Chapter 345: A World between The Living And The Dead
[Music recommendation: R. Armando Morabito feat. Tina Guo - Eyes of the Sky]
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"You’re right. They will pay for this!" It was Oliver who hissed as he wiped away his tears. He ran his hand along his blade, coating it in his own blood and enchanting the steel with a light green glow. "I swear on my blood," he whispered.
Dante’s eyes shone crimson, and this time, no sarcasm or jokes left his lips. He remained silent, his gaze burning with a singular hunger for the bloodbath ahead.
Caleb and Edward carefully set Damien’s unconscious form on the ground, and Seira moved quickly to cast a powerful barrier around him. Nobody asked how they had managed to rescue Damien. It was enough to see that the young duke was merely unconscious and finally rid of corruption.
In the midst of the horror, it was the only mercy they could find.
As the fresh wave of Darkrots charged toward them, Alex raised his sword high. "For the princess!" he roared. A single tear was still caught in the corner of his eye, but all he saw now was red.
A deafening roar echoed from the sky in response, followed by a sudden, massive blast on the ground nearby.
It was Ivan.
He had charred every single Darkrot who dared to come close to him, leaving nothing but ash in his wake.
Ivan continued to advance towards them over the scorched ground left behind by his powers. The Darkrots hurled a combined attack at him through their dark stones, powerful enough to gravely injure a pure-blooded vampire.
But Ivan merely raised his hand and, with a single swipe, deflected it as though it were nothing at all.
Terror gripped them as he drew closer, yet they continued to launch attack after attack at him. The result, however, remained the same each time, with Ivan effortlessly deflecting every strike.
Just as Ivan locked onto his first target to deliver a gruesome death, a tremor ran through the person’s body simply from staring into his burning eyes, where no pupil was visible anymore, only fire. It was Clair who had become his first target.
She continued to attack him even as her hands trembled, because Ivan looked just like Malakai from the past.
Just as he was about to take another step forward, a large dark magic circle formed beneath him. Before anyone could react, thick dark smoke began to seep out from the mouth of the already volatile volcano, just as it had happened back when Eve and Ivan had visited Selene’s grave.
Then, right before their eyes, not one but three Azrathuls, the colossal serpents of hell, began to take form. Their massive bodies coiled out of the swirling darkness, and with a deafening, animalistic screech that tore through the air, they lunged towards Ivan with their jaws stretched wide.
The moment the beasts launched their attack, Ivan surged forward to meet them head-on.
At the same time, every single person from his group charged into the battlefield as well, rushing towards the advancing army of Darkrots.
Vengeance burned fiercely in their hearts, and within seconds, the battlefield exploded into absolute mayhem.
Steel clashed, dark magic burst through the air, and furious roars echoed across the mouth of the volcano as the two forces collided.
While the battle erupted into chaos, another force was racing towards the heart of the enemy.
Horses thundered up the jagged rocky slope that led to the dilapidated castle, their hooves striking sparks against the stone as they climbed with relentless speed.
At the front rode Regulus, Iskara and Solan, one after another, their cloaks whipping violently in the wind. Behind them followed the rest of their forces, a relentless tide of riders closing in on the enemy’s stronghold.
It took them some time to clear a path through the Darkrots, but just as Ivan and his team had entered through their portals, the enemy closed them before any of the reinforcements could follow.
After that, they had no choice but to race towards the top of the volcano, where the echoes of destruction rang loudly in their ears.
A massive red fire dragon was circling the city, destroying everything in its wake.
They were all shocked, to say the least, at the sight of such a colossal fire dragon appearing out of nowhere. At first, they assumed it was an enemy as they watched it continue to ravage the city.
But it was Prince Aden who informed them that he had once seen a fire dragon in Dartmouth, which had been part of Ivan’s powers. But what confused the young prince, however, was that this dragon looked very different from the one they had seen before. This one was covered in raging red flames, was ten times larger, and its features were far more terrifying, making them all question whether it truly belonged to Ivan or to the enemy.
When Iskara heard this, unease and deep worry for his son’s well-being clouded his mind. Because if the dragon truly belonged to Ivan, then what could have driven him into such a frenzy, as though he had completely lost his mind?
The Ivan he knew would never harm the innocent.
Yet the destruction caused by the dragon told a different story. It was not only tearing through the city but also putting the civilians in its destructive path.
Iskara had already ordered several of his men to spread the warning and urge the people to evacuate the city as quickly as possible.
All he could do now was hope that the innocent would escape before they became part of the rubble.
"Your Majesty, I’m worried about the kids!" Regulus’s tight, anxious voice travelled through the chaos.
"Me too, Regulus. I truly hope we can reach them before it is too late. Let’s hurry. There is no stopping now!" Iskara urged them.
"Did you inform our allies to come to our aid?" Regulus asked.
"I did. I have already sent word that the entire kingdom of Varkhalis has fallen under the influence of the dark ones. They should assist us if they realise this threat concerns the entire continent," Iskara replied.
He said this because while they had been fighting the Darkrots, men wearing the uniforms of the royal army of Varkhalis had appeared and begun supporting the Darkrots, fighting against them.
It only confirmed his suspicions about how the enemy had managed to establish such a strong hold within the kingdom, like an intricate network that ran so deep it had remained hidden all this time. Especially when their monarch had already been thrown into chaos, and a man had taken the form of one of their princes to infiltrate the academy.
"My army is going to come as well," Solan responded.
Iskara did not respond directly to him, but he spoke his next words loudly enough for everyone to hear. "I have a feeling something truly terrible has happened."
"Don’t say that!" Regulus replied. But even as he spoke, his grip on his horse’s reins tightened. He could feel it, too. Looking at the gigantic dragon on the loose made it impossible to ignore the sense of dread.
Soon, the dilapidated castle came into view, but all of them knew that nothing ahead would be easy. The moment they drew closer, Darkrots swarmed out of the castle like a disturbed hive, rushing to attack them.
Regulus’s eyes blazed red as he drew his swords from their sheaths. Then he commanded, "Charge!"
With that, another fierce battle erupted at the entrance of the castle.
.....
While a fierce battle raged all around the castle, leaving chaos and destruction in its wake, far away from all of this existed a realm where only souls in transition were allowed to enter before passing into either heaven or hell.
A world between the living and the dead.
Against the softness of grass covered with tiny illuminated white flowers lay a beautiful woman who appeared to be merely asleep. Her golden hair sprawled across the bed of flowers like rays of sunlight upon it.
"Wake up," a gentle whisper caressed her ear.
"Wake up, my dearest."
The whisper turned into a soft, ethereal voice that echoed around her, causing her eyelashes to flutter before slowly opening to reveal golden hues within them.
Her fingers twitched slightly where her hands rested at her sides while her golden eyes wandered around, trying to understand where she was.
The first thing she noticed was the sky above, covered with thick white clouds like a blanket, while mist drifted softly through the surroundings.
Confused, she stirred and slowly sat up, only to realise how strangely light her body felt. She glanced down to find herself wearing a sleeveless, white, flowing gown.
Her eyes then wandered around again, and she realised she was sitting on a bed of lush green grass covered with small glowing white flowers spread across a vast field. The field was surrounded by tall, verdant trees while a gentle mist drifted through the air, making the place appear peaceful and otherworldly at the same time.
