"This is it," Azrael muttered, his voice a low growl. He raised his hand, channeling the last of the dragon heart's energy, ready to deliver the final blow.
Before he could act, a voice cut through the chaos like a thunderclap. "Azrael, STOP!"
The All-Mother's command froze him in place. Her voice carried a weight that couldn't be ignored, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still.
Azrael hesitated, his glowing eyes flickering as he turned to face her. "Why are you stopping me? I can end this right now!"
The All-Mother stepped forward, her gaze calm but stern. "Because this isn't the way. Trust me."
Reluctantly, Azrael lowered his hand. The dragon heart's glow dimmed as its energy settled.
The All-Mother approached Adam, who stood amidst the shattered remnants of his army. He looked battered but unyielding, his eyes burning with a mix of anger and confusion.
Without a word, the All-Mother placed two fingers on Adam's forehead. She whispered an incantation, her voice soft but powerful. A faint glow surrounded her fingers, and Adam's body stiffened as if frozen in place.
The glow subsided, and Adam blinked rapidly. When he finally spoke, his voice was filled with confusion. "Who are you people? What am I doing here? How did I get here?"
The crowd fell silent, stunned by his words.
Adam's gaze swept over the battlefield, his eyes widening in horror as he took in the shattered skeletons and destruction around him. "Oh my God… did I do all of this?"
Azrael frowned, his patience already wearing thin. "What's wrong with this fool now? Why is he asking stupid questions?"
The All-Mother turned to him, her expression grave. "Because it wasn't him. I noticed a mark on the back of his neck during the fight. It was a control spell, someone captured him, infected him, and forced him to do all of this. Adam was just a pawn."
The weight of her words sank in, and Azrael's anger gave way to a deep sense of unease. "So… someone else is behind this?"
"Yes," the All-Mother confirmed. "And we need to find out who."
Lysander stepped forward, his voice steady but urgent. "Azrael, you've done enough for now. Go to your room and rest. You must be exhausted from the battle and the journey. We'll handle things here."
Azrael wanted to protest, but the exhaustion finally caught up to him. He nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But we're not letting this go."
"We won't," Lysander assured him.
With that, Azrael turned and made his way back to his room, the adrenaline from the fight beginning to fade. His muscles ached, his head throbbed, and the lingering energy of the dragon heart buzzed faintly in his chest.
When Azrael finally reached his room, he collapsed onto the bed, letting out a long sigh. The quiet was almost unnerving after the chaos of the battlefield.
[Hey, partner. Rough day, huh?]
Azrael groaned, pressing a hand to his face. "You could say that. What do you want now?"
The system's voice chimed in, uncharacteristically somber.
[I've got some bad news for you. Check your stats.]
With a sinking feeling, Azrael opened the system interface. His eyes widened as he saw the numbers. Everything—strength, mana, agility—had dropped significantly.
"What the hell is this?" Azrael demanded. "Why are my stats so low?"
[Using the dragon heart to unlock Domain Expansion drained you more than I expected. You weren't ready for that level of power, and now your system is… well, let's say it's running on fumes.]
Azrael sat up, his frustration bubbling over. "Running on fumes? Are you kidding me? I'm supposed to fight whatever's behind Adam's attack, and you're telling me I'm weaker than ever?"
[Pretty much, yeah.]
Azrael glared at the ceiling. "Great. Just great. So what do I do now?"
[You're allowed to rest tonight, but tomorrow you need to start rebuilding your stats immediately. Otherwise…]
"Otherwise, what?" Azrael snapped.
[Otherwise, you won't survive the next fight. Whoever's pulling the strings here isn't going to stop, and they'll come after you next. You need to be ready.]
Azrael sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Fine. What do I need to do?"
[Focus on training. Physical and magical. The dragon heart took a toll on your body and mana reserves, so we'll need to push you hard. And…"]
"And what?"
[We might need to revisit that whole… uh… 'cost' thing! Well it consist of sex between you and 4 girls. Let's start from there.]
Azrael groaned, flopping back onto the bed. "Let's not talk about that right now."
[Fair enough. Rest up, partner. Tomorrow, the real work begins.]