"Damn it all!" Kalliste's thunderous voice echoed in the area. She could no longer see the outline of Porteur's body. Not even the tip of his sword.
"Please be alive." She cried out as she frantically looked around. However, the gruesome sound of bones continually snapping into pieces got her attention even more.
Looking up, she saw the endless barks and tendrils, as well as the vines that slithered around each other like pythons to complete the shape of a huge, sharp axe.
The Vine Lord roared once more, revealing its huge mouth with no teeth. Kalliste's gaze fell upon the unconscious body of Rowan. When she saw only his head, she narrowed her eyes.
'The beast appeared to be slowly swallowing him.' Kalliste gritted her teeth and clenched her fists tightly.
"Why was it so difficult to live my life without killing something? I swear! I would probably have to enter the monastery in order to live a normal life." She sighed.
"Worry not, my darling boy. You're knight in shining armour is here. I would rescue you from that demon's clutches." Kalliste immediately cringed upon saying this. She had heard this line countless times before, and it was almost unbearable to hear it again. To the point that it became taboo words for her.
As she stretched out her arms, a swirl of crimson flame surrounded her hands. It did not take long before a thunderous howl echoed all over the place.
"Come. I will play with you now."
Suddenly, the Vine Lord lets out a baleful roar; its emerald eyes unexpectedly turned to a menacing crimson. Kalliste witnessed how the Vine Lord's body slowly turned black. With a monstrous bang, it erupted to form a colossal tsunami made of endless tendrils and vines, which instantly destroyed the whole area.
However, instead of feeling scared, Kalliste burst out into loud laughter. Eyeing the incoming chaos, her eyes narrowed as she focused on the boy's whereabouts.
"Where are you? Please show yourself!" Desperate to find him, Kalliste almost stretched the fabric of reality and challenged the edges of the impossible.
"There you are!" A smile was etched on her face when she finally spotted him among the tsunami of vines. However, his body was now completely enclosed in the giant tsunami.
The smile on her face instantly vanished at what she saw. She realised that she needed to act fast.
"I would not let you get him!" Without any second thoughts, she instantly levitated. Her expression darkened as she glared menacingly at the incoming attack.
She closed her eyes as she ran her hands in a circular motion. The world around her seemed to blur as a palpable aura of crimson colour engulfed her whole body.
Her ruby eyes glowed when she opened them again and the small flames swirling in her hands grew larger.
"Super Nova." Her mouth twisted up on one side. Her rage swept through her like raging inferno. Despite her promise to herself, she was left with no other options. Besides, it was partially her fault that Rowan found himself in this dangerous situation.
Though her voice was only a whisper, an earth-shattering sound resounded all over the place. An uncontrollable storm of fire erupted from the dry atmosphere. It grew to an unbelievable height, now towering over the tsunami of tendrils and vines. It took awhile, but the Super Nova completely engulfed the tsunami of vines.
As the two titans battled for dominance, Kalliste gritted her teeth when she felt that every pore in her body gradually opened. The process was excruciatingly painful. Her face immediately drained of colour as her vision blurred. She almost lost her control over the storm of fire in the process.
She could only see specific shapes and mana particles in the air. With another loud cough, warm, sticky blood slowly made its way out of her mouth, but she managed to hold on to her consciousness.
"Damn it! The body of a child really sucked!" she cursed, struggling to hold unto the tenuous thread of consciousness.
'Not now! I still needed to rescue the two of them while I could.' Closing her eyes, she sharpened her senses.
Kalliste sensed the place's destruction. Everything turned into dust as the ravaging inferno expanded to an unbelievable level. Not even a rock was left behind.
"There!" It did not take long when she snapped her eyes open and suddenly vanished without a trace.
"Porteur!" Her scream echoed throughout the entire area as she appeared in front of the man who had bathed in his own blood. Running to his side, she immediately grabbed his wrist. His body now felt cold against hers. Having realised that he almost had no breath in him, she slumped to the side, not knowing what to do anymore.
"No! Not again!" Kalliste hissed while looking at the deep, thick blood that slowly flowed from the open wound on his chest.
'Yet again, I failed to protect a life.' Her energy seemed to be rapidly draining at that moment.
Next thing she knew, a quiet sob rose in her throat as beads of tears finally fell down her face. These kinds of situations should be normal for her. However, she found it really difficult to keep her emotions in check. "Damn it! I could not just let him die! I have to do something. Consequences be damned!"
Closing her eyes, she gritted her teeth when the veins in her body suddenly opened. Just then, a familiar energy slowly travelled through her veins and into her hands.
"Urgh!" She quickly bit her lower lip to suppress the growing pain that she now felt. Soon enough, a green glow enveloped her hands. Instantly, her face took on the colour of a sheet, and her entire body began to perspire profusely.
Not wasting any moment, she quickly put her hands on his chest. This would be her first attempt to revive someone from the clutches of death. She had no idea if it would work, however; she would not give up.
"Kyak!" The obliterating pain spread quickly throughout her body, like wildfire. She felt blinding whiteness explode in her head, causing her face to contort and cringe. It made her dizzy. The pain felt like millions of knives brutally jammed all over her body. An endless voltage of electricity shot straight into her spine, replacing her arm with ice.
Her mind screamed at her to just let go; however, she only gritted her teeth. When she took him under her wing, his safety became her responsibility.
After awhile, Kalliste could no longer feel her body. Her consciousness was now on the verge of collapse; however, she stood her ground. Especially when she noticed that the extensive injury on his chest had begun to mend. His flesh slowly regenerated.
"Please, come back." It was the last thing that she said. Before she gave in to the welcoming abyss, an irritated groan snapped her back to reality. Even though it was difficult, she resisted the call of the darkness.
"Why are you yelling? It's too loud."
"Porteur, you idiot!"
Porteur was taken aback when she suddenly lounged herself to him.
"Ow!" He howled in pain. It felt like all of the bones in his body were being crushed by an invincible force.
"What happened? I thought I was dead." He managed to voice out, only to have his eyes widened in fear and disbelief.
"What in the world was that?" Beads of sweat rushed down his face. In front of him was a colossal storm of fire that rapidly consumed the tsunami of vines and tendrils.
'A battle of the gods!'
"Stay here. It's time for me to end this now."
Porteur could only stare at the child. The child's innocent demeanour had vanished from his sight. In front of him, he saw an afterimage of a real beast. A true savage demon of nature. He could tell just by the look in her eyes.
Just then, the space around them suddenly distorted, as the ground beneath their feet cracked from the overwhelming mana that now surrounded her body.
Porteur could see the vicious mana rampaging around her.
"Kuh!" Porteur gasped aloud. Just by standing beside her, she almost drove him crazy. He could feel the growing temptation to obliterate everything around her. Nature seemed to bend to her will, as if she were one with Gaia.
"Holocaust Dragon!"
At her command, the Super Nova came together, and with a terrifying roar, a fearsome dragon made of molten lava stood in front of them. The dragon had golden runes all over its body.
Porteur's jaw comically dropped as he stared in awe at the scene in front of him.
"You're a…" He did not get to finish his sentence when another thunderous crash jolted his attention back to reality.
"Play with me, Vine Lord." Kalliste growled, revealing a devilish smirk. Even though her body was in no condition to fight, she would not go down until she killed the Vine Lord and rescued Rowan from it.
Kalliste felt as though the whole world moved around her in slow motion as she leaped upwards. She quickly positioned herself on top of the dragon. Silver flames engulfed her hands once more. However, instead of being hot, the silver flame instantly froze the moisture in the air.
Gently, she laid her hands on the dragon's head. As soon as she did, the silver fire engulfed the dragon's whole body, absorbing it as its own.
"Screech!"
On its back, two giant silver wings appeared with a thunderous roar.
With the last of her strength, she issued her final command.
"Go!" With a monstrous growl, the dragon propelled itself at the veins, which now resumed its humanoid form.
The Vein Lord pointed its huge weapon upwards before snapping it towards the dragon, with all the intention of cutting it in half. The might behind its attack created a shockwave that sent Porteur flying a few meters away.
"Gah!" Though he managed to balance himself, the might behind its attack forced him to cough a lot of blood. His visions became blurry; however, he still saw another surge of black flames that coiled around the dragon's body as it effortlessly dodged the Vine Lord's incoming attack.
When the dragon opened its mouth, black and silver flames formed around its mouth. As soon as it grew big enough, it launched towards the Vine Lord. The might behind its attack created a massive crater that spanned around hundreds of meters.
On its humanoid form, the Vine Lord moved slowly. The mixture of flames hit its chest and instantly obliterated its body, leaving a huge hole in the middle. The Vine Lord stumbled backwards, and with a loud bang, it finally fell to the ground.
The endless tendrils and vines immediately slithered towards the gaping hole. However, the black flames rooted itself around themselves, withering and engulfing the Vine Lord's body at a rapid speed.
Suddenly, the Vine Lord gave out its loudest screech as it moved. It slowly opened its mouth. Just then, Kalliste saw the magnificent glow that emanated from within.
"Not good!" Kalliste was shocked to see the bright light emanating from its body.
However, her young body was already too worn out. The recoils from using such an overwhelming amount of mana were too great. Her body trembled, and she fell on her knees. Her face was now devoid of any color as she heaved out another mouthful of blood. Her last attack truly wore her off.
'Damn it! My body was already at its limits!' Without any strength left, she began plummeting down. Her insides twisted like knots as her whole body felt crushed. She groaned in excruciating pain, but she held herself.
It did not take long before a deafening bang reverberated in the whole area. Finally, the Vine Lord exploded. Its body shattered like fragile glass. Not even its ashes were left.
"Urgh!"
The Vine Lord's ultimate attack, self destruct, was successful. Kalliste was caught in the middle, devoid of the strength to resist.
"Living Armour!"
Before she gave in to the abyss of darkness, the last thing she heard was the familiar cry of Porteur.
"My lady…"
As soon as Kalliste woke up, she immediately wished to go back into the darkness again.
She groaned when an overwhelming pain spread all over her body, leaving her helplessly immobile. Every muscle, every pore, and every fibre of her body felt as if a molten blade was slowly stabbing them.
She could not even utter a cry of pain and cursed miserably in her mind.
"My Lady!" Seeing the fresh stream of tears that rolled down her cheeks, Porteur's heart almost skipped a beat. Though he only knew her for a short while, he owed her his life.
"Ugh!"
Porteur was brought back to reality when the girl suddenly vomited a lot of blood.
"My Lady! Please wake up!"
Kalliste heard the loud voice; however, the searing pain took away all her attention.
After a few moments of hollow silence, Kalliste managed to utter a few sounds.
"The boy?"
"The prince is safe now. Do not worry. He just had a few minor injuries, but not enough to claim his life."
Upon hearing this, Kalliste felt like a sharp thorn was suddenly taken away from her shoulders. She heaved a sigh of relief. However, because she was so exhausted, she could not keep her consciousness with her. "That's good. Porteur, I need you to do me a favour," she managed to say.
"Anything, my lady." Porteur quickly nodded. He immediately leaned over in order to hear what she had to say. His brows automatically met in the centre, and his mouth pulled tightly in response to what he heard.
"I apologise, my lady. However…"
"I would not ask you twice."
When she suddenly grabbed his arms, Porteur stopped midway. He almost writhed in pain as soon as he felt the bone-crushing grip.
Her marble countenance was devoid of any emotion. Her authoritative voice made it appear as if he were in the presence of a powerful being. The top of the food chain.
"Alright. Worry not, my lady," Porteur mumbled under his breath.
Kalliste's face etched a small smile at what she heard. She slowly let go of his pale arms, which were now covered in dark bruises. "I owe you big time." As soon as the words escaped her lips, her body suddenly twitched uncontrollably.
"My lady! What's the matter?" Seeing the state she was in, Porteur panicked. His heart almost made its way out of his chest.
With his trembling body, he quickly placed his hands on her stomach. To his horror, he found out that her lifeblood was almost depleted.
"No! No! No! Don't you dare die on me now!"
Concentrating on his lifeblood, he quickly poured some on the girl.
"Ugh!" Drops of blood instantly flew down his mouth; however, he did not stop.
Gritting his teeth, he continued. Time seemed to slow down, and everything around him blurred. His body now felt the consequences of giving up some of his lifeblood; however, he did not care. This would be the least that he could do for saving his life repeatedly.
After some time, Porteur suddenly collapsed to the cold ground. "You have to survive this, my lady!" He closed his eyes. He had lost more than half of his lifeblood and sensed that death was imminent.
"Gasp!"
Porteur was suddenly taken aback when the little girl in front of him suddenly breathed a deep and long breath. Her eyes snapped open, and the colour on her face slowly returned.
"My lady!" Porteur could not help himself, despite being on death's doorstep. He quickly brought the girl into his embrace.
He hugged her like his life depended on it. However, she suddenly muttered something that made his blood run cold.
"Who are you?"
Porteur quickly faced her. "What do you mean, miss? It is I, Porteur, your slave."
"Get away from me! I do not know you! Who am I?"
As soon as the words escaped her lips, she suddenly grabbed her head and screamed as loud as she could.
"My lady!" Porteur could only watch in horror and confusion as she grabbed her head and screamed. It was then that realisation hit him like a ton of rocks.
"Could it possibly be…" he stopped midway. His mind was already searching for a possible answer.
'Was it a repercussion for having an overwhelming mana with such a young body? Or could it be that her mind was still struggling to accept the fact that she was on the verge of death, causing her memories to be temporarily erased?'
He was only brought back to reality when she suddenly fell to the ground.
"My la…" he suddenly stopped when the ground shook.
Looking up, his eyes widened in horror. "Not good!" Even with a weakened state, Porteur managed to grab the children and stumble backwards.
With a loud bang, he saw the sharp stalactites slammed to where they previously were, brutally piercing the ground.
'I needed to get the children to safety!' With a burning determination in his eyes, Porteur hugged the children tighter as he ran forward. Despite not knowing where the exit was, he knew he had to get them out.
"Ugh!" Porteur stumbled backwards when the ground shook violently. It was followed by another blast of sharp stalactites and huge rocks that fell from the ceiling.
"Gah!" Porteur cried out in pain when a stalactite pierced his shoulders, nearly crushing his collarbone. He instantly fell on his knees; however, he had no time to agonise in pain when he saw the ground cracked in half.
"Spiritfire Wings!" Despite nearly depleting his mana, he had no other option. They needed to get out of here. He bit his lower lip as the two large wings stretched out on his back.
"Ah!" Another agonizing screech left Porteur gasping for air. His whole body twitched in excruciating pain. At that moment, he wished that he had died earlier.
"I won't die just yet! I still needed to take these children out of here!"
With a flap of his wings, they were already in the air. Beads of sweat trickled down his now-pale face. Using the last bit of his strength, he propelled forward. Porteur knew that his body had already reached its limits. It doesn't help that he had to dodge every object that fell from the ceilings. After awhile, his vision was already failing him, and his senses became dull.
----------------
An earth-shattering explosion awoken the whole of Macaram Mountain. It was heard by every creature that lived within.
From the deepest part of the mountain stood a majestic castle. An invisible and powerful barrier protected the whole area. Two large stone statues stood in front of the huge door. A gargoyle. However, they suddenly moved after hearing the explosion from far away.
Their stone bodies slowly morphed into a humanoid form. Two muscular men replaced their stone bodies. Their ebony hair danced in the wind as they glanced at each other with a serious look on their faces.
With a slight nod, the guy on the right immediately turned and made his way inside the castle.
The darkness welcomed him, but it posed no problem to him. On his way, he spotted several gargoyle statues that positioned themselves all over the huge hallway.
With every step, each of the statues came back to life; their eyes glowed crimson in the darkness.
Without hesitation, they all trailed behind him. They all felt the heaven-defying aura that engulfed the whole Macaram Mountain.
Their steps were heavy as they marched towards the throne room.
----------------
"We welcome your sacred presence, Your Majesty. King of Macaram Mountain." All of them chanted at the same time as they kneeled in front of a gigantic, golden statue of their Lord.
They all stayed silent. No one dared to say anything else as they waited for their Lord to come to life.
Suddenly, the golden statue crumbled. A thunderous shrill followed, causing the entire mountain to tremble with fear.
"Long live, His Majesty! Long live the king!" Their voices became one, echoing throughout the entire place.
With another ear-splitting shrill, the gigantic statue finally morphed into a humanoid form.
He was tall and muscular. Standing at almost six feet two, he was taller than anyone in the room.
"We greet Your Majesty, King Abraxas."
The king did not even glance at his subjects as he stretched his arms. Just as he did, black clothes suddenly enveloped his entire body. He now looked like a normal human.
"Hm. How long has it been since I sensed such an overwhelming power?" King Abraxas closed his eyes, reminiscing about a distant past.
"Even that fool of an Emperor, Mallus Credia, was not as powerful as this one. His was only a drop of water in a vast ocean."
The others remained silent. They did not dare to move or even talk as they waited for their king's command.
After a while, the king acknowledged their presence.
"Go back, and do not leave your posts until I give you permission."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After his subjects dispersed, the king sat upon his throne.
'A powerful foe had emerged. One that was overwhelmingly powerful than that human emperor,' the king thought as he unconsciously touched the deep scar on his chest.
"How interesting. Let us see just how powerful you are against me." His demonic laughter filled the throne room, leaving a terrifying grin on his face.
----------------
Meanwhile, Porteur managed to get them out of the dungeon, albeit with so much difficulty.
Without any strength left, he instantly slumped to the ground while making sure that the children were unharmed.
Beads of sweat flew down his face as his chest pumped up and down rapidly.
However, when he heard heavy footsteps coming in their direction, Porteur had no time to rest. It appeared that the explosion caught the attention of those in the vicinity.
"Who are you? Identify yourself!"
Even when his unconsciousness almost left him, Porteur still managed to see the Knights of the Empire standing in front of them.
He wanted to say something, but he just could not lift a finger. His throat was parched. With every swallow, it hurt like a bitch.
"Captain! Isn't that the third prince? His Highness Rowan? What is he doing here?"
Porteur wanted to do something when they suddenly snatched the boy away from him, but he was already too worn out to even speak.
"The prince was hurt! Let us return to the empire!"
Before the darkness completely consumed him, their loud voices were the last thing Porteur heard.
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