BXBX NOVEL Chapter 153: Chapter No.153 One More To Go~ (1/2)
But something else was gnawing at the edge of my awareness, something that didn\'t belong to the dungeon\'s inherent danger. A sensation that someone—no, a group—was drawing closer, pursuing us. I halted abruptly, holding up a hand for silence, and in the stillness, my suspicions took form.
"Stay alert," I warned, keeping my voice low. "We\'re not alone."
Lily stepped closer, her face betraying a hint of unease. "More enemies?"
"Maybe," I replied, scanning the dimly lit stone walls. "But not the mindless type."
Raven gripped her staff tighter, her gaze sharpened. "Do you know who?"
I didn\'t answer, but I had a strong suspicion. Aiden. I could almost sense his obsessive hatred. And knowing him, he wouldn\'t come alone.
Aiden and Marcus—The protagonists, with Elara—The villainess.
It seems my
\'True Protagonist\'
worked quite well, unleashing a cascade of jealousy and envy in those who thought they were the center of the story.
I can voucher for Aiden and Marcus to be jealous, but what\'s with Elara?
Anyway, they themselves have decided to fight they might as well leave their lives here.
I am excited about what will I get this time from the system for \'directly\' killing protagonists.
"ATTACK!!!" A shout woke me from my thoughts as a wave of energy shot out from the shadows ahead. Aiden\'s furious voice cut through the air, and in an instant, our enemies burst into the chamber. Their figures were cloaked in darkness, but I could recognize them instantly: Aiden, Marcus, and Elara, each one brimming with hostility, their eyes trained on me like predators locking onto prey.
Elara\'s gaze was icy, a twisted grin forming as she focused on Lily and the others. Shadows danced around her, her magic already coiling in tendrils ready to strike. Meanwhile, Aiden\'s expression was a mixture of rage and deranged satisfaction. He wanted nothing less than to see me crushed beneath his boot.
"Stay close!" I commanded, positioning myself between my team and the oncoming threat. I felt the familiar hum of the Heavenly Destiny System activate, and a notification appeared in my mind\'s eye:
[Ding! A New Mandatory Mission.]
[Name: Protagonists Approaching!]
[Objective: Survive and Eliminate the Protagonists]
[Reward: ???]
"Let\'s make this quick," I muttered, my hands already sparking with residual electricity from the earlier Domain Expansion.
"Lightning Magic: Thunder Storm!"
A flurry of lightning arced from my outstretched hands, crackling with a ruthless ferocity. It spread through the air, a lethal web designed to encircle Aiden, Marcus, and Elara. The chamber was illuminated with flashes of blinding light, each crack accompanied by a deafening boom, shaking the stone walls and grounding us in the reality of the danger we faced.
"Fire Magic: Towering Hurricane!"
Aiden exclaimed as a massive vortex of flame erupted from his hands, spiraling toward my lightning web in a fierce counterattack. The clash of elements sent a shockwave across the chamber, the ground trembling under the intense heat and force. Sparks of fire and arcs of lightning intertwined, illuminating the faces of my team as they braced themselves for the next onslaught.
But I was far from done.
"Raven! Liliana!" I called, barely audible over the roaring tempest. They instantly sprang into action, Raven summoning a wave of shadow tendrils that shot out like lances, snaking around to flank Aiden from the side, while Liliana\'s blood magic manifested in crimson chains that wrapped around Marcus, binding him with surprising strength.
Marcus gritted his teeth, dark energy radiating from his body as he summoned a wave of undead soldiers to break free from Liliana\'s chains. His necromantic magic pulsed ominously, shadows coalescing into twisted figures that clawed their way up from the dungeon floor. With a flick of his wrist, the spectral warriors charged at Liliana, forcing her to divert her attention to maintain control over the blood chains.
"Desperation won\'t save you, Marcus," Liliana muttered, tightening her grip on the chains. Her eyes glinted with a fierce determination as she called forth a crimson aura that wrapped around her, deflecting the undead\'s attacks and adding to the intensity of her bindings.
Meanwhile, Elara slipped into the shadows, her figure disappearing in a swirl of dark energy. Her voice echoed around the chamber, chilling and mocking. "You won\'t see it coming, Samael," she whispered, her words dripping with malevolence. "But you\'ll feel it."
A shrill, disorienting sound reverberated through the chamber, Elara\'s sound magic distorting reality itself. My vision blurred, and my senses wavered under the assault, her magic grating against my eardrums like the scrape of metal on stone.
"Water Magic: Tranquil Sphere!"
Seraphina\'s voice cut through the cacophony, and suddenly, the world seemed to quiet. A sphere of water formed around my head, soothing the disorienting effects of Elara\'s sound magic and shielding me from her psychological assault. Seraphina shot me a fierce look, her mastery over water evident as she manipulated the fluid barrier with precision and control.
"Thanks, Seraphina," I muttered, feeling a renewed clarity.
With a quick nod, she redirected her focus to Elara, who had reemerged from the shadows, eyes gleaming with malice as she prepared her next spell. Seraphina extended her hand, summoning a torrent of water that surged forward, encasing Elara in a swirling vortex that restricted her movement.
While Seraphina held Elara at bay, Aiden pushed forward, his expression twisted with unbridled rage. He raised his sword, flames dancing along the blade, and lunged toward me with a speed fueled by desperation and hatred.
"Light Magic: Blazing Sun!"
Aiden roared, blinding white light erupting from his hands as he thrust the searing blade forward.
"Flaming Sword of the Nine Suns: First Sun — Helios!"
I invoked the sword technique as I unsheathed my blade, the crimson energy surging along the steel. The two attacks collided with a deafening clash, the radiant light and fiery energy spiraling around us, creating an explosion that sent shockwaves throughout the dungeon.
"Second Sun — Ra!"
The air shimmered as I unleashed the second wave of my technique, channeling the blazing heat into a concentrated beam of fiery energy. The light exploded forth, cutting through the haze of our battle and forcing Aiden to shift his stance. I could see the moment realization dawned on him; he had underestimated my power.
But Marcus came just in time to order his undead to take the blow, their bodies crumbling into ashes as they fell to the ground. I could feel the tension in the air shift, the atmosphere growing heavier as the undead surged forward with renewed vigor, responding to Marcus\'s command.
I saw Eveline, Sionna, and Lily fighting with the other members of Aiden\'s team. My Dragon heart started beating with a drumming of anticipation, the desire to protect my friends and crush the protagonists igniting a fire within me.
"Focus, Samael!" I reminded myself, shaking off any lingering doubt. This was the moment I had been waiting for.
"Raven!" I shouted, urging my teammate to press the advantage. "Summon the shadows; we need to keep them off balance!"
"On it!" Raven replied, her voice steady as she raised her staff, calling forth tendrils of darkness that snaked toward Aiden and Marcus. The shadows coiled and twisted, reaching out like hungry serpents, ready to ensnare our foes.
Meanwhile, I shifted my gaze to Aiden. His flames burned bright, but I knew fire could be quenched. The lightning had given me the spark, but I needed more—an opening to strike.
"Seraphina! Can you distract Aiden?" I called out, already envisioning our next move.
"Leave it to me!" she said with confidence, a glint in her eye. With a swift motion, she conjured an illusion of a massive water elemental, its form shimmering in the air as it charged toward Aiden. The distraction was perfect, pulling his attention away from me.
Taking my chance, I called upon my affinity for lightning.
"Lightning Magic: Static Charge!"
A surge of energy coursed through me, and I felt the familiar hum of electricity crackle in the air around me. I directed the charge at the ground, sending a pulse of energy racing toward Aiden, now caught in the illusion\'s grasp.
The pulse struck him just as he turned back, the electricity coursing through him, momentarily disrupting his flames. His body seized, and I seized the opportunity.
"Flaming Sword of the Nine Suns: Third Sun — Dark Flames!"
The third sun ignited as I thrust my sword forward, and an explosion of dark flames erupted, consuming the space between us. Aiden\'s eyes widened, panic flashing across his face as the flames enveloped him. For a split second, I saw the flicker of doubt—a realization that he was not the only protagonist in this story, and I was far from being his prey.
"NO!" Aiden screamed, his flames sputtering as the dark fire spiraled around him, clashing with his light, creating an unstable vortex of energy. The room shook from the backlash, and I felt the pressure of our magics colliding, a storm of elemental chaos.
"Keep pushing forward!" I yelled to my teammates. "We can\'t let them regroup!"
The sound of my voice seemed to invigorate the group. Liliana tightened her grip on the blood chains, summoning more of her crimson magic to hold Marcus at bay. The undead he had summoned were falling one by one, their spectral forms dissipating under her assault.
"Raven, now!" I ordered.
Raven nodded and unleashed her shadow tendrils, weaving them into intricate patterns that began to ensnare Marcus. "Dark Binding!" she called, and the shadows constricted around him, pinning his arms to his sides and hindering his ability to summon more undead.
"Argh!" Marcus growled in frustration, struggling against the dark tendrils. His dark energy flared around him, but the shadows held strong, refusing to let him escape.
Meanwhile, Seraphina maintained her illusion, directing the water elemental to keep Aiden occupied. The elemental crashed down upon him, dousing the dark flames and forcing him to fight on two fronts.
Elara, however, had not been idle. Emerging from the shadows, she unleashed another wave of sound magic, attempting to disrupt our focus. The disorienting sound sliced through the air, and I felt my senses beginning to falter again.
.
..
...
[To Be Continued]
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Stone Me!, I can take it.
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