…
A few moments later, Izroth and Hakros stood in an empty treasure room. Just as Izroth declared, they did not leave behind even a strand of thread!
‘To think there would come a time when my inventory is filled to this extent. I’ll have to sort through it all once we return to the Mortal Realm.’
The inventory space given to players in RML was massive. But, it was not infinite.
‘Thankfully, Hakros did not come empty-handed.’
Fortunately, Hakros carried a small band within the monster fur he wore. According to Hakros, it was a storage-type magic item. Though he did not carry it around because he had any interest in treasures or gold coins. Rather, Hakros used the band solely to carry around food and drinks.
‘Using an S-ranked storage-type magic item as a means to carry around food and drinks—perhaps this level of extravagance is not too far behind Ourami’s. Well, that’s fine. I suppose it works in my favor since he’s able to carry the rest of the treasures.’
As for Hakros running off with the treasures after they left the Secret Realm, Izroth was not worried about that. After all, Hakros was more liking to challenge him to a fight for the treasure head-on than run away like a thief. Besides, unless Hakros was a highly skilled actor, Izroth could tell that he genuinely had no interest in Ourami’s treasures.
‘It seems he truly did come to this Secret Realm in search of strong opponents to fight against. In that case, maybe I can kill two birds with one stone…’
“In return for your assistance, when we return to the Mortal Realm, I’ll be sure to introduce you to a good sparring partner. Their natural physique is probably not any less impressive than yours.” Izroth mentioned.
“Oh? A sparring partner who can match my physique? Interesting…! Then, I hope you don’t go back on your word.” Hakros replied as his intense battle spirit could not be hidden.
“Rest assured I, Izroth, have never gone back on my word,” Izroth responded nonchalantly.
After looking around once more to make sure they did not miss anything, Izroth set his gaze upward towards the hole they came in from.
“Now, shall we depart to-” Izroth started to speak before he was abruptly cut off by an abrupt earthquake.
RMMMMMMBLE!!!!
Out of nowhere, the entire palace violently trembled. Compared to the earlier eerie sensation Izroth felt, this one was on another level altogether.
“We’re going,” Izroth stated as he used his natural movement ability and the skill Wall Walking to head back up the hole.
Not long after, Hakros quickly followed after Izroth.
…
A few moments ago, outside Ourami’s palace…
“It is good to see you again, too, brother,” Ilioreas responded calmly as his steady gaze met Kyvernos’.
“You still have the face to call me brother?” Kyvernos scoffed.
He then continued, “I have allowed you to live as you please despite the fact that you dared oppose me back then. I see now that was a mistake. I should not have shown you such a kind mercy.”
Kyvernos’ tone when he spoke to Illioreas was cold and distant with no hint of a familial bond present.
“You left me with no choice. Since you were at the center of everything, you could not see it. But, I saw it clearly. No, even now, I can see it. How you became just like him—our fath-” Illioreas stated.
BOOM!
Before Illioreas could finish his sentence, an oppressive and eerie aura descended upon the battlefield.
The next moment, sinister energy encompassed Kyvernos’ palm as he struck out in a casual manner towards the ground.
This casual motion caused an indescribable pressure to spread throughout the battlefield, making it difficult for both the ancient races and celestials alike to even stand straight. Except for those who were at least at the late stage of the legendary realm, even a task as simple as breathing became a hardship!
“Perish,” Kyvernos uttered as the sinister energy took the form of a sea of black flames in the sky above him.
Although the energy resembled flames, there was no heat coming from it. Instead, it seemed to be a physical manifestation of the embodiment of death itself.
When Kyvernos lowered his palm, the “black flames” rained down in a seemingly endless stream.
Thump…! Tssssst!
The instant one of the black flames made contact with the ground, it released a loud thumping sound. Then, what followed was a ghastly sight. The areas the black flames touched seemed to erode and transform into a stream of dark purple dust. Whether it was the ground, plants, or living creatures, the result was the same.
“Rooooar!” A member of the Megada ancient race released a mighty cry as a small wisp of the black flames struck its bulky and muscular frame.
In the blink of an eye, the Megada’s eyes released a dark purple glow before the hair on its body vaporized and its skin turned gray.
The whole transformation occurred in less than a single breath. But, by the time it was finished, the Megada became an empty skeletal-like husk. It was as though all the lifeforce and ethos in its body had been forcibly removed!
When the Daughter of Spirits, Methysria, saw what happened to the Megada after being hit by a mere wisp of the flame, her eyes widened in shock as her facial expression darkened.
“Everyone gather! Kyamakri, do it! Get Isylo to assist you!” Methysria shouted with haste as she quickly took a couple of gulps from her gourd.
By the time Methysria took her final gulp, the celestials had already gathered close to her position.
“It’s a bit risky to use around others, but… It’s better than the remaining option of taking those black flames head-on.” Methysria thought to herself.
Then, in one breath, Methysria spewed an intoxicating mist from her mouth that expanded several meters outward in everything direction.
The mist was able to ease a good majority of the pressure on the celestials as it formed a dome-like smokescreen around them. It was also able to hold back the black flames. But, it was being rapidly overpowered by the endless barrage.
At the same time, Celestial of Ripples, Kyamakri arrived right next to Methysria a spear in her right hand and Celestial of the Periphery, Isylo under her left arm.
Isylo had not yet stepped into the legendary realm and was one of the physically weakest celestials present; therefore, he could not breathe properly, let alone withstand the pressure from Kyvernos’ strike.
Kyamakri was using her ethos to further ease the effects on Isylo; however, it was barely enough for him to breathe properly.
Though despite his weakened state, Isylo lifted his shaking hand and created a boundary around the group.
The boundary Isylo set up this time was different from the previous boundaries he utilized to hide someone’s presence. This particular boundary separated space itself, creating a pseudo-isolated pocket of space.
After setting up the boundary, Isylo’s already exhausted expression became incredibly pale as if all the ethos in his body had been drained. And, that was not far from the truth since he was used to only doing so in an area small enough for one person. Creating a boundary big enough for all the nearby celestials—it was shocking that he had not already passed out of exhaustion!
Simultaneously, just as some of the black flames were about to break through Methysria’s mist, Kyamakri tightened her grip on the spear in her right hand and swung it full force over her head with one powerful movement.
In an instant, Kyamakri’s attack generated multiple layers of ripples as it overlapped with Isylo’s boundary before colliding with the black flames. The effects did not perfectly fuse together like the skills Astratis and Tal’Nis used against Kyvernos; however, the timing and flawless execution on Kyamakri’s behalf allowed them to work in unison.
The ripples that erupted from Kyamakri’s spear crashed into the black flames, diluting its strength into hundreds of separate layers. But, even with its power cut so drastically, the black flames were still slowly pushing past the ripples and breaking into the pseudo-isolated space!
Suddenly, Kyamakri coughed up a mouthful of blood as the strain on her body increased with every passing moment. However, she understood that if she fell back even one step, while she and Methysria may survive the aftermath, the celestials who were not in the legendary realm would surely perish.
“If only Diparxi was here..!” Kyamakri growled under her breath as she held on.
The Celestial of Duality, Diparxi, possessed an ability that was equivalent to long-range teleportation. However, he was at a location further away on the battlefield. Plus, there was no guarantee his ability could even work properly under these extreme conditions. Nevertheless, Kyamakri believed that the possibility itself was better than simply waiting for those around her to perish.
“I can’t…! I can’t hold it any longer…!” Kyamakri spoke through her teeth as she could slowly feel her control over the ripples slipping away.
There were simply too many to target individually no matter how fast she acted!
Crrrrck! Swoosh!
Kyamakri’s last bit of control over the ripples faded as Methysria’s mist was blown away and the boundary created by Isylo shattered.
Methysria and Kyamakri’s expressions darkened as the black flames broke through every layer of their protection and they prepared to confront the inevitable!
“It’s too late! Brace yourselves!” Methysria warned.
Though in her heart, Methysria knew… Even if most of those present tried to defend themselves—it would be of no use.
Zeeeut!
Just as the black flames were closing in on their position and celestials braced themselves, a flickering silhouette appeared at the center of the group, accompanied by a gorgeous yet fearsome spear.
