stone abomination? And why is it only focused on me?"
The creature seemed barely fazed as it marched towards me, each step accompanied by a dull tremor. Its malevolent gaze was enough to send a chill down my spine.
As it got within arm's length of me, it swung a mighty fist. But Akane came in and deflected the attack with her scythe, slicing the air and leaving a permanent scar in reality.
With every attack that Akane deflected, its malice grew. It shot beams at me.
Akane once again used her scythe to counter the attack. The beam, however, was powerful enough to cause the room's floor and walls to buckle and shift under the immense weight of its power.
"You know," Akane quipped amidst her dodges, "if you're going to play damsel in distress, at least look the part."
I shot back, "Maybe if you were a better teacher and took this more seriously, I wouldn't be in this mess!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" She replied casually, taking aim right before deflecting yet another arc.
The runic floor cracked, allowing dust clouds to escape and causing a beautiful mist of luminescent cerulean energy.
Akane used her scythe to create a small vermillion barrier that absorbed the majority of an attack, preventing me from sustaining further injuries.
The beast and Akane appeared to have a slight standoff while I just observed from the pillar.
I wanted to do something, though. If I couldn't do anything to help. How would I be able to save Takako at all?
My mind drifted off for several seconds. But one thought refused to fade into the oblivion of my subconscious: I felt useless.
As Akane dodged numerous attacks, her body blurred slightly, her still afterimages splitting apart, one fading into crimson, the other into black, then remerging in another location.
Her constant, graceful dodging caused my eyes to hurt.
I tried calming myself down, trying to possess my Karma once again. My fingers began tingling, and the crimson energy slowly began coursing through them.
The aura returned.
It engulfed my entire body in a matter of seconds; the familiar sensation washed away my fatigue, infusing me with new energy. I was able to slightly remove myself from the pillar.
I yanked my left arm up and aimed towards the colossal, I felt a surge of energy flow as the arm illuminated a radiant crimson.
I quickly thought of a random ability I remember hearing about: "Quickshot."
I blinked in disbelief as the bolt of crimson energy emerged from my hand, sailing straight towards the behemoth. The bolt disintegrated upon touching the beast.
"You know, if you could stop looking like such a snack to this thing, that'd be great." Akane teased, her voice slicing through the tension even as her body wove through the beast's attacks.
"Enough with the teasing already." I retorted.
The behemoth seemed to react to my mounting frustration, its pace quickening and its strikes growing more brutal.
I noticed the gargantuan skull on the wall getting rougher as the stone behemoth grew more powerful.
I tried thinking of another ability I heard in my time as a slave: "Hellfire."
I felt massive, red, scorching tendrils erupt from my back; the pain was immense, and I couldn't stop screaming. The ground slightly seared wherever they touched, leaving smoky traces.
Their intense heat caused the atmosphere to shimmer, distorting the surroundings. I could feel each tendril pulsate, as if they were sentient.
Each tendril thrashed around wildly, seeking something to latch onto.
I couldn't control them.
"Akane, help!" I cried out, the agony from the tendrils piercing my every sense. My voice was desperate, pleading for her assistance.
She swiftly moved toward me, but every time she got close, the tendrils lashed out at her, forcing her to dodge and keep her distance.
The room was a tempest of chaos. The tendrils, wild and uncontrollable, sought to destroy anything they touched.
Every swing from the stone behemoth was met with fierce resistance from Akane's scythe, while the tendrils inadvertently acted as an additional line of defence against the monstrous adversary.
However, the odds seemed increasingly stacked against us.
Despite our best efforts, the behemoth's strength continued to surge every time we thought we were gaining an advantage.
"Akane!" I cried, desperation evident in my voice. "Help me! I can't hold on much longer!"
For a moment, her eyes met mine, and a silent promise was exchanged. But the next attack from the behemoth was fierce, catching her off guard. She narrowly dodged, leaving me exposed.
Seizing the opportunity, the creature lunged, a massive hand coming straight for me.
The monstrous fist descended upon me with such speed that it was a mere blur. I closed my eyes, bracing for the impact.
A symphony of sounds filled my ears: the guttural roar of the behemoth, Akane's desperate cry, and the screech of my own chaotic tendrils.
The blow was imminent.
The world seemed dim. Time slowed, with each second feeling like a lifetime.
I watched as Akane stood there, her eyes full of guilt. I tried speaking; I tried fighting back.
But it was too late. The behemoth's hand connected, enveloping me in a cerulean darkness.
The sensation of that all-encompassing darkness was cold and void of any emotion.
I could no longer feel the tendrils, hear Akane's voice, or even sense the behemoth's looming presence. Everything had faded away.