Chapter 294 Turning the accursed tides?
White Dragon Labyrinth Exploration Arc.
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(POV: Akashic Records)
Suddenly, Lumiere clamped his teeth onto Aaron's ear, drawing blood as he tore it from her head savagely.
Aaron staggered back, dropping to one knee as waves of searing pain washed over her.
Her trembling hand desperately pressed against the gaping wound where her ear once resided, blood oozing between her fingers as she fought to stifle her cries.
Lumiere chuckled, his mouth still smeared with Aaron's blood.
Dancing in his mouth, was her left ear.
"What's with that anger, Curse Kings should be cruel, shouldn't they? Compared to others, I'm merely being lenient."
Ravenna watched in shock, her eyes wide with terror as she beheld the true nature of a Curse King.
This was the darkness that lurked beneath their seemingly invincible fa?ade, a part that, once unveiled, sent shivers down the spines of any who dared to witness it.
Gritting her teeth, Aaron fought through the excruciating pain, willing herself to stand once again.
Blood continued to trickle from Lumiere's mouth as he chuckled softly, his armless form and the gaping wound in his chest doing nothing to quell his sadistic amusement.
He spat out Aaron's torn ear, the lifeless flesh hitting the ground with a sickening splat.
"Shall we continue...?"
As the searing pain radiated through Aaron's body, she fought to stay upright, her eyes struggling to focus. With a momentary haze clouding her vision, she mustered all her strength to use her chakra, channeling it to the wound in her ear. The pain dulled slightly and the bleeding ceased, giving her a brief respite.
Still, the throbbing ache caused her to constantly remember Lumiere's gruesome actions.
Through gritted teeth, Aaron locked her gaze with Lumiere's bloodshot eyes.
"You may have caused me some damage, but don't think for a moment that you're in any position to continue this fight. Your sword lies shattered, your arms severed, and your chest is laid bare with a gaping hole. You're done."
Lumiere's lips curled into a more confident smile.
His voice was chilling.
"Oh yeah, I really should fix that..."
With a sudden movement, a tiny black orb materialized before Lumiere.
The one he'd been playing with all this time.
Its slimy surface gleamed in the dim light.
Aaron's eyes widened in disbelief as the orb exploded, engulfing everything in a swirling vortex of darkness.
The void devoured their surroundings, consuming the labyrinth in its malevolent embrace.
As abruptly as it appeared, the darkness dissipated, leaving Aaron and Ravenna staring in confusion.
Aaron's hand tightened around her weapon, readying herself for an imminent attack that never came.
"What trickery is this? What'd you do?"
Lumiere's voice dripped with perverse satisfaction.
"Oh? A trick's a bit of a strong word don't you think...? This," he gestured to the amorphous black matter oozing from his being, "is the power of my heritage as the Curse King you so endlessly hate."
He paused for a moment, relishing their disbelief.
"Tell me, isn't it fascinating? The fact that I've had this much power and yet barely cause any trouble... I'm a competent human and an incompetent Curse King, the thought of it is funny."
"What power?"
From Aaron's perspective, all he did was create a strange black matter (Eterna Noctis) she'd never seen before.
That didn't nearly qualify as something to brag about.
"This power."
After Lumiere said that, black matter gathered more around him and instantly healed the gaping hole in his chest. His arms were fully reattached and the deep wound in his left thigh vanished just like the hole in his chest — both filled with flesh.
The perks of 『Voracious Queen Adephagia』 ?s sub-skill, [Accelerated Regeneration].
Aaron was absolutely astonished, and yet, she was able to maintain her calm expression.
No doubt, it was the work of an Apex Skill.
Something which also classified as one of the two branches of magic: Magic Arts & Magic Skills.
"Magic... but that shouldn't be possible in this labyrinth. How're you able to use it?"
Lumiere scoffed at Aaron's persistence, dismissing the importance of her question.
"For now, that's not really important... You're here to take me down right?"
"..."
"Either way, let's focus on disciplining you," he sneered.
However, Aaron remained composed.
Just because her opponent "looked" like he had the advantage didn't mean he actually did.
That was how she saw it at least.
She extended her hand, her voice steady as she called out, "Summon: Inzuriel."
In that instant, the air crackled with energy, and the holy sword materialized, its brilliant radiance illuminating the darkness. The sight of the shimmering white blade with its golden hilt stirred something deep within Ravenna's soul, igniting a burning sensation.
Ravenna couldn't contain his curiosity any longer.
"That sword... It's a divine artifact wielded by the battle gods?"
Each battle god had a divine artifact bestowed upon them by Akaza, the Goddess of War herself. It was tailored to their unique race or class.
In Aaron's case, hers was the Holy Sword, Inzuriel.
Her soul burned even more.
She clutched her chest, a brief cough escaping her.
Meanwhile, Lumiere surrounded himself with a swirling spiral of black matter, with strategic openings granting him limited visibility.
From within, his voice echoed with satisfaction.
"It looks like that weapon is burning my soul a bit," he observed.
The presence of [Holy Magic] for impure beings like Curse Kings, Demon Kings and the lot was deadly, but not entirely so in Lumiere's case.
His slight resistance to [Holy Magic] wasn't born out of a skill.
It was because of he was "touched by the gods", All-Father's energy was within him, so was Serena's.
Aaron, undeterred by Lumiere's defensive tactic, declared matter-of-factly, "Although it should be impossible, it seems the effects of the antimagic barrier are already wearing off."
If not, she wouldn't have been able to summon a magic sword.
Hence, her summoning the magic sword wasn't as a way to fight with it, she was merely testing if it'd work.
"Curse King..."
"Hm?"
"It's unfortunate that you'll have to contend with me with this magic sword of mine... Inzuriel, the blade that cuts through all forms of magic.."
Lumiere placed a hand on his chest, his expression turning serious.
"You battle gods never learn," he muttered to himself. "It's honestly painful..."
Without warning, five black fireballs materialized out of thin air, hurtling towards Aaron.
It was [Curse Fire Magic].
It conjured flames strong enough to burn other fire spells and mana or other forms of energy. Furthermore, just it's mere presence could completely dry out an entire sea in seconds.
Reacting with lightning speed, she moved like a beam of blue light, her sword flashing as she unleashed a single stroke.
In a mesmerizing display, she effortlessly sliced through the fireballs, reducing them to nothing but flickering black embers.
It was one stroke of a blade that produced 12 slashes.
Unfazed, Aaron continued to charge towards Lumiere.
But with a mere wave of his hand, Lumiere conjured a massive spiral of black slash-shaped projectiles, created from the sinister matter that surrounded him.
Aaron sprinted towards the swirling projectiles, her sword drawn and ready.
With a single graceful motion, she unleashed one slash that turned into a torrential storm of fifty precise slashes, each one cutting through the air like a blade of wind.
To her surprise, the projectiles remained intact, unaffected by her onslaught.
"What...?!"
She quickly activated her [Blink Strike].
In an instant, she materialized in front of Lumiere, her blade aimed for his side.
But just as her sword was about to make contact, Lumiere's dark matter formed an impenetrable barrier, corroding and disintegrating half of her blade.
An authentic holy sword.
Aaron's eyes widened in shock.
She swiftly retreated twelve meters, her thoughts spinning in confusion.
"How did he..." she paused.
Lumiere's sinister smile widened as he taunted her.
"Eleven meters now? Are you that frightened, Right Hand of the White Dragon?"
"..."
Lumiere then finally stopped.
"Now, I'm only going to ask this once... What do you need me for...?"
He felt there was more to it than him just being a Curse King.
It was Laura's voice who finally broke the silence.
"It's quite simple... We want you out of the way so you'll hand over the Imperial Black Dragon to us," she calmly stated.
Lumiere's smile vanished, his expression turning serious.
"The Imperial Black Dragon... you mean Serena, right?"
"Who else?" Laura replied.
Laura continued, her words coming out as a warning than a threat.
"You should understand, that there's no escaping the demands of an Imperial Dragon. Serena was always destined to be in our grasp... Simply put, you lose."
Silence...
Then...
The unsettling silence of the labyrinth was shattered by the small chuckles that started to emanate from Lumiere.
"He-he-he-he-he...!"
The chuckles grew louder with each passing second, echoing through the dark space.
"He-ha-he-ge-ha-ha-he-he...!!"
Before they knew it, Lumiere's hands were spread out wide and his laughter intensified, transforming into a maniacal frenzy.
"GEEEEEHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
His blood-stained mouth contorted into a twisted smile as he laughed uncontrollably.
"H... He's a maniac..." said Aaron.
The atmosphere grew heavy with horror as Lumiere's laughter reached its peak, his red eyes gleaming with a madness that surpassed comprehension.
Finally, the laughter abruptly ceased, leaving behind an eerie silence.
Lumiere's face twisted into a sinister grin as he turned to face Aaron.
Still, he addressed the voice of Laura.
"Lose? Why would I ever lose to the likes of you?"
He paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing.
"I haven't hated anyone as much as I hate you Imperial Dragons. But now, I'm starting to comprehend just how deep that hatred runs."
He placed one palm on his face.
"I've honestly forgotten how strong I am..."
Suddenly, six eyes appeared on Lumiere's face, all glowing red.
Four grotesque arms sprouted from his sides like twisted appendages, their elongated fingers dripping with black slime.
The very sight of his transformation made Aaron want to puke.
And then, in a horrifying twist, Lumiere's neck twisted upside down, the sickening sound of bones snapping could be heard.
"I really should..."
His body contorted in unnatural ways, his skeletal frame bending and contorting, as though breaking free from the restraints of reality.
"...let out some of my anger once in a while..."
As if possessed, Lumiere's slimy and saliva-covered mouth unleashed a wicked laughter, reminiscent of a horde of malevolent gremlins.
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