Killian pushed himself to his absolute limit. His body screamed in protest, but he refused to give in. With a roar that tore through the hall, he forced his hands against the beast's massive jaws, straining with every ounce of strength he had left.
"Aaarghhh!" Killian's guttural shout echoed as he fought against the beast's tightening bite, the golden aura around him flickering, nearly extinguished. But as his resolve deepened, the aura began to shine once more, brighter than before.
He gritted his teeth and latched onto one of the creature's fangs, his fingers digging into the slick surface as he wrenched it free from the beast's mouth with sheer, reckless strength. Blood poured from the creature's gums, and it howled in fury, shaking the very walls of the dungeon.
"I will annihilate you!" Killian growled through clenched teeth, his blue eyes blazing with defiance.
The golden aura flared, brighter, fiercer. Killian roared, summoning every last drop of power he had. The beast tightened its bite, but Killian twisted the fang with one last burst of strength, yanking it free. As the fang snapped loose, he drove his foot into the beast's other fang, shattering it with a sickening crunch.
The creature let out a scream of agony, thrashing violently as it flung Killian to the ground like a ragdoll. He hit the stone floor with a deafening thud, his body skidding across the blood-slicked ground. Blood sprayed from his mouth as pain radiated through his shattered bones, but the golden aura surrounding him dulled the worst of the impact.
He could barely move, barely breathe, but his sword was still embedded in the beast's body. His vision blurred as he tried to steady himself. His wounds had opened, and blood poured freely, but the rush of adrenaline numbed the pain.
Gritting his teeth, Killian took a deep breath, forcing himself to stand. His legs trembled under his weight, but he managed to focus his energy into his fists, channeling what remained of his golden aura. His glowing blue eyes locked onto the massive, snarling creature before him.
He spared a glance at Aiden's unconscious form, crumpled on the far side of the hall.
"Thank you, Aiden," Killian whispered, his voice hoarse. "I swear, I'll make sure we both survive this."
This was it. One final round.
Killian squared his stance, blood dripping from his fingers as he stood before the three-headed beast.
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Meanwhile, the battle below caused a commotion on the surface. The tremors from the fight shook the earth, sending shockwaves rippling across the land. Stone walls groaned, and the very ground beneath Arlecia quivered.
In the castle, Seth jolted awake, his sharp senses immediately alert. His room, usually so still and silent, now felt unstable, the bed beneath him trembling. Royfield burst into the chamber, his eyes wide with urgency.
"My lord," Royfield said, his voice low but hurried. "I apologize for disturbing your rest, but there's an earthquake. We must move you to a safer location."
Seth sat up quickly, his mind racing. Earthquakes weren't common in Arlecia. In fact, the only time the ground had shaken like this was in the novel—when the red portal first appeared, five years from now.
His eyes narrowed in thought. Something was terribly wrong.
"Find Aiden," Seth ordered, his voice calm but commanding.
Royfield disappeared to the barracks, but when he returned, he was empty-handed. "My lord," he said gravely, "Aiden is nowhere to be found."
Seth's mind whirled with possibilities, each one worse than the last. He stood, trying to think through what could be happening when the door to his chamber burst open. A maid rushed in, breathless and clearly terrified.
"My lord," she stammered, bowing quickly. "I deeply apologize for barging in, but... but there's a group of mercenaries at the castle gates."
Seth's brow furrowed in confusion. What could they want? "Royfield, bring me my outing clothes," he ordered sharply, quickly pushing aside his lingering exhaustion. Something was stirring, and he had no time to waste.
Once dressed, Seth ordered the mercenaries to send their leader inside. A burly man named Jake entered, his massive frame reminiscent of a bear, all muscle and bulk. Despite his imposing presence, his expression was grave, troubled.
"Lord Arlecia," Jake began, his deep voice rumbling with urgency, "I know this is sudden, but we need your help. Our leader..." His voice faltered, lowering as he struggled to continue.
Before he could finish, another violent tremor ripped through the ground, sending dust and loose stones falling from the ceiling. This time, it was followed by a distant but unmistakable roar—a sound that rumbled from deep within the forest.
Seth froze. His eyes widened in recognition, shock flashing across his face. "No..."
"Royfield!" Seth barked, his voice hard with urgency. "Bring me a horse, now!"
Royfield hesitated for a moment, clearly wanting to ask what had set his lord on edge, but the look on Seth's face brooked no argument. Without another word, Royfield disappeared to fetch the horse.
Seth turned to Jake, his eyes dark with purpose. "How many men do you have with you?" he demanded, his tone sharp.
"Twelve," Jake replied, confused but not daring to question the lord's sudden change in demeanor.
"Good. Follow me."
When Royfield returned with the horse, Seth mounted it in one smooth motion, not wasting a second. He spurred the horse forward, riding out of the castle with a determined fire in his eyes. Unbeknownst to the others, Royfield transformed into his gray fox form, stealthily following his master from the shadows.
The horse galloped through the night, Seth leaning forward, urging it faster. "Faster," he muttered under his breath, his mind racing. There was no time to lose. He had a suspicion—a terrible, sinking feeling that he knew what had caused the earthquake, and the roar.
As they neared the edge of the Forgotten Forest, something unexpected happened. A dense wall of trees shifted in their path, moving unnaturally to block their way. The trees themselves seemed alive.
"So they really are here," Seth muttered under his breath, recognizing the treants, guardians of the forest. He had read about them in the novel. They weren't supposed to appear yet. But here they were, living and breathing before him.
The mercenaries stared in awe, none of them having ever seen treants before.
Seth bit his finger until blood welled up. He spoke in a whisper, barely audible. "Dominus Invisus, Audite meam vocem." The blood dripped onto the ground, and Seth began to chant an ancient, forgotten spell—the kind of magic that hadn't been seen in this world for centuries.
The blood hit the earth and ignited, transforming into blazing blue flames. Seth's eyes glowed with power as he called upon a force long forgotten by the people of this world—the Watcher, a being only mentioned in the novel as a shadowy figure of immense power.
"Tribuite mihi potestatem unius duodecim sedium, Pluma in flammis," Seth intoned, his voice cold and steady.
The flames flared brighter, spreading across the ground. He hadn't wanted to use this magic. He knew the price—it would devour him, body and soul, leaving nothing behind. But he had no other choice. In his current body, he couldn't access the full extent of his past life's power. This was the only way to gain enough strength, though it would surely draw the attention of the gods.
As the spell completed, Seth felt the mark of his contract with Killian vanish from his neck, replaced by a far darker, more powerful pact. The Unseen Lord had answered his call.
Seth dismounted his horse with eerie grace, his eyes burning with a terrifying red glow. The blue flames spread in his wake, consuming everything in their path. The mercenaries fell back in fear, watching in disbelief as the tyrant lord displayed a power none of them had imagined.
Seth looked back at the mercenaries, his voice calm but firm. "Stay here."
The treants ahead of him, once mighty guardians of the forest, crumbled into ash as the blue fire consumed them. The ancient forest burned in eerie silence as Seth moved forward, each step leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.
When the path was clear, Seth stood before what had once been a hidden entrance to a dungeon. The illusion that had shrouded it was now gone, burned away by his magic. He could see flashes of lightning from deep within the darkness.
His gaze hardened as he spoke to no one in particular. "That thing really is here... and far too early."
-----------
Killian fought on, his body pushed far beyond its limits as he faced off against the powerful three-headed beast. This beast, was unlike any entity he had ever encountered. Each of its heads moved with terrifying coordination, and its sheer strength was overwhelming.
Sweat dripped from Killian's brow as he raised his fists to deflect another barrage of lightning bolts. The golden aura surrounding him shimmered weakly, barely protecting him from the full force of the attack. His breath was ragged, his chest heaving with exhaustion. He could feel the strain in every muscle, the ache of his body reaching its breaking point.
The golden aura flickered and dimmed, fading away as Killian's strength ebbed. This time, he knew there was nothing left to summon. His body had reached its limit.
With a pained groan, Killian collapsed to his knees. He stared ahead, watching as the three-headed beast seemed to mock him, its heads swaying in eerie unison, their eyes gleaming with predatory intelligence.
"I can't win this, Aiden..." Killian whispered, his voice barely audible. His gaze drifted to the ground, his vision blurring as despair settled over him. He had fought with everything he had, but it wasn't enough.
The thought of dying here, in this forsaken dungeon, gnawed at him. He had come so far, survived so much. But now, with his strength gone, there was nothing more he could do. He tried to accept his fate, his mind flashing back to memories of the nights he spent in quiet moments, staring at Lord Seth's face.
"I wanted to see him... just once more," he thought, his gaze softening as he stared at the dirt beneath him, his heart heavy.
Suddenly, a soft, radiant blue light reflected off the ground in front of him, piercing through his dazed thoughts. Through his blurred vision, he assumed it was the beast preparing to unleash its final attack. He braced himself, ready to accept whatever death the creature would bring.
But as he glanced upward, he realized it wasn't the beast.
A brilliant blue flame descended from the darkness above, illuminating the entire chamber. Its ethereal glow cut through the air, washing over the scene with an otherworldly light. Killian could barely make out its form, his vision failing him, but he knew—this was no attack from the beast.
His eyes fluttered shut as consciousness slipped away.
The three-headed beast, sensing the sudden shift in power, snarled and turned its attention to the blue flames. Its monstrous heads recoiled as it realized it faced a new, far more formidable foe. The flames belonged to Seth.
Seth hovered in the air, levitating above the beast, his crimson eyes locked on the creature below. His gaze flickered briefly to the motionless forms of Killian and Aiden, assessing their battered states.
The beast roared in fury, unleashing a torrent of lightning bolts at Seth. But Seth, encased in his blue flames, merely raised his hand. With a single motion, he deflected the bolts with ease, sending them scattering harmlessly into the walls of the dungeon.
He floated, calm and composed, his power radiating from him like a second skin. His eyes narrowed as he looked down on the three-headed monster.
"Zarathos..." Seth murmured, his voice low, almost a whisper. "The three-headed dragon from hell. I've seen your kind before—back in my world."
His lips curled into a cold smile. "I always thought the author of this novel might have been someone from my world. Your appearance proves that theory right. The references are uncanny."
Seth's gaze darkened, his voice dripping with lethal intent. "But I don't care what world you came from. You're dead."
The beast roared in defiance, its massive heads thrashing in fury.
Seth's expression remained impassive. "Since you're here earlier than expected, I suppose the future won't follow the same script." He chuckled darkly. "Which means I don't need to worry about making mistakes anymore."
With a flick of his wrist, Seth summoned a flicker of blue flames into his left hand. The fire danced in his palm, small but impossibly intense. He stared at the flame for a moment, his eyes distant as he murmured words of power.
"Flammae aeternae solum peccatorem inferni ardent," he chanted softly, his voice carrying the weight of ancient magic.
The small, harmless flame fell from his hand, drifting downward toward the beast. The moment it touched the ground, the flame exploded into a massive blast, an eruption of power that shook the very foundations of the dungeon.
The flames were no ordinary fire. They burned with a purity that devoured only the wicked. The beast let out a final, agonized scream as the eternal flames consumed it, incinerating its flesh and bones. Its roars echoed through the chamber, but within moments, it was reduced to nothing but ash, swept away by the force of the explosion.
Killian and Aiden, untouched by the fire, remained motionless on the ground, protected by Seth's magic.
Seth descended slowly, his feet touching the scorched earth where Zarathos had once stood. His eyes flicked toward the remnants of the battle, then to the two fallen figures lying at the edge of the chamber.
The battle was over. The beast was annihilated.
Seth stood tall, his expression unreadable as the blue flames flickered out, leaving only silence in their wake.