Chapter 63
This is a fictional story by realTensai
An icy breeze shook the leaves of the ancient trees as even they trembled in fear, witnessing what was about to unfold. The wind blew right past Alvis' head, cooling it one last time before its gears would turn. With one mental command, he activated Mastermind, and the mana within his core rose as his brain shifted gears. Just by moving his lips, he uttered the incantation for his mind protector spell. He finished and raised his clenched fists, mana now flowing through every pore of his as his eyes met his opponent. One last time, he took a deep breath in and out.
I'm ready.
"Priest Zaini, Adler, let's start!"
Alvis didn't have to say it twice, as Adler was already spanning his bow. Golden shimmer flickered around his hands, Adler shaping it into an arrow. He pulled at the string, using his full wingspan to maximize the output. When he couldn't pull it any further, the golden mana shimmer had already molded into an arrow, radiating with energy. With nothing but Voyzez in his sight, all he had to do was let go. And that he did.
A mana arrow, swift as a hyper-train, tore through the air, obliterating everything in its path. It sliced through massive trunks like they were butter, gathering speed with every passing moment. Yet, just as it neared Voyzez for the final blow, darkness extinguished every trace of light.
Darkness born out of the void enveloped the insane man. It devoured even the sun's light, robbing the Mana Forest of its life. The darkness took on the shape of shadows, moving around as if they had their own will. Adler gasped, seeing how his attack did nothing to Voyzez.
"You gotta do more than that if you want to beat me!"
Without even answering Voyzez's comment, Alvis urged mana to cycle through his veins, strengthening his body to the utmost. With one leap, he cleared the distance between him and Voyzez and even left a small crater behind from where he took off. Voyzez couldn't even blink as Alvis now stood before him. Using this chance, Alvis gathered even more mana in his fist and threw a punch right at Voyzez's chin. A loud boom could be heard as his fist connected. Shrieking, the man crashed into a tree, leaves raining down on him as if to bury him.
This… didn't feel good.
Alvis gazed at his hands, and his knuckles were covered in blood. The impact just now had his hand trembling, making him wonder if he had punched a metal wall. He had used his full strength, but it didn't seem like it had an effect. And as if to solidify this thought, Voyzez rose from within the broken trunk. He shook himself up, brushing away the leaves that had landed on him. Other than a few bruises, he was unharmed. Alvis just clicked his tongue, uneasiness slowly but surely gnawing at his resolve.
He even tanked Dane's punches, so this is the least I should've expected.
Shaking his head, he focused back on his enemy. However, even though Voyzez was unharmed, his yellow eyes were burning with rage, screaming for vengeance.
"How dare you, how dare you, how dare you? This is insane, insane, insane, insa—"
"Mana beam!"
A purple ray of pure mana shot straight at Voyzez, interrupting his speech. Alvis turned his head and saw how Zaini's magic staff glowed. They locked eyes and nodded. Even without Alvis saying it, Zaini knew what he had to do.
Still, Voyzez's shadows absorbed Zaini's attack, leaving him once again unharmed. Yet this didn't stop Alvis from raising his hand and morphing mana into an earth cannon. With no hesitation at all, he attacked Voyzez with it, not letting him rest for even a split second. Adler followed up and sent another mana arrow at the man coated in darkness.
"You guys don't learn," Voyzez said as the onslaught of Mana beams, arrows, and earth cannons didn't stop, "You can't hur—"
A muffled thunk echoed through the air. Instead of his last words, a surge of blood filled his throat and his eyes widened in shock. He looked at his chest only to find a regular arrow stuck in it. It had snuck through his guard of mana-absorbing shadows. A somber grimace etched across his face.
"So you know my weakness."
A weak smile formed on Alvis' face as he remembered how many deaths it took him to find it out.
"Our plan is working. We just have to continue!"
"As if I would let you! Embrace insanity!"
Fierce shadow dragons emerged out of his darkness, yearning for blood. Like whips, they snapped around, causing every tree they touched to collapse. The forest mourned the sound of destruction and pure chaos, being its cries. As the serpent-like monsters located their targets, they attacked.
Alvis didn't even have time to give in to despair as his Evasion skill took over. He leaped at a tree, barely dodging a shadow that would have ripped his legs off. A cold sweat ran down his face and he gulped.
This was close!
Yet he couldn't rest. The shadows followed him and Alvis used the branch he was hanging on to swing himself to the next tree before they could devour him. His eyes searched for Voyzez, an earth cannon already ready to be fired, yet he didn't see him. He saw how Priest Zaini fended the shadows off by blasting them with mana beams, and how Adler gracefully flew around his wings faster than the shadows could follow. But he didn't see Voyzez.
"Boo!"
A sudden quiver rippled down Alvis' spine as Voyzez's voice appeared right behind him. It was as if death itself had whispered into his ear. His heart stopped beating, his brain stopped functioning as primal fear arose within him. Time seemed as if it stood still, milliseconds feeling like eternity. However, a shining arrow lit up and destroyed the trunk of the tree Alvis and Voyzez were standing at, making them both fall and resume time.
Alvis shifted his body whilst being in the air, crossing both arms before his body to tank Voyzez's incoming punch. Voyzez had coated his fist with shadows, enhancing his power to the utmost and all Alvis could do was grit his teeth and squeeze his eyes.
This is gonna hurt!
The punch connected, and Alvis flew through the air like a thrown ball. As he was flying, he fell in and out of consciousness, his journey only stopping when a tree wholeheartedly embraced him. Blood dripped down his mouth, coloring his already dirty clothes with red. Alvis squinted, struggling to focus on his HP bar as it rapidly decreased, the numbers blurring before his eyes.
HP: 180/260
If Adler hadn't sent his arrow to destroy the tree, it could've ended way worse!
He clenched his fist and forced his way up, suppressing all the doubts. I can't let my guard down! One mistake would mean death and he had no respawns left. There was no room for error. Once again, Alvis took a deep breath in and out, sharpening his mind.
"You guys are tough. To hold on to my shadows for so long. Insanity!"
Alvis' eyes went from Priest Zaini to Adler. Both of them were breathing heavily, barely hanging on. Voyzez's shadow dragons didn't stop attacking, and it was just a matter of time before one of them would be hit. Unlike Priest Zaini, Adler wasn't immune to Voyzez's curse, so one hit would be the end for him. Only because of his insane agility was he still unharmed. His estimated power level of 4000+ and his rank as the second in command of an assassin guild weren't just for show.
Still, it doesn't look good for us. I wanted to injure him a bit more before settling it, but I guess it has no use. We will decide it now.
"Fuhahaha, if you think this was all you've been mistaken. I can still shift up a gear," Voyzez's dark laughter resounded throughout the Mana Forest, scaring even the strongest mana beasts. "Embrace insanity!"
The shadow dragons multiplied in size, fusing together to grow even stronger. More and more shadows appeared, the sunlight vanishing completely. All the trees were replaced by darkness as if they had entered the domain of the Devil. No matter how fast or how strong one was, no one could escape this insanity.
There was no better opportunity.
"Priest Zaini, use it now!"
Confronted with a seemingly all-powerful attack, Alvis kept his calm, relying on his trump card. Priest Zaini raised his magical staff, the concentration displayed in his eyes being at an all-time high. He started.
"My blessing, give me your everything! Mana magnet!"
Priest Zaini's staff glowed as the only source of light within this darkness. And as if attracted to this light, Voyzez's shadow dragons flew straight at Zaini's staff. All the darkness dissipated into mana particles and flowed right into his staff, unable to withstand his blessing. Voyzez's eyes widened in horror as he saw his army of shadows abandoning him. The sun shone on the battlefield, exposing an unguarded Voyzez.
"Adler now!"
"To your command."
The eagle man spun his bow to its full extent. However, the amount of mana flickering around to form an arrow was far beyond that of a master-rank spell. It distorted the very atmosphere and just the morphing of the arrow had Alvis' hair stood up.
Don't tell me,… a king spell?!
And then he finished. A golden arrow made of pure mana was lying on the strings, waiting to kill its enemy.
"Devour everything in your path. King's arrow!"
All Alvis could hear was a quiet hiss as the arrow left its string. However, in the next instant, a loud boom almost destroyed Alvis' eardrums, and everything between Adler and Voyzez was gone. Alvis didn't even blink as reality changed before him. In under a second, the arrow had left behind a path of destruction. As Alvis followed this path with his eyes, smoke was the only thing he could see at the end.
Is he dead?
The smoke created by the arrow didn't let Alvis see Voyzez's corpse. It would be a miracle if his body hadn't turned into dust after being hit by such an attack, yet Alvis still wanted to make sure. After fighting against him so often, he knew that even death wasn't enough to stop him. As Alvis held his breath, waiting for the results to be unveiled, an icy breeze cleared the sight.
"I-Insanity!"
The smoke vanished and a half-dead Voyzez revealed himself. His left arm was gone and his body was burned, yet he was still alive. Alvis clicked his tongue as he saw a layer of darkness shrouding his body.
"No…. my mana magnet wasn't strong enough!"
Priest Zaini's desperate shout made Alvis clench his fist. Just because it had worked last time, Alvis had assumed it would work this time, too. He hadn't taken into account the fatigue Zaini would feel after battling for this long. This miscalculation was the reason Voyzez was still standing.
"Fu-fu-hahah, this is your end. Insanity, insanity, insanity!"
Even half-dead Voyzez was still a threat. The surrounding darkness increased as his mana returned more and more. His shadow dragons could manifest every second, and they didn't have enough stamina left to dodge them. They had to end it now.
Realizing that, Alvis leaped at Voyzez and deactivated his mind protector spell.
"Adler, teleport us!"
Without wasting time, Adler followed his boss' orders. Voyzez's eyes widened as he saw Alvis holding his arms out to him as if wanting to embrace him.
"Hey, are you insane?!"
He raised his hand, darkness manifesting around it, its sole purpose being to end Alvis' life. However, it was too late. As soon as Alvis had grabbed Voyzez, Adler used the same spell he had used to teleport Alvis and Lia to the organization's hideout.
The loud sound of flowing water drowned Alvis' ears as the steam emitting from the incredible waterfalls clouded his view. Beneath him was a vast collection of water, with a current so strong it could force an army of elephants to their knees. However, he was only seconds away from falling right into the Riagra Falls.
"What have you done?!"
He wasn't alone. In his arms was the insane man who went by the name of Voyzez.
"I will let you fall into ruin!"
Alvis pushed the half-dead man away, increasing the speed of his fall. Voyzez's eyes widened as he realized his fate. In a desperate attempt, he created shadows, trying to grab onto Alvis.
"You'll come with me!"
"I don't think so."
Claws grabbed Alvis' arms, stopping him from falling any further. Adler had teleported himself with them and held on to his boss. As the only one who could fly, Adler saved Alvis from what would have been his sure death. However, just before Voyzez's body drowned in the depths of the Riagra Falls, a tiny shadow orb flew at Alvis. He couldn't even gasp as its speed overwhelmed him.
He got hit.
"Haha, insan-"
Voyzez's last words never left his mouth.
Adler flew Alvis to the coast, where his other assassins and Lia were already waiting.
"Alvis!"
The voice of his wife reached his ears, and his heart eased up for a split second. Yet before she could embrace him, he held his palm out.
"Stop. Until now, everything has gone according to my plan. But the real battle will start now," Alvis said, as he could already feel the insanity building up within him. His hand twitched and his head wouldn't stop shaking, his brain losing more and more control over his own body. "Adler, don't forget our deal. You know what you have to do if I fail."
"Yes, boss," he said, his eyes turning cold. "I will kill you."
Alvis smiled.
Let's go!
The next second, insanity seized his brain, and he lost consciousness.
As Alvis opened his eyes, darkness was all he could perceive. His gaze wandered left and right, yet nothingness was all that existed in this realm.
So I'm here again.
"Fuhaha, I've won!"
Alvis turned his head to locate the noise and found the man that he had expected. It was Voyzez.
"Too bad I hit you with my insanity shadow. Now I will take over your body!"
"You're already checkmate."
"Hah, what do you mean? Are you ins—"
"Hey, what are you doing within my vessel?!"
A deep voice echoed amid the nothingness, and, for the first and only time ever, Alvis smiled upon seeing him. His pale white skin stood out in the darkness, his red demonic eyes embodying evil. But it was his white hair that had Alvis' incorporeal body trembling.
It was the Devil.
Voyzez immediately turned around, facing the one he worshipped. As his eyes met his figure, his lips began to tremble as his eyes shone brighter than any star.
"D-D-D-Don't tell me… are you my lord? Ohhhhhh~ what a blessing. What a blessing, what a blessing. For a man like me, a measly worshipper to set eyes on your highness. Ahh~ my heart is ablaze. What an honor! My love for you—"
"Shut up!" The Devil said, looking at Voyzez in disgust. "You are nothing more than worthless trash. Who do you think you are trying to take over my vessel?"
"N-N-Noo my lord—!"
"Die."
Voyzez's body caught dark flames, his very existence extinguishing. The darkness he loved so much devoured him, not even leaving an ounce of him untouched. His screams terrorized Alvis' eardrums, yet they made him smile even more. Every scream of his, the pain he felt, was all retribution for what he had done to Alvis.
This is what you deserve.
The noise dimmed off, signaling the end. Alvis sighed, visions of all the failed runs playing through his head, and his shoulders just slumped.
I did it.
"Pathetic."
The Devil's words were like music in Alvis' head.
"How cruel. You could've at least accepted his devotion."
"Don't make me laugh. As if I would respect even one of these stupid worshippers. They barely pass as tools."
"I will tell this to the next Priest I fight."
His blood-filled eyes pierced through Alvis, their intensity only increasing.
"How much of this did you plan?"
However, Alvis just matched his intensity and stared right back at him.
"What a silly question. Of course, I planned everything. If I wanted to defeat Voyzez once and for all I knew, just killing him wouldn't be enough. If I were to kill him, he would just use another body as a vessel to continue his terror. He certainly had people he had already inflicted with his insanity, just as a reassurance. So if I didn't want to fight him in the future again, I had to kill his soul. And the only way to do that was to get hit by his insanity and become a vessel for him myself. I knew you wouldn't just hand over my body to him, so it was a gamble worth taking. If you wouldn't have killed him for me, I would be dead now."
The Devil's lips curled upward in a sinister grin, his blood-red eyes gleaming with malevolence.
"To include me in your plan and to risk everything for my decision and this with your only life left… hah, you are insane!"
"This was the Trial of Insanity. What did you expect?"
The darkness faded, and Alvis regained consciousness.
"Alvis!"
As he woke up, he was lying in the lap of his wife, Adler, and all his men standing right next to him. Their worried faces waited for an answer. Alvis raised his hand and smiled.
"We've won!"
NOTIFICATION
Mission completed: You have survived!
LEVEL 3: Trial of Insanity has been completed!