Chapter 48: Emberborn
They were almost done devouring the dead spiders and goblins. He wasn’t even surprised that they were consuming their own kin so quickly, given their nature as monsters. However, the reality remained unchanged, and now they were slowly but surely approaching their position.
He swiftly glanced at the remaining number of Crystallce in front of him. Based on his assessment, there were nearly a hundred Crystallce left.
"Alaric, provide cover for me for a moment," he commanded Alaric, then started preparing his spell. This was not the time to be cautious about conserving mana, and so with a fanatical determination, he focused on casting the dangerous spells as quickly as possible, aiming to kill all the Crystallce before the approaching monster reached the eggs.
As ordered, Alaric got out of his shadow a moment later and began to envelop him, protecting Dhruv from any incoming monsters for a while.
It didn’t take much time, and he had already prepared the spell. He instructed Alaric to step aside briefly. Seizing the opportunity, he cast the [Serrated Blades] spell once more. But that wasn’t the end; he started to repeat this process again and again. In this frenzy of rapid casting, his mana was depleting much faster than ever before due to his lack of control.
In addition to [Serrated Blades], he also cast an enhanced metal arrow. As expected, the spell raced forward at remarkable speed, obliterating a row of monsters directly in front of him. However, the limitation of this spell was evident – it only affected one row of monsters. Therefore, he switched back to casting flying blades. He continued to cast it relentlessly until the number of monsters had dwindled to half.
He turned his gaze towards Alaric and Azarex, then stated, "You two handle this side. I’m heading over to protect the egg." With a quick look at the egg, he noticed that the monsters were dangerously close to it. He began running towards the egg, but to his astonishment, he saw that the goblins were also closing in on it, nearly reaching it.
After reaching the egg, he breathed a sigh of relief as the sun hung low in the sky, casting an eerie glow over the island. Dhruv stood along with five undead Crystallces, protecting the fragile egg from the hundreds of monsters.
Amidst the clearing, his senses heightened, and his spear was held tightly in his hand. The air was thick with tension, and the sound of all those monsters running sent shivers down his spine. But he controlled himself; he couldn’t lose today.
’I won’t lose... I won’t lose’
"I WON’T LOSE!..." his voice rang out, pressing the sound of all those marching steps of the monsters.
As the first goblin emerged from the hoard, its eyes gleaming with malice, Dhruv’s muscles tensed. With a swift movement, he launched the spell, which found its mark with deadly precision. The goblin fell with a pained cry, but more were quick to follow.
Goblins, with their wicked grins and sharp claws, surged forward, accompanied by a swarm of sinister spiders, creating a scene that seemed straight out of a nightmarish vision of hell.
Dhruv wasn’t to be moved by any of these; he had faced them two times already, and this wasn’t going to be any different. Firebolts erupted from his outstretched hand, engulfing the goblins in searing flames. The spiders, however, were more agile this time. Their agility wasn’t enough, and with a little focus, he could kill them as well.
As the numbers started to increase, his mind couldn’t keep everything in account, and amidst the chaos, a group of cunning goblins managed to slip past his defenses.
Their disgusting beady eyes locked onto the delicate crimson egg nestled in the protection of layers of ice. Trying to taste the delicacy, they moved with stealthy determination. Just as their gnarled hands reached out to seize their prize, Dhruv’s intuition kicked in.
"Not today, you bastards, not as long as I’m breathing!" With a roar, he whirled around, his spear slicing through the air in a deadly arc. With inhumanly precise precision, he killed the goblins without doing any damage to the eggs. However, such actions were not without their consequences.
As he had to focus to deliver this shot, all the remaining monsters got closer to him. The moment he turned back to face the remaining foes, he found himself encircled by a growing horde of monsters. Goblins snarled and spiders hissed, closing in on him from all sides. The situation became even worse. Looking at the situation, Dhruv’s heart raced.
He fought valiantly, fending off his attackers with unmatched skill. But in the chaos of battle, a few goblins managed to evade his strikes, their claws raking dangerously close to the egg. The undead tried to protect the egg but were quickly outmatched. Dhruv’s heart skipped a beat as he saw their wicked grins, the egg’s fragility now hauntingly apparent.
Summoning every ounce of his strength, Dhruv struck down the goblins in a furious whirlwind of metal and fire. Yet it wasn’t enough; it was too late. A sickening crack resonated through the clearing as a monster’s blow found its mark. Dhruv’s eyes widened in horror as he saw the ice surrounding the egg shatter, leaving it vulnerable to any attack.
***
In the middle of a field filled with corpses, a fragile crimson egg lay nestled in the center of the ice. Suddenly, goblins, their malevolent eyes gleaming, encircled the egg with cruel intent. First, they killed the protector of the egg. Then, they raised their claws, poised to shatter the egg and end whatever secret life it held within.
Suddenly, the egg quivered, cracking spiderwebs across its surface. A burst of fiery light erupted from the center, and the egg split open. Emerging from the fragments was a small demon, its eyes glowing with crimson light within it. With swift, fluid movements, the demon fashioned a blazing sword from the flames that danced in its grasp.
"Roarrrrr.."
Unleashing an ancient roar, the fiery demon lunged at the goblins. Its sword blazed with intense heat, cutting through the air and goblin flesh alike. The goblins, taken aback by the unexpected transformation, wavered before the ferocity of this newfound enemy. One by one, they fell to the demon’s fiery onslaught, their claws proving useless against its infernal might.
As the last of its attacker’s pitiful cry faded into silence, the demon stood amidst the fallen, its fiery sword growing even more intense when his gazes fell upon the filth that had dared to touch his master
His lord...
His creator...
HIS GOD.
