I quietly hoped the Dragon would be okay, just as we neared what seemed to be the end of the staircase. A dull lit room sat before us and we entered it. Freya and I moved in first, and scoped the place out.
My mind calmed down and I cast my new spell. “Ferazin,” I said, in a hushed voice. A wave of light extended out of me, and expanded in a circle, but too dull to light up the room. The ring expanded till about ten yards and then dissipated.
Guess it didn’t pick up any enemies, I thought.
“What did you just do?” Freya asked.
“A tracing spell,” I said. “That ring of light scans for any enemies around us I guess.”
“What ring of light? I just heard you utter a word.”
“Did you not see a ring of light expand out right now?”
She shook her head.
I guess only the user can see it then, I thought.
“Can we come out?” Oris asked, standing on the last step of the staircase.
“Wait,” I said. “Freya, can you summon a light?”
She nodded and whispered a word. A ball of bright white emerged above us, lighting up the room. My eyes immediately widened, and I heard Irmeia let out a silent gasp behind me.
The entire room was splashed with blood. Dark shades of red covered the floors, the walls, and the ceilings, and black runes were inscribed over the gore paintings. I felt unease wash over me at the very sight, and I took a step back.
“This keeps getting weirder and weirder,” Nyx said.
Amongst all this blood and mystery however, I noticed an entrance right in front of us, and I decided to immediately take it, given the kind of room we were in right now. We all headed through the entrance of black, and left the room stained in red and death.
We had not even taken more than a step past the entrance when I heard a hum pass through my mind. I quickly cast my scanning spell once again. “Ferazin,” I said, and a wave of dull light spun out.
Triangles of red hovered in the air now, above whatever this scanning spell had found. Freya sent her light orb high into the air, illuminating the enemy.
I froze. Uh oh.
A massive lion stood before us, with about ten lionesses around him. They all had pitch black bodies, with a mane of lime-green fire. Their eyes were of the same shade and glared at us, with a low growl escaping their jaws as they did.
Uh oh, I thought, and quickly used my Analyze skill on these things.
Race
Cursed Lion
Health
13290
Level
956
Mana
11510
Element
Fire/Dark
Stamina
13370
Those stats are way too high, even for its level, I said. The lionesses on the other hand were about two hundred levels lower, but that was still pretty high compared to most of us.
Oris and Irmeia stepped forward, immediately, and stood by our side. Viola and Raffyr kept behind, and that was better, given these things outmatched their strength by a lot.
Cursed lion, I thought, grabbing Dawnbreaker and sliding it out of its sheath. I thought of calling on Acnologia, but at the moment, I couldn’t really do anything about that. He’d just seen something terrible, and putting him on the spot right now wouldn’t be a nice thing to do.
The lionesses growled and jumped, all ten off them coming at us from different sides.
“Ikta!” Irmeia yelled, and a shield emerged above us, two layers of light — both white — blocking the creatures. “I will not let those things get through,” the Eternal muttered.
I nodded, glad she seemed to be coming out of her slump now. “The lion doesn’t look like it will step into battle for the moment,” I said. “Let’s use that to our advantage and get rid of the lionesses.”
Freya nodded. Her form immediately flickered and I knew what was coming. Winds swirled in from around us, circling around the shield, and sparks showered the air. The elf instantly changed her appearance, her hair turning blood-red and her eyes changing to a deadlier version of the same shade. Runes of black formed over her body, decorating her skin.
The longsword in her hand changed form, glowing white and expanding until it was a massive broadsword of jet black, its width the length of my forearm and its height much more than its wielder herself.
“Let’s go.” She sounded annoyed.
I nodded. “If any of you get badly injured, step back,” I said. “Irmeia, can you keep this shield up for a bit after we head out?”
“I can,” she said. “However, I will come fight with you in this battle. I do not wish to be a bystander.”
“Got it,” I said. “Raffyr, Viola. You both have a lot of support spells. Cast those as you see fit. This shield should keep you safe from the enemy.”
I could see them feel a little bad that they had to be protected like this, but they didn’t complain.
“We’ve only got one chance to surprise them,” Freya said.
“Let’s give it everything,” I said.
“In three,” Irmeia began. “Two…”
We all readied our weapons.
“One.”
The shield dropped and the lionesses immediately pounced. But we were ready for them. I put my hand in the air. “Tritus Oceanus!” I yelled, summoning a blast of water. The attack sunk into four of the lionesses and sent them crashing into the wall. I glanced at their health bars, and noticed that nearly a third of their health was gone.
Wow, that did a lot more damage than I’d expected, I said.
“Well, they seem to be of the fire element, so Water Arts has a superiority over them,” Nyx said. “Plus, I’ve said this before. No matter the level difference, you as an Eternal have a significant advantage because of your race.”
I know, I said, surging forward and slashing into the nearest lioness. She sprung at me, even though my blade had cut deep into her back, and bared her fangs, ready to sink them into my shoulder. I thrust my fist up, and smashed into her.
“Meteor Fist!” I yelled.
My hand crushed into the lioness’ body and she smashed into the roof, cratering the ceiling and then dropping back to the floor. The attack didn’t seem to have done too much damage to her though. Less than a tenth of her health had been taken down with that move, but I’d pretty much immobilized her by striking her vital parts.
I surged forward before she could even react and slashed hard, cleaving her head off cleanly.
An instant kill.
I glanced to the side, at Freya and Oris taking on one of the lionesses. It seemed an even matched battle, even though it was two versus one, with the lioness holding the upper hand. Irmeia was blasting at two of the lionesses on her own, using attacks I had not seen before.
A growl sounded beside me and I turned around, just in time to see two more lionesses pounce on me, pushing me down to the ground. The beasts had been clever, pinning down both my arms before I could even flinch. They growled as they bared their fangs close to my face, as if they were laughing at my downfall.
I, however, was not unfazed in the least. I twisted my free palm, and pointed it up at the lionesses. “Uher!”
A dark phoenix emerged into the air, and it was nearly the size of the whole room. It surged forward and smashed into the lionesses, throwing them against the wall. I went after the beast, ready to follow up with a second attack.
“Tritus Oceanus!” I yelled, and greeted them with a water blast, the force of the attack cratering their bodies against the wall.
I noticed their health bar wasn’t at zero yet. “Bladestorm!” I yelled, and shot forward, with my increased agility letting me land multiple strikes on the beasts in a mere second. The lot of them growled weakly and dropped to the floor — dead.
All of a sudden, a bright green light illuminated the room and I noticed that the lion’s mane had grown a lot bigger, and brighter. It reared up and roared, with the sound sending vibrations through the gro
und.
I caught sight of Irmeia finishing up her set of lionesses and helping Freya and Oris defeat theirs. The lionesses were all gone now. The lion was the only one left. However, he was the most formidable opponent of the pride.
He roared once again and a blast of lime-green fire escaped his mouth, shooting right at us. “IKTA!” Irmeia yelled, summoning the shield once more. The attack however cut through easily, like the shield didn’t even exist.
But I was prepared for that.
“Tritus Oceanus!’ I yelled, and sent a blast of water to meet the flames. The attacks conjoined, and rebounded in an explosion that sent smoke all through the room. I glanced around, trying to look through the dark smoke and make out the lime-green flames of the Cursed Lion.
“Diablo,” Acnologia said. “I’m sorry I took so long to summon myself.”
I saw eyes of blood-red shine through the smokescreen, and a smile curled onto my lips.
The Dragon was here.
Acnologia let out a terrifying roar, and the lion immediately stepped back. The smoke cleared, and the massive dragon stood hunched in the small room, barely managing to contain himself to a functional size.
“All at once?” the Dragon asked.
“All at once,” I said, looking at the others, who just nodded in agreement.
The lion’s confidence was diminishing, especially with Acnologia’s presence here. We all attacked the beast, sending our prime attacks right toward it. The lion stumbled around, panicked, and then the attacks hit.
I watched as its health bar went down fast, the successive strikes landing a knockout combo. In a second, the lion’s health went down to zero and the beast fell to the floor — dead.
DING!
Congratulations! You have defeated: Cursed Lion Pride (Lv. 896)! Reward: Hide of the Cursed Lion. Reward: Enchanted fangs of the cursed Lion. Reward: Hide of the Cursed Lioness. Reward: 19400000 XP. Reward: 13600000 Sol.
I closed my screens, not bothering too much with what it had said. I glanced around for a second, searching for an exit, and just then, a loud hum struck the air.
All of a sudden, the walls around us flickered, and the stone swirled and swaying as though it were just an image.
I froze. An image?
One second we were in a dark room, and the next I found myself in some tall chamber. I looked to my sides first, and noticed that everyone else was here too.
A laugh sounded from ahead, echoing through the high walls of the grandiose room. I looked up, and my eyes froze.
“You,” I whispered.
“Indeed, Eternal.” A man sat on the throne before us, on a seat made of solid crystal. He wore armor the shade of solar-golden with sharp streaks of jade green decorating them.
The man from before.
The man who had brutalized those dragons.
I should have seen the connections. I clenched my fists.
“I am glad to see you finally made it, Diablo,” he chuckled. “I was starting to think you’d left me out on the limb here.”
“Who are you?” Rage and disgust coursed through me.
“Surely, you have not forgotten your friend Horace, have you?" he asked.
“I don’t know who you are.” My voice rose “Stop acting innocent.”
"Introductions are in order then.” He stood up. “I am Horace Zentheniel.” He bowed, and a chuckle left his lips. “You may call me the Time Lord."
***
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The Time Lord.
The words echoed into my mind. Connections were made and questions were answered.
I looked at the man. “You brought us here.”
“Indeed, I did,” the Time Lord said. “Apologies for not checking in with you before. I have not been that good a host. How has your stay here been?”
I grit my teeth. “Still mocking us.”
“It is but a mere jest, Diablo,” he chuckled. “Surely, you are not a man averse to jokes.”
He knows I’m the Phantom Lord, I realized. He wouldn’t call me Diablo if he didn’t know that.
“If he’s the one who brought us here I’d assume he knows what he’s talking about,” Nyx said.
“I sense great power from him, Eternal,” Acnologia warned. “His jestful nature does not reveal the true strength that he wields.”
Got it, I said.
“You have quite the party here.” Horace eyed everyone else.
“Why did you bring us here, Time Lord?” I asked.
“Well, to be fair, you were the only one who was supposed to be sent here,” he said. “Of course, my powers messed up a bit, so I ended up bringing anyone who was next to you as well. As for the Knight of the Dark Alliance, I do not know how he got caught in the temporal teleportation.”
“Wait, what?” Oris face was crestfallen. “It was all just a mistake?”
“I’m afraid so,” the Time Lord chuckled.
I stared at him. “You still haven’t answered my question.”
“Now,” he said. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Eternal, but you do not possess your memories from this time, do you?”
“What does this have to do with my question?” My fists clenched.
“Ah, so it is as I had expected,” he said. “You have no clue. So in that case, you would not remember what happens to the past you after this, correct?”
My eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“As expected, you do not,” he chuckled. “How unfortunate. And the Evil Overlord transition was the most fun part too.”
I froze. What is he talking about?
“Calm down Diablo,” Nyx said. “He’s probably bluffing. He’s trying to throw you off your feet. Don’t fall for this.”
“I am not an Evil Overlord.” I looked at the man plated in golden armor. “I do not know what kind of a Phantom Lord you think I am, but an Evil Overlord I am not.”
“Ah, the first step. Denial,” Horace chuckled. “You may no longer be an over-powerful Eternal, Diablo, but your thirst for power has not changed one bit. I know you feel it within you. You sense a gap you need to complete. And then, you know very well, of these…desires that you have started feeling.”
My eyes widened.
“Pain, death, torture,” he said. “Those words mean very different things to you now, don’t they?”
I hesitated. “Don’t paint me in colors I do not wear. What does this have to do with anything I asked you about?”
He quietly looked at me for a second, and I could feel him grinning under his helmet.
“Are you going to answer us or not?” Freya asked.
“The Queen of Iskaeil,” he said. “You must learn to be calm.”
“I will calm down when—”
She suddenly froze, with her mouth and body locking into position, like a statue. Everyone else around me had frozen as well.
It was just Horace and me now.
“Ahh,” the Time Lord stretched out, and stood up from his throne. “Now we will have no distractions. That elf was quite annoying.”
“You froze time,” I whispered.
“Indeed,” he said. “I’ll probably have to hunt done more dragons to replenish my powers after this,” he sighed.
I froze. “That’s what that was for,” I gasped. “You were using them to refuel yourself.”
“I see you’ve seen the chambers,” he chuckled. “Marvelous are they not?”
I stood still, stunned at his words. “You’re a monster.”
“Just because of that? Then by your own standards, you are also a monster, Diablo.”
I hesitated. “What are you talking about?”
“You know exactly what I am talking about,” he said. “This power that we have, this strength that we possess, it makes all those inferior beings nothing more than mere ants to us, creatures with no purpose, with a life that dies as quickly as it is created.”
“That is not who I am,” I said. “That is not what I believe.”
“A
re you sure?” He stepped forward. “I have seen the things you have done. Do you think all those innocent knights you killed were necessary lives to take? The men from the Black Guardians that you burnt to death — were all those lives taken out of necessity? Or did you take them because you could?”
I opened my mouth, but words caught in my throat as images of the very events he mentioned flashing through my mind.
“That’s what I thought,” the Time Lord said. “You may deny it, Eternal. But we both function alike, the way we were supposed to. Stepping upon the lower plane of life and lifting ourselves to a higher existence. We are alike.”
“No,” I whispered. “We’re not.”
“I do not care what you think,” he said. “I talked to you because it had been a while since I had brought company from another time. However, this conversation seems to have run out of content now. You wanted to know why I brought you here, did you not? Well, I will tell you why.”
Suddenly, his helmeted face was right before mine.
“You will be my sacrifice.”
I jumped back, with my heart thumping loud, my eyes wide in terror. “Me? Sacrifice?” My body shook. “What are you talking about?”
“You do not need to know of it.” He walked up to me. I didn’t see a sword on him, but I could never be sure. I slid Dawnbreaker out, ready to slice into this guy if he charged at me.
I used my Analyze skill on him and the numbers popped up into my mind.
DING!
Name
Horace Zentheniel
Health
???
Race
???
Mana
???
Level
???
Stamina
???
My eyes widened. Why is his race tag not showing up? I blinked.
The next moment I felt the man’s fist in my chest, and I went flying into the air, cratering into the wall. I picked myself up, and dusted the rubble off my body. Knuckles cracked and the man walked up to me, a chuckle coming from his helmet.
The Eternal: Transcend - A LitRPG Saga (World of Ga'em Book 3) Page 22
