Perfect.
A howl ruptured from the men and they charged at the enemy. Everyone turned to the army of darkness heading right at them, and unease broke into the ranks. The Time Lord turned towards me, and I smiled.
If you want to play, I’m bringing everything I’ve got.
He thrust his hand, not at me, but at my forces instead. I dived off the rooftop, flying through the air and right into the path of his attack, just as the beam of green energy shot out of his palm.
“Jia!” I yelled.
A section of the sky darkened, and a blast of darkness surged from my palms. The two attacks collided and the resulting explosion blew both of us back. War cries echoed up from the ground, and the sounds of footsteps and metal sounded within the smoke that descended onto the battlefield.
The Time Lord chuckled, his voice echoing through the smoky terrain. “It appears your friends are here.”
My eyes widened.
I leapt up, through the smoke and up to the tower I’d been on. Irmeia still lay there, unhurt. I scanned around, but I couldn’t see the Time Lord anywhere up in the skies.
Who was he talking about? I muttered.
The smoke suddenly cleared, and the Time Lord hovered in the middle of the two armies. Two forms floated in the air beside him. I took a closer look and I froze.
Freya and the Death Lord both hovered beside him, staying still like they were statues of stone. A green tinge glowed around them, the same shade as the Time Lord’s jade-green. He’s keeping them in that frozen state.
“It appears your friends have been captured, Diablo,” the Time Lord laughed. “What will you do now?”
I looked right at the Time Lord. “What do you want?”
“You see Diablo, there is a secret your friend has been keeping from you all this while.”
“Huh?” I frowned. “You’re going to have to be more specific.”
“Did you ever question who Nyx was?”
“A friend. I don’t have any reason to question him for anything.”
“Those green crystals of mine come from the dead bodies of Eternals. What do you think the purple crystal of yours comes from?”
I froze. Wait. What?
“An Ancient.”
I stared at him. “So, I killed an Ancient?”
“Exactly!” Horace chuckled. “A mighty feat for one to do. However, you didn’t just kill the Ancient. You took his spirit and infused it with your mind.”
My chest tightened. “Nyx…is an Ancient?”
“Diablo. I have no clue what he’s talking about,” Nyx’s voice tensed. “I don’t trust what he’s saying.”
I know. I glared at Horace. “What’s your proof of this?”
“I was there when you killed him.”
“Sure. That makes a lot of sense.”
“Sarcasm does not suit this conversation well, Diablo.”
“Even if that was the case, what does any of this have to do with what you want?”
“I need this Phantom Heart of yours. I need the crystallized heart of a fallen Ancient.”
“Why?”
“There is a reason your Phantom Heart was hidden here, Diablo,” he said. “There are one hundred power points in these lands—between the Hexel ruins, the Dargonian Empire, and the Kingdom of Aingard. And this place is the center of all of those points.”
“I fail to see what this has to do with anything.”
He smiled. “Don’t you think it is unfair for only Eternals to have had a chance to come back to this world.”
I froze. “You’re trying to bring your kind back as well.”
“Precisely! See, you understand, don’t you? It’s annoying to be the only one left in your race.”
My fists clenched. “That’s what this was all for?”
“Indeed. The only way to bring back my race, and rebirth them here, is to use the heart of an Ancient. Unfortunately for you, the Phantom Heart is the last remaining one.”
“Wait, but I’m not an Ancient,” Nyx said.
We don’t even know if this is your heart. I don’t trust what he’s saying. I stared at Horace. “All this death, all this killing. Just because you wanted your race to be a part of this present.”
“Because there is the potential for power to re-emerge into this world once again. What do you say, Diablo? Would you like to become my ally? We could do great things if we teamed up.”
“I’d rather die than work with scum like you.”
“Very well.” He snapped his fingers.
The green tinge intensified around Freya and her eyes widened. Muffled screams echoed from her closed mouth, and tears streamed down her face.
“I would hurry up and say something, Diablo,” he said. “I heard this one has been tortured quite a bit before. I wonder if this will bring up any bad memories.”
I clenched my fists. “I won’t help you.”
“Are you sure?”
The green aura intensified. Blood trickled down Freya’s arms now. Her eyes rolled up in her head. The screaming increased, more than just a muffle in the wind.
Anger burst into my body, surging through my veins. A crack sounded inside my mind.
Something broke.
Pieces of shattered metal flew into the air. They surrounded me in a twister of radiant shards. A crystal faded in above my head. The Phantom Heart. I blinked. A bright flash of purple summoned from its center, and bathed my skin.
Dark armor now covered my body, and a Dragon-shaped helmet sat on my head. I grabbed onto the two swords that formed in my hands—Dawnbreaker and Dearthsoul—and both weapons were in perfect condition.
I glared at the Time Lord, and spoke with a voice that dripped a venomous rage.
“Playtime is over.”
***
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The man in golden armor crashed to the ground.
I stood before him, with both swords in my hands. “That’s what a strike feels like.” I slashed at him again, smashing him deeper into the floor. He didn’t flinch, he didn’t move.
And that was because I didn’t give him a chance to.
A bright flash of green shone from his body and he disappeared from beneath me.
“Zoran.” A voice whispered.
I turned around just in time to see Freya and the Death Lord drop to the floor, now free of their green constraints. The Death Lord was still conscious and eased himself to the ground. Freya on the other hand was not. I leapt up, placing my arms underneath her, and caught her.
Cries of blood and battle sounded behind me. My shadow men were not the strongest, but they were holding the other armies back pretty well. The narrow pathways within the enclosure meant the enemy couldn’t use all their forces as they saw fit, and that gave me the advantage for the moment.
“Diablo, the situation is not good,” the Death Lord said.
“Irmeia is on that rooftop.” I pointed. “Take her and Freya with you and get out of here.”
“This is not your battle alone.”
“I know.”
A blast of green shot from behind us, and we both dived out of the way. The attack struck through the armies, taking out plenty of Valdar and a lot more of the Markus Goodfields.
I tossed Freya to the Death Lord. “Just do it!” I yelled, and I leapt up into the air. I pushed off the tower walls and up to the hovering man of gold.
I swung hard into him but he quickly disappeared, and reappeared beneath me. I thrust my hand down. “Hulien!”
A pillar of earth shot up from underneath us, striking Horace’s back and throwing him towards me. I used Dawnbreaker and Dearthsoul and smashed into his armor, sending him crashing back to the ground.
I dived down after him, and struck his body hard, even before he could move. “Bladestorm!” I yelled, sending slash after slash into his chest.
Suddenly, my swords stuck to something. The Time Lord caught them both by the blade. “You will stop.”
I grinned. “FLAME!�
��
Heat surged from within me, and suddenly both Dawnbreaker and Dearthsoul were covered with red hot flames. My Elemental Swordsmanship skill was active. The Time Lord jerked his hands away, and I took advantage, slashing into him yet again.
He pointed, and a blast of green light thundered down from the sky.
Tch, this attack again. I dived out of the way, letting the blast explode into the surface, and when I turned around, the Time Lord was gone. The armies were still fighting it out, but my shadow men’s numbers were dwindling. However, not fast enough to cause concern.
I had to get the Time Lord now. If I defeated him, then everything was done.
The man however had disappeared. I surged through the enclosure, searching for him. A glint of gold shone in the corner of my eye and I shot to it, with my heart thudding. The Time Lord stood before the dark pit my Phantom Heart had been inside.
What does he want with it? I hastened my pace. He turned around just as I approached him, and a blast of gold light shot at me. I slid to a stop, and held my swords up. The blades stood strong, and deflected the blast away from me, onto the rubble at my side.
The attack continued, and I swung my blades outward, breaking it off.
“So this is where you found your Phantom Heart.”
I put my hand up. “Kejohel!” I yelled.
Faceless spirits rose from the ground, surrounding the space all around me. I pointed at the Time Lord and they all shot right up to him. The man stepped back, and put his hand out.
“Yelio!” I yelled.
A scream shot through the air, and Horace stumbled to the ground. His breathing hastened, and he clutched his chest desperately. “Wh-What is happening to me?”
I smiled. “A little Phantom Arts never hurt anyone.”
The spirits all surged into the man, and his body twitched with every one that entered him. Flashes of white shot from his armor and he gasped out in sync.
His health came down fast, reducing to 45% in a hitch. Wow, my Phantom Arts are really strong.
“It’s a unique skill,” Nyx said. “And it’s open only to you. It being this powerful is not a surprise.”
“AHHHH!” The Time Lord yelled.
Intense green flames surged out of his body. The ground beneath us cracked, and in an instant, tentacles of darkness sprung from the ground. My eyes widened.
I knew what this was. You’re not getting me this time.
The Time Lord chuckled. “You are not what I want.”
Screams echoed from behind me. Everyone from the three armies— the Alliance of Light, the Dark Alliance, and the Markus Goodfields—rose to the skies, with the tentacles of black piercing their chests. Heat radiated through the air, and I turned to see the Time Lord’s flames turn golden.
“His levels are rising,” Nyx said. “What the hell is going on?”
I used my Analyze skill on him.
DING!
Name
Horace Zentheniel
Race
Ancient
Level
2972
What the hell. My heart thumped, and sparks of fear emerged inside me. He’s grown even stronger.
“He’s absorbing those men, Diablo,” Acnologia said.
I glanced through the tower tops, and saw no one else standing there. The Death Lord must have taken them back.
“Don’t think so,” Nyx said. “The Map says Freya is still in here.”
Damn it, I muttered.
The Time Lord chuckled. “Ahh, this feels good.”
His form flickered and the next thing I knew I’d been smashed against the ground, inside my own personal crater. My body ached, and my limbs were all frozen. I tried moving my arm, but a searing pain shot through.
I groaned. Did I break something again?
“Probably.”
I forced energy into my body and pushed myself up, just in time to see a massive blast of golden light surge into me. Heat shot into my bones and I went flying through the air, crushing through one of the last remaining towers and breaking into the enclosure wall.
I gasped as I dropped back to the floor. I was hunched on my knees now, desperate for the air that had been kicked out of my lungs.
The Time Lord emerged before me. “There is only one way to get Nyx’s crystal heart from you,” he said. “And that is to kill you.” He kicked my sides and I went flying into the wall once again. He shot to me and grabbed my throat, choking me as he held me against the wall. I slashed at him with my swords, but he didn’t even flinch. He pulled me out and sent me hurtling into the ground.
A shockwave blasted from the impact point, but I didn’t even have enough time to register what happened before the next strike occurred. Horace pulled me up one more time, by the neck like before, and then pushed down, slamming me against the ground once again.
Blood filled my mouth, blocking my breathing. I turned to the side and coughed. A punch landed in my chest. I saw the hand slam down. But I couldn’t feel it.
My body was numb. Black spots filled my vision. I could hear the faint mumble of words, but nothing else. A chuckle sounded. The Time Lord snapped his fingers, and a long line of green light emerged in his hands. The light contorted, changing its form.
And my eyes widened.
A dagger sat in his palm, a dagger with a jade-green blade and a golden handle. The one that had killed my friends, the one that could kill any Eternal.
I lifted my hand up. Or at least I tried to. My body wasn’t listening to me. I had no control over what I did anymore. The Time Lord held the dagger above my heart and lifted it up into the air.
I heard another chuckle. And this time his words sunk into my mind, loud and clear.
“Farewell, Diablo.”
He swung down. A dark form suddenly sprung between us, and a boom echoed out. A blink of the eye later, I was in a different part of the surface, and the Time Lord was no longer before me.
Nyx.
“On it!”
A potion dropped to my chest. I tried lifting it up, but I couldn’t move my hand yet. My health bar was lot, at just 10% now.
A hand lifted the potion up and uncorked it. It tilted the vial into my mouth, pouring the contents down my throat. Heat churned inside me, and sensations slowly returned. I could flex my fingers now. I turned to side, and saw a tear-ridden face beside me.
“Irmeia,” I croaked. “L-leave.”
“You idiot.” She thumped my chest.
What the heck is going on? Did the Death Lord not take them away? My eyes widened. Was he the one who saved me?
The sudden adrenaline rush was more than enough to get me moving. I sat myself up, and boy was I shocked. A man in dark armor brawled with the Time Lord, and was getting knocked around.
But it wasn’t the Death Lord.
It was the Dark Lord.
“Azmuth!” I thrust my hand up. “Yelio!” I yelled.
A scream ruptured the skies, and everyone around me dropped to the floor, trembling. Everyone except the Time Lord.
“Fear doesn’t grab you as much the second time around,” he chuckled. He lifted his knife up and struck it down into Azmuth’s body. The blade pierced armor and skin, diving right into the Dark Lord’s heart. He gasped out for a moment, and that was all he was allowed. The Time Lord twisted his blade, killing the man in an instant.
I froze. Azmuth was the one who had saved me. Why? We were never friends. Were we? Sure, he’d helped me before. But risking his life?
“Ahh,” the Time Lord sighed. A green glow emerged from the Dark Lord’s chest. A crystal tore through the cut that had already been made, with green lines of light pulsating inside it, and hovered over him.
His source of power.
“Oh well,” Horace said. “This should do.”
I blinked. “Eh?”
His form flickered, and he disappeared. Unease knotted my stomach. What the heck is he doing?
“Zoran!” Freya threw her arms around me.
And as glad as I was to see her, there was much more that I had to do.
I glanced around the region. “You need to stay safe.”
The elf looked perplexed, but I didn’t take the time to explain.
I didn’t have the time.
A strong mental pressure broke into my mind. Something is going on. I shot forward, weaving through the rubble.
The Time Lord stood at the edge of the dark pit, only now, the circular edge had a line of crystals bordering it. He placed the last one down, and snapped his fingers. The green light within the crystals intensified, and suddenly flames of fire surged from every spot with a crystal. A beam of golden light rose from the pit and surged into the air. It hit the sky, and morphed into a swirling form of golden clouds.
The mental pressure inside my mind increased. Something terrible was going on. I could feel it.
And then I saw it.
Those weren’t just clouds. They were a portal.
I shot to Horace, desperation driving my broken frame. I threw my fist at his form, but he simply held his hand out, stopping my blow with his palm. A massive shockwave sounded from the impact point, but not a single scratch appeared on the Time Lord.
“I will take the Phantom Heart back from you.” He tossed my hand up and smashed into me with his fist. I went flying back, through the final tower standing, and slid over the ground.
“Diablo!” the Death Lord ran up to me.
I pointed at the sky, my hand shaking terribly. “We need to stop it,” I croaked.
“How?”
Footsteps approached. Freya and Irmeia ran up to us, with worried looks on their face.
“I don’t know how to stop him,” I said. “He’s too strong. We don’t have any way to take him down. And if he gets to do what he wants to, we might as well say goodbye.”
Everyone was silent.
“Diablo.” Nyx’s voice tensed.
What?
“I’m…hearing voices.”
The Eternal: A Boxed Set (World of Ga'em Book 6) Page 117
