Chapter 96: Chapter No.96 Showdown (Final)
[Samael Ashwood's POV]
I watched as the Crimson Circle members struggled in the grasp of the Crimson Purgatory. Their once unshakable resolve crumbled under the weight of Merlin's ancit spell. The vironmt itself was their emy now—every step they took only led them deeper into the abyss.
The leader, who had momts ago exuded confidce, was now on his knees, gasping for breath as the blood-red sky bore down on him. His blood magic, which had once seemed invincible, was now useless, turned against him by the overwhelming power of the domain. The others fared no better, their bodies and minds breaking under the reltless assault of the spell.
But I knew that this was just the beginning. The Crimson Purgatory wasn't just a spell to destroy their bodies—it was a spell designed to break their very souls. The longer they remained trapped within its confines, the more they would be driv to madness, their spirits crushed under the weight of the despair and agony that permeated this twisted realm.
And I was its master.
I walked toward the leader, my steps slow and deliberate, each one echoing through the barr wasteland. He looked up at me with a mixture of hatred and fear, his body trembling as the oppressive force of the domain weighed down on him.
"Do you understand now?" I asked, my voice calm and cold. "This is the d for you and your followers. There is no escape, no mercy. You chose this path, and now you will pay the price."
He tried to speak, but only a gurgle of blood escaped his lips. His eyes, once filled with murderous intt, were now glazed over with despair. He knew there was nothing he could do, no spell or power that could save him from the fate that awaited him in the Crimson Purgatory.
I reached down, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him to his feet. His body was weak, barely able to stand, but I wanted him to face his d with his eyes wide op.
"Your blood magic... your power... it means nothing here," I whispered, my voice filled with quiet mace. "This place is mine, and within it, I am your god."
"S-She... will... avge us..."
The leader's voice was a brok rasp, each word barely escaping his bloodied lips. His gaze, though clouded with pain and terror, held a flicker of defiance as he mtioned "her." It was a small act of resistance, a final attempt to cling to some hope, some belief that ev in his death, vgeance would follow.
But I was beyond intimidation.
"Who? Your mysterious befactor?" I asked, my grip tighting on his collar. "If she's as powerful as you claim, she should've be here by now to save you."
His response was a wheezing laugh, more like a gurgle of blood than anything else. "You... know nothing... boy... The Crimson Circle... is just...
the beginning."
He spat blood on the g, his body shuddering as the last vestiges of his strgth drained away. I could sse his life force ebbing, his connection to this world fraying at the edges. The Crimson Purgatory was reltless, its influce gnawing away at his very soul.
"Th let her come," I said, my tone ice-cold. "I'll sd her to the same hell I'm sding you."
With those words, I plunged my sword into his chest, but unlike before, there was no escape for him. The Crimson Purgatory sealed his fate, trapping his soul within the confines of the domain. His body convulsed as the last remnants of his life force were drained away, his blood feeding the very g he had once sought to control.
As his lifeless body fell to the g, the remaining members of the Crimson Circle began to collapse one by one, their spirits brok, their bodies consumed by the unrelting power of the Crimson Purgatory.
I stood amidst the carnage, the blood-soaked g at my feet, and the red sky above. The spell's power was intoxicating, its ergy coursing through me, but I knew I couldn't remain here for long. This place, this domain, was too dangerous, too consuming ev for me.
With a thought, I began to unravel the spell, the barr wasteland slowly dissolving a me. The twisted landscape of the Crimson Purgatory faded away, replaced by the cold, sterile walls of the room with the rhythmic beeping sound of the medical machines attached to Sera
Sera's bedside, her pale face illuminated by the soft glow of the machines. The rhythmic beeping was a stark contrast to the chaos of the Crimson Purgatory, a reminder of the fragility of life. The room was quiet, save for the sounds of the medical equipmt and my own steady breathing.
I took a deep breath, shaking off the lingering tsion from the battle. The Crimson Purgatory had be a necessary measure, but it had tak a toll on me. I could still feel the dark ergy of the spell lingering a me, a reminder of the power I wielded and the responsibility that came with it.
"Mother should be done with her task, and might be heading here," I whispered as I approached Sera's condition had improved slightly since the last time I checked on her. Her vitals were stable, though she remained unconscious. Her chest rose and fell with each breath, a small but hopeful sign amidst the grim reality.
Boom!!!
BLAST!!!
WHAT NOW???
I swear if this disturbance is yet another complication in my life, I'll—
The sudd explosion and the subsequt blaring alarms shattered the sterile silce of the room. My sses sharped, the room's emergcy lights flickering to life as red warning lights bathed everything in an ominous glow. The beeping of the medical machines quicked, a stark contrast to the steady rhythm I had be monitoring.
MOM!!!
My eyes wided as I ssed her magic signature fighting someone and she seemed to be losing as the violt tremors rocked the whole estate and the blaring alarms echoed through the halls. I could feel the strain on her magic, a desperate struggle against an unse emy. Every explosion and tremor reverberated with the intsity of the battle.
I teleported out of the room, the rush of magic making the world blur a me. As I reappeared in the hallway, the sce was chaotic. The remaining remnants of Crismon Circle looked excited toward the direction battle taking place.
Without wasting any more time I immediately teleported to Mother's side just to have an ice spear buried into my guts.
The world snapped back into focus with a violt jolt as an ice spear impaled my gut, sding a sharp spike of pain through my tire body. My breath caught in my throat, the cold of the magic spreading through me like vom. I stumbled back, clutching the weapon embedded in my flesh.
A me, the terrain seems to transformed into half glacier and half forest. But thoughts were again interrupted as my gaze landed on the motionless figure of Mother at my feet.
W-Was I too late?
I-Is she...
The sight of my mother, motionless on the g, struck me with a cold wave of dread. The vibrant, chaotic fusion of glaciers and forests a us seemed to mock my anguish, the ice, and nature warring in a twisted reflection of the battle that raged within.
My heart pounded as I forced myself to move, every step through the shifting terrain a struggle against the searing pain of the ice spear still lodged in my gut. I stumbled forward, reaching out to my mother's side, my eyes searching desperately for any sign of life.
Her breathing was shallow, almost imperceptible beath the layers of frost and the tangled mass of her nature magic still flickering weakly a her. The attacker's dark robes were visible in the distance, their presce a stark contrast to the sere beauty of the chanted forest.
She was standing triumphantly, her staff raised high, channeling a wave of frost that threated to overwhelm the landscape.
The sight of my mother lying there, her form barely visible beath the croaching frost, fueled a fire within me that cut through the haze of pain. I grit my teeth against the agony of the ice spear, forcing myself to focus through the throbbing cold that was spreading through my body.
With a surge of willpower, I pulled the ice spear from my gut, the sharp pain intsifying but leaving me able to move. Blood and frost fell to the g as I discarded the weapon, my eyes narrowing on the figure of our attacker.
The sorceress, a tall woman cloaked in dark robes with an aura of cold majesty, turned her gaze toward me. Her eyes, glowing with an eerie blue light, held a mix of surprise and satisfaction. Clearly, she hadn't expected me to show up so soon.
"You're brave to face me directly, Samael Ashwood," she said, her voice as cold as the ice she wielded. "But it will be your downfall."
"Can you..." My voice faded as my trembling hand tried to touch the motionless figure, afraid to touch her and find her lifeless.
"What?" The sorceress's icy demeanor shifted to one of cold amusemt as she watched me grapple with my fears. Her gaze followed my trembling hand as it hovered over my mother's form, now almost completely cased in frost.
"CAN YOU SHUT UP!!!"
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..
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[To Be Continued]
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