Eren looked around him as if he had woken up from a short nap.
Although he was still within the fire domain, it was difficult for him to call it a spell at this point. His domain had become a potential calamity that could cause havoc at any time.
It was trying to burn everything that came in its path. Spells like Alfem and other fire-element spells were getting mimicked on their own inside the fire domain with nobody controlling them. Firebirds of all sizes flew from nowhere to nowhere. Igni Chains and Igni Bolt Blasts would fire out of thin air.
A fire-hazard disaster was unfolding in front of Eren. And then he saw Arto running away from him.
In addition to integrating rank-2 mana into the play, Eren's breakthrough had made matters challenging for the potential domain collapse. It meant that the collapse would result in even greater damage than previously anticipated.
However, things are usually balanced in any world. Eren's breakthrough also caused anomalies in the domain spell because his original spell wasn't meant to harness the power of rank-2 mana. As a result, mana-conflict spots began appearing in the domain where rank-1 and rank-2 mana were repelling one another.
These conflict spots also started appearing over the domain walls, creating void places for anyone to pass through. In short, the fire domain had become porous. And Arto was about to take the opportunity to run away from Eren.
If he managed to get away from Eren and create a safe distance from him, he might survive the ordeal with some injuries. At least that's what Arto was wishing for himself when he ran towards his newly appeared escape route.
Arto was only a few meters away from getting out of the fire domain. His eyes shined with hope as he was about to cross to the other side and get the hell away from the ticking time bomb hanging over his head. However, Arto's expression froze when he saw Eren appearing in front of him clad in blue lightning.
Eren looked at Arto with a deadpan expression before looking at the axes he was holding. The weapons had served him well but it was the end of the line for them.
'One last kill before I let you rest.'
Eren talked to his axes as if they were listening. He then imbued them with lightning and fire mana. The battlemage wanted to finish off Arto before he got away and came back to haunt him. Arto wasn't a loose end Eren wanted to leave behind before the domain collapsed.
Otherwise, the guy would just chase Ariadne and Lagartha and reclaim the treasures for himself. Since they had already stolen the resources, Arto's binding contract would not get in the way, allowing him to reap the benefits of Eren's efforts.
"Eren Idril! Wait. Just fucking wait. We can talk about this…"
Swoosh. Zoom. Chop.
He kept the worn-out axes in his storage and appeared behind Arto. In the next moment, Arto's torso split into two vertically as Eren's axes cleaved the guy's body up to his tailbone. The swordsman died without finishing his sentence.
Eren placed his hand over Arto's back and prevented his body from dropping to the ground. Aleph began deriving elemental attainments and weapon comprehension from Arto's body by disintegrating it completely with the runic mini-typhoon that had originated from Eren's palm.
Eren felt like he had started living Arto's life. There was still a part of his brain processing the surroundings in front of him. Various explosions seemed to happen at various places in unison and spread a dreadful mana pulse across the region, giving him goosebumps.
Rumble!
The fire domain started collapsing right after Eren finished off Arto. Mana in the area was agitated to a dangerous level. The sea of flames spread forth and the domain stopped being a spell-generated effect. As a result, it completely transformed into a natural disaster, giving it the potential to harm Eren as well.
For the first time, Eren started to feel the burning effect of his previously owned flames. He could still survive inside the domain for longer than the others. But it was no longer his domain to claim.
Eren had no chance of escaping anyway after the collapse. So he let his body burn in the flames of his own making and kept digesting Arto's experiences.
Eren also located Raul and Vasemir's dead bodies and subjected them to the same process after he was done with Arto. Since it had been a while since they both died, the elemental attainments and weapon comprehension Aleph could draw from them were bound to be limited to some extent. But Eren didn't mind. He wanted to take everything he could before he was yeeted from the world of Gilaahan.
Just when he was about to finish digesting Raul's experiences, he heard Lagartha's voice.
'Eren, we have done our task and are about to leave the warehouse from the other end. We have sealed the place just as you told us to. According to Ariadne, someone managed to break into the main entrance, possibly Kiara's team.
There's also a team of rankers who used a one-time-use teleportation array inside the warehouse. They are probably reinforcements from the House of Spiders. Ariadne has used as many warehouse restrictions as she could to stall them. But their charge can't be stopped for longer.'
Lagartha's voice was coated in worry. Ariadne's grim voice was heard by Eren the next moment. She wasn't as emotional as Lagartha. The ex-demonic ranker spoke to Eren, knowing what was needed right now.
'Both these teams are coming for you. Farewell, Eren. Die soon and meet us sooner. You know where to find us.'
Having said this, Ariadne made Lagartha leave the warehouse with her. She also locked the second entrance after exiting it, preventing a third party from adding to the mess.
Eren smiled as he gazed at the sea of flames he had created for himself as the burial site for his synth body. He watched from a distance as the shadows of rankers appeared at the perimeter of the ever-expanding fire domain.
Some of them had already started running away from the place, regretting the fact that they had arrived there. Others watched frozen in their place, overwhelmed by the mana pulses and heat the domain collapse was generating.
'Too late.'
Eren chuckled as he watched the struggle the newly arrived shadows were making. He took a long breath and dropped what remained of Raul's body. With a smile on his face, he spread his arms wide and mumbled to himself.
"I'll be back."
Ohm. Swoosh. Boom.
===
AN: Volume 04: Guild Wars ends with this chapter.
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