Chapter Thirty: Death
Spell Card Activation: Doom Battlefield Annihilation
As soon as these words were spoken, the winds in the area turned chaotic, sweeping across the battlefield, shattering trees, and tossing beastmen aside like broken toys.
'So, she's the ninth candidate, huh?' Dusken smirked inwardly, unsurprised.
It wasn't due to any indifference to the revelation of Lillian's identity; he had already suspected it.
Dusken had long suspected this. The suspicion had begun when only 8 - including him - summoned their weapons and the last one was nowhere to be seen.
Then he saw Lillian. She had been staring at him back in the battlefield of the beastmen and it was quite suspicious.
Ever since his encounter with Kyle, Dusken knew that the world was filled with insidious powers, so he held this suspicion, even though it had no ground.
This was also why he had told Lillian he was from another world. It was to test her, and she fell for it, but then she twisted it as though it was a joke.
Dusken still had suspicion, but all that vanished during his conversation with Lillian.
She had been explaining who Madonna was, and had made a slip up. The god of darkness was a god who didn't allow mortals to be aware of his name.
He had only told him - Dusken - and the other candidates in that dark void. So Lillian knowing his name was questionable.
Although the clues were little, Dusken pieced them all together and ultimately came up with the hypothesis that she was a candidate.
The reason he still asked for the information - even after knowing this crucial detail - was that who knew if Lillian had a side ability relating to visions or one that made her get memories of those she killed?
Either way, abilities were insidious, sinister and unique. So, even if it may be false, any information would be welcomed by Dusken.
If she was a candidate, so what? Could she kill him?
Lillian's powers were undeniably strong for a level one — overpowered even. However, this was night, and the night was when Dusken's power shone the brightest.
He commanded the darkness, enveloping himself in its shroud as he moved stealthily like an assassin.
Contrary to what people might expect, he was retreating, not bothering to fight—at least not openly.
A wise man knew when to advance and when to withdraw, as even if he pursued what makes him human, without life, what was the need?
The cold night breeze blew past him as the darkness cloaked his figure, masking his movements.
He crept behind a beastman, raising his sword and driving it through the creature's skull, killing it instantly.
'Argh!' Dusken grimaced inwardly, enduring the surge of negativity.
[You have slain a Level 1 Awakened Beastman.]
[Your abyss within grows darker.]
Yet, along with that negativity came a surge of strength.
Dusken had killed many beastmen, and he'd begun to notice a pattern: the more he killed, the fewer Abysmal points he earned.
'So, the stronger I get, the less I gain from weaker foes. Makes sense, just like with experience points.'
He was about to dispatch another beastman when his senses flared. Perceiving through the darkness was far easier than through light; his power within it was exponentially stronger.
His senses extended an impressive 120 metres, allowing him to detect everything in his surroundings.
But his expression turned grim. The two Beastman Kings had arrived.
Their movements were swift, streaking so fast that even Dusken's dark perception struggled to keep up.
Without sparing a warning for Lillian, he bolted. Facing two level-two Awakened, along with dozens of level ones, was a guaranteed death sentence.
'Move faster, curse it!' he urged himself. Though his speed was formidable, it paled in comparison to the Beastman Kings.
Dusken darted through the trees, dodging stray arrows and low-hanging branches. Then came the roar of a beastman.
"Where's the other one? He escaped! Hunt him down!"
The beastmen roared in unison, scattering to search for Dusken.
Lillian, meanwhile, had gained some breathing room, and slipped from the grasp of her pursuers. Her speed was remarkable.
Whenever a beastman neared her, she unleashed blasts of compressed air to propel herself forward, leaving her enemies frustrated.
Dusken sensed her movements through the darkness as he raced on.
But the Beastman Kings were relentless, their focus now solely on Lillian.
'If not for my ability, I'd already be dead,' Dusken thought grimly, shaking his head as he ran. Unlike the beastmen, he lacked a strong, resilient body, and unlike Lillian, he didn't have an overpowered ability.
Tapping into his dark flame, he boosted his energy within him, and in turn his speed surged dramatically. Soon, he felt a change in the air. The night breeze flowed unhindered, unobstructed by the trees.
'The edge of the forest!' he realised. Dusken could sense the open world beyond the trees, a glimmer of escape within reach.
Pouring all his energy into running, he finally broke through the forest's edge.
But just as freedom appeared within reach, a deafening explosion shook the area, throwing everything—and everyone—backwards.
Dusken was flung through the air like a broken kite, landing with a heavy thud.
His vision blurred, but through the darkness, he could make out a scene unfolding ahead.
A young woman stood there, her clothing clinging tightly to her body. A tall, pointed hat adorned her head, and opera gloves extended past her elbows.
"Bryan, give up. You can't stop me; the inheritance shall be mine," she said, her dark chuckle echoing evil.
Opposite her, a young man clad entirely in red and black armour let out a heavy sigh.
"Madonna, even if I die, I'll protect this inheritance until my last breath," he declared solemnly.
In the distance, a star-shaped portal hovered in the air.
This was the inheritance of the god of Darkness. The witch and the young knight of the Starlian family were locked in battle for its entrance.
'So, Lillian didn't lie,' Dusken thought as blood trickled from his lips, his bet had paid off. But that left a question: Why had Lillian told him the truth?
If she was a candidate like him, how did she know the trial's background unless…
Dusken's thoughts were interrupted as he noticed the portal warping, its shape shifting unnaturally. Both Madonna and Bryan stopped fighting, eyeing it warily.
Dusken observed from the shadows, a foreboding feeling creeping over him.
The air was thick with tension. Blood still stained the battlefield, and the metallic taste lingered in his mouth.
His body ached from the earlier impact, and the cold night air stung his skin.
Then he sensed movement—two shadows darting toward him. His heart skipped a beat.
It was a beastman and Lillian.
The beastman, much faster, lunged at him first. Dusken, still immobilised, could only watch as its jaws came down on him.
But from deep within, something stirred. Power surged through him, rising instinctively. From his shadow, something emerged - Ebon.
Its sharp claws shot forward, impaling the beastman. With a guttural roar, the beastman collapsed, black smoke emanating from its body as it dissolved into a dark pool, leaving behind only a core shard.
[You have slain a Level 1 Awakened Beastman.]
[Your abyss within grows darker.]
Dusken's eyes widened as a wave of negativity washed over him.
'So, if Ebon kills, I still gain the points? And those claws, if they had touched me earlier…' Cold sweat dripped down his forehead at the thought.
Forcing his focus back to the battle outside, Dusken noticed the star-shaped portal expanding rapidly, its edges consuming the landscape with alarming speed.
Madonna and Bryan stood frozen, unable to act as the portal's reach extended toward the forest, pulling in every living creature.
'Curse it!' Dusken cursed inwardly, struggling to rise. His legs buckled under him, and he collapsed again, forcing himself to crawl in desperation.
But Lillian arrived before him, hoisting him up without a word.
"Don't ask me any questions," she commanded coldly, cutting him off before he could speak.
Yet no matter how far they ran, the portal moved faster, its pull inescapable. The air was filled with anxiety as beastmen raced alongside them, abandoning all hostility in the face of survival.
The portal's speed suddenly surged, consuming everything in seconds. Dusken could no longer sense anything within its range.
In an instant, both he and Lillian were pulled inside without even an ounce of struggle.
As darkness claimed him, a voice echoed in the void:
"Welcome to the Inheritance of the Deity of Darkness. You all have five hours to fight for the inheritance, or death is your sentence."