The Crimson Terror, once the purest priestess, now defiled by the revolting corruption of the Void, locked its hideous gaze on the one who had stolen its future.
Mysteries simply looked up and smiled politely, his posture straight and calm as he bowed with exaggerated theatrics.
Smiling, he beheld the graceless visage of the Nameless Sun, and the sight filled his heart with horror and disbelief.
It was a colossal abomination of crimson coral fused with mutilated human flesh. Its form resembled the golems at the base of the Spire, but it was far worse, a twisted approximation of a living being, radiating a horrifying sense of madness, wrongness, and loss.
The terror had hundreds of human faces, all contorted in expressions of blind agony and suffering. Their mouths were open, as though straining to scream. Their eyes were empty wells of pure darkness.
And yet…
Mysteries's expression remained calm. A faint smile on his lips. Mischief and anticipation glimmered in his dark eyes, an eerie contrast to the horror in front of him.
At last…
The final battle.
The Awakened Devil vs. The Fallen Terror.
The Nameless Goddess vs. The Blasphemer.
The Artificial Sun vs… Prometheus.
Today, the Forgotten Shore would face its end…
or finally witness a tomorrow.
What would prevail?
The endless malice of the Terror…
or
The trickery of the Blasphemer.
Hmmm… Fitting for Prometheus, isn't it? Even if I'm the record and author of your stories… you always manage to surprise me. Now… show me one more miracle.
Not the most reasonable development, but if I already knew the ending, it would be boring. This time, I'll just be the reader. So give me the most unexpected, the most interesting development...
A blinding light burst from the Terror. Everything it touched vaporized, and the dark hall was seared with brightness. Amon didn't hesitate, he slipped into the shadows in an instant, the soul-annihilating radiance scorching the ground where he had stood just a heartbeat ago.
He looked up, face pale, and darted forward, vanishing once more. The Terror scanned the battlefield, confused. Hundreds of faces on its skin twisted and writhed, whispering incomprehensible words as it continued searching for the one who dared challenge it.
It screamed, a sound so horrifying it seemed to twist the very air, then unleashed beams of light in every direction, raw murderous hatred burning in the depths of its hideous eyes.
Amon watched the columns of light burst from the Terror's eyes, a small smile tugging at his lips as he shook his head faintly, adjusting his monocle. Well… looks like Superman finally has a rival.
He took a deep breath, activating Cogitation to focus on his task. Observing the Terror, he used Decryption to analyze its ability. By the looks of it, the creature could release those soul-annihilating beams without taking a toll on its body. But there was something he could exploit: after each attack, there was a two-second interval before it could strike again, a weakness he intended to use.
Stepping out of the shadows behind the creature, the crystal monocle on his right eye gleamed. He turned Midnight Shard inward, the weapon glinting in his hand, stance sharp and ready.
The Terror snapped its head back, but its vision warped. Amon's body blurred, splitting into three distinct positions at once, each poised to strike.
Mental disruption... That's first...
Enraged, it roared and lunged with all its arms toward the least distorted image.
Deceit!
That was the Terror's mistake, the least distorted one wasn't necessarily the real Amon.
Amon vanished. From another angle, his austere tachi cleaved into flesh, forcing the harrowing abomination to howl in pain.
Before it could retaliate, fire ravens burst into existence around him, glowing with fierce yellow flames. They streaked toward the Terror and detonated, swallowing the Nameless Sun in a roaring blaze.
But the Terror stepped out of the flames, its body burning, yet its eyes remained unbothered, more enraged than in pain as its pupils turned white and blinding columns of light burst from them.
Amon's victorious smile crumbled as he cursed under his breath. He ducked low, his tachi lashing out in a horizontal slash that bit deep into the Terror's leg. But the Terror had baited him. Growling, it grabbed at Amon, but he was too nimble and acrobatic to be caught so easily. That was why the Terror couldn't kill him quickly and instead used the opportunity to throw him into the air, its eyes widening once again.
Amon felt his blood run cold, his expression tightening as he gritted his teeth in frustration. He twisted his body mid-air to regain balance and summoned the familiar silver mirror into his hands.
From its rippling, liquid-like surface, the reflection of the Terror looked out and roared back, its eyes wide and bloodshot as another blinding column of light erupted.
Reflection and Original attacked with light at the same time. The Reflection's light struck one of the faces on the Terror's body, melting it and forcing the beast to let out a tortured scream.
At the same time, the Reflection was struck by the Terror's attack, its face melting and liquefying before inevitably being destroyed.
Amon's muscles tensed as he gripped the mirror tightly, feeling the full force of the attack. Even though the reflection had absorbed the blow, he was still the one holding the mirror, and his body had to bear the strike's full impact. His bones screamed in protest as he was blasted backward, crashing against the wall.
Clenching his fists, he dismissed the Spectral Mirror quickly, chills crawling down his spine as he rolled across the floor and stood once more. His chest heaved, sweat poured from his forehead, and his wide, bloodshot eyes fixated on his trembling hands, inhaling the foul smell of scorched flesh… his own fingers.
Fuck… strong… too strong.
Even wearing Winter's Embrace, which offered high resistance to fire and heat, his body still ached and his fingers were burned. He was, however, grateful they hadn't completely melted. Winter's Embrace, a Memory born from hatred toward the Artificial Sun, was one of the greatest tools in Amon's arsenal against the Terror. Without it, he would have been in far worse shape.
He used Decryption to analyze the environment, exploiting every advantage he could find. He frowned, scanning the surroundings. So my only advantage is still those pillars? Hmm… didn't want to cause this much destruction, but whatever… Shit. At this point, give me Hunter pathway. I'm destroying more than those frauds anyway.
He sighed, forcing himself to compose. Just don't think about the pain, ignore it… Shit, I can't ignore that! It fucking hurts…
A faint, trembling smile appeared on his lips as he thought of that. Then he dashed forward, eyes burning with anticipation, blood boiling in his veins. At the same time, the Terror's deformed hands lunged for him, but before they could grab him, Amon tightened his grip on the tachi, shifted his stance to avoid the attack, leaped back, and hurled the weapon toward the Terror's neck.
Blood splattered across the floor as the Terror's wide eyes locked onto his with such hatred that Amon's heart pounded wildly in his chest. His smile became more forced as his face paled.
Without wasting a moment, he summoned the Moonlight Shads. Unlike other memories, the dagger could appear instantly. Without it, he would have been dead. That was exactly why he had thrown the Midnight Shads at the Terror.
One… two… three… four…
His eyes darted around as he deflected the monster's razor-sharp claws with the Moonlight Shard, narrowly avoided another strike, and backflipped, kicking its face to create distance.
Mid-air, he twisted his body, his expression growing more energetic as a wide smile stretched across his lips. Flames swirled in his palm, growing bigger and wilder, taking the shape of a ball.
Amon grinned... That's it, just few centimetres... And, he hurled the fireball at its face, engulfing the Terror in a blazing inferno.
BOOM!!!
The entire floor erupted in flames, fire spreading all around them. Amon felt slight discomfort, but Winter's Embrace, and the fire resistance he had stolen from Medici, protected him.
The same couldn't be said for the Terror, who thrashed and roared in anguish, its expression twisted with suffering.
Amon didn't waste a second and dashed toward the pillars.
I need to be faster. Head-on, I have no chance. The quality and quantity of the Terror's essence are both higher than mine. Not to mention… it might have more abilities than just that light.
For now, besides that soul-ravaging beam, I've only managed to decrypt one other ability… and I have a bad feeling it's about to use it.
He reached the first pillar… then the second, third, and fourth. Only the fifth pillar remained. He tried to close the distance as fast as possible, but his senses snapped into overdrive as a looming doom crawled over him. He glanced back and saw the Terror slowly straightening, growing taller; it spread its arms and hundreds of faces on its body opened their mouths.
BOOM!
The sonic blast scattered the flames and shattered the floor. Amon dove behind the pillar, hands clamped over his ears, a pained look contorting his face as blood poured from his ears and nose.
The roar echoed across the spire, making the sleepers advancing toward the gateway shiver in fear.
Amon wiped blood from his nose, his body trembling as every instinct screamed at him to run. The Terror leapt high into the air and growled; a sphere of light formed in the depths of its dark maw, its muscles tensing, and then everything was drowned in light.
Amon let out a pained scream as his eyes started bleeding; he squeezed them shut as fast as he could. He fell to the ground, thrashing as he grabbed at his face, then at his neck, his nails digging into his skin while blood ran down.
Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!
Amon's mind raced in panic as darkness swallowed his sight. He forcefully activated Cogitation, sharpening his thoughts despite the terror clawing at his nerves. At the same time, he used Decryption and Spirit Vision, desperately searching for the Terror's presence now that his normal vision was gone.
What should I do…? This is too difficult… How did Nephis beat that thing…? Oh yeah, evolution crippled its strength… Still, how is it so powerful!?
Amon clenched his fists, frantically brainstorming a way to reach the last pillar.
There has to be a way… A way? Of course there's a way!
He laughed, teeth bloody as his expression grew more deranged, his flaw shoving his already unstable mind deeper into the abyss.
Using Flesh Creek, he melted like a candle, turning into pure, sticky flesh and blood, then quickly sank into the floor and moved toward the final pillar. West, west, west… remember!
He burst out of the stone and reached the last pillar. Hahahaha! That's it, I'm here!
Wait… how much time do I have left? His eyes widened. Shit! Only seven seconds! Quickly, quickly, quickly! Just work, fuck!
The Terror located him instantly, its eyes blazing with white light as it prepared to obliterate him.
But before it could, Amon exploded into wild laughter and leapt backward, straight into the center of the final floor of the Spire.
Three… two… one… Now!
I fucking won!
"Too late!" he shouted at the Terror, and all the flame bombs detonated.
A blinding explosion tore through the hall as stone and debris erupted from the pillars. Then each of them slowly tilted, their foundations destroyed. Five of them crumbled, and smoke swallowed everything as they collapsed, shockwaves tearing outward.
One of the pillars crashed down on the Terror. Its eyes went wide, its roar swallowed by the explosion. Cold stone cracked… then spiderwebbed across the floor… and then shattered.
Everything was falling apart as the Blasphemer and the Terror plummeted from the highest floor of the spire.
Amon quickly balanced himself in the air, anticipation burning in his eyes as his gaze locked onto the Terror, which had just freed itself from the rubble of the pillar.
Its body was damaged, its left arm hanging uselessly with shattered bone exposed, but it was still alive. Its eyes widened again as blinding white columns of light burst forth, aimed directly at Amon.
No Sleeper, Awakened, Master, or even Saint was faster than light. But there were still ways to avoid such a attacks.
Before the Terror could unleash its soul-annihilating beam, there was always a brief buildup, a moment of delay one could exploit to escape its line of sight. And even if you couldn't see it, that damned, vile sound that accompanied the buildup warned you of what was coming.
With all those tools combined, avoiding that kind of strike, even with its terrifying destructive power, was actually quite easy.
That was why Amon was able to challenge it. And for him, it was even easier.
He had Spirit Vision, Cogitation, Instincts sharpened to the extreme and Decryption to break down every movement.
All of it made the process almost convenient.
Grinning darkly, Amon glanced down at the rapidly approaching floor he was about to crash into… then flicked his gaze left. A mischievous smile curled the corner of his mouth.
He hurled the Moonlight Shard straight at the Terror's face, just as it prepared to fire another beam, forcing it to twist its aim.
Amon landed on a chunk of debris, used it as a springboard, and closed the distance in an instant.
He summoned the Moonlight Shard back into his hand, the dagger gleaming as he leveled it at the Terror's heart.
"Die."
But before Amon could strike again, the Terror twisted with impossible speed. Its maw snapped open and clamped down on his arm, fangs tearing into his shoulder.
"ARGHHH!" A tortured scream tore itself out of his lungs as blinding pain exploded through his body. His vision shook, his face contorted into a savage grimace but he didn't stop.
He refused to stop.
His arm trembled violently, blood pouring down his shoulder, but his madness drowned out the agony.
He released the dagger, then snatched it mid-air with his other hand, twisting his body.
With a vicious snarl, he turned the blade inward, and drove it straight into the creature's chest.
"Where are you?! It's your turn!" he snarled, fury boiling over as he ripped his arm free from the monster's maw.
Amon slammed Moonlight Shard upward, the blade carving through flesh and splitting the Terror's jaw wide open. Muscle and sinew tore apart with a wet crack, crippling its ability to bite down on him again.
He didn't hesitate.
With a savage twist of his body, he drove his heel into the creature's face, the kick hurling the Terror backward as they both plummeted through the air.
Wind screamed past them, flames and debris raining down like meteors as the crimson spire collapsed around them.
The Terror's lower jaw now dangled uselessly, hanging by strips of flesh. It let out a guttural roar of agony, and then the hundreds of faces across its body opened their mouths in unison.
Is that... Blyat...
Another cataclysmic sonic blast was about to explode, but the air suddenly whistled.
Something sharp cut through the smoke.
THWI!
CRACK!
The Terror's body jerked violently, a wet, meaty sound ripping through the chaos like a spear tearing flesh. It was blasted forward, blood and viscera spraying in the air as it crashed into the falling debris.
An arrow was buried deep in its back, the tip bursting out through its stomach.
For a moment, Amon just stared, eyes wide in disbelief, then he burst into wild, hysterical laughter, relief and exhilaration crashing over him like a wave.
So the prodigious son has returned! he howled in his mind, eyes snapping toward the lower floor.
There, standing amidst the debris, bow still raised was Kai. He smiled faintly, fingers trembling and bleeding. He was exhausted, battered, nearly spent… but he had still found the strength to fire one last arrow.
From nearly a hundred meters away…
Through smoke and ruin… He had found the Terror's exact position…
…and landed a perfect shot.
Amon grinned in satisfaction.
That was marvelous!
Far above, the Sleepers who were about to step into the gate froze. They heard deranged laughter, the deafening roar of explosions, and horrifying, bestial screams.
A shiver ran down their spines.
Without hesitation, they rushed into the gateway, fleeing the spire as fast as they could, their expressions twisted in fear and sheer horror.
But the Terror wasn't dead yet. Despite its shredded flesh and the arrow lodged in its body, it still refused to die, growling as it leapt from debris to debris, aiming to reach Amon, its hideous face twisted with pure hatred and malice.
Amon felt his blood run cold, breaking into a cold sweat. His eyes widened as he shifted across the debris, gripping it firmly, only to glance to his right, and saw the harrowing beast approaching.
But before it could touch him, something vast descended from above.
A majestic avian creature crashed down like a falling star. His talons slammed into the Terror's back, carving deep trenches of flesh. His beak speared into its chest and ripped its heart out in a spray of gore.
The Terror roared in his face.
Raven screeched in response, wings flaring wide, refusing to back down as blood streaked across his dark feathers. All four of his eyes locked onto the monster, wild and merciless, while his talons tore the Terror apart piece by piece.
And yet, even wounded and bloodied, the Nameless Sun refused to be extinguished.
It was dying, yes. But far too slowly for the cohort's liking.
Its eyes blazed with white light once more, and another soul ravaging beam exploded from its gaze, engulfing Raven.
Raven dodged at the last moment, avoiding annihilation… but the blast scorched his wing beyond recognition. His flight faltered.
At the same time, he spotted Amon falling.
Without hesitation, he formed a clone to catch him mid-air.
"Don't die, you fucking twink." Raven's voice echoed in Amon's mind as he continued tearing the Terror apart with all his might. Even though Raven shared Amon's memories and fragments of his personality, he was still a predator at heart. His instincts far outweighed his rationality.
"Lil' Raven!" Amon yelled through the clone's grasp, desperately activating Theft to steal the Terror's ability.
But it failed once again. Its rank and class were too high… and, worse, he still didn't fully understand the mysticism behind its Aspect.
Raven could no longer stay airborne. His ruined wing gave out, and both he and the Terror plummeted together.
But before they hit the ground, Raven struck one more time, He lunged forward and buried his beak into the creature's eye, tearing it out in a burst of white-hot blood that rained over his body, searing his flesh.
They continued their endless descent through smoke and ruin.
After the destruction of the spire's top floor, they fell through the air for nearly a minute before finally crashing onto the lowest level, the impact shaking the entire structure.
Even in agony, Amon couldn't help but stare.
…This place was massive.
But his awe faded quickly as pain split through his skull. Raven's clone dissolved into gray fog before it could set him safely on the ground, and Amon crashed onto the stone, gasping for air, his chest heaving while his bloodshot eyes threatened to bleed. He clutched his head, vision blurring, barely able to keep his eyes open. His arm hung limp and broken from the fall, his entire body screaming in agony.
Where's Raven…? His gaze darted wildly through the smoke as he wheezed, rolling across the floor and groaning.
Slowly, painfully, he forced himself upright. His expression twisted with irritation as thick smoke choked the air.
Coughing, he reactivated Cogitation to hold back the creeping madness. His natural resistance to mental corruption surged, reinforcing his mind as the world spun around him.
I need to heal… quickly… he thought, as pristine white flames erupted from him, purifying his mind and restoring his body.
Nephis's ability is really useful, Amon thought, grimacing as he vomited, emptying his stomach in disgust.
Then, the voice of the Spell echoed in his mind.
[Your Herald has defeated The Fallen Terror, The Nameless Sun.]
[Your Herald has received The Memory.]
[Your Herald has gained a new attribute: Soul Conduit.]
At this exact moment, Mysteries and his Herald had won!
Wait… what? Amon frowned. So Raven can be a Soul Conduit as well? That's interesting… and that also meant he's alive.
He sighed in relief, standing up as his expression softened and a wide smile spread across his face. You really did it, huh? That fucking chicken is something else, for real.
He thought for a moment, then looked up, activating Decryption, and nodded in approval. Everyone had left… Luna had left too. Well, that was exactly what he had planned from the start.
But... When Luna wakes up and finds out what I did…
Well… I'm cooked.
He shook his head. It was time to find Raven, he was still worried about that idiot, and there was one more step to complete as well.
But before he could take another step forward, a sharp pain pierced his mind, and he fell to his knees. What!? I used Nephis's flames to purge mental corruption, and my natural resistance should've helped as well!
"The… fuck?" he muttered in disbelief, irritation flashing across his features. But when he looked up, he froze. What he saw was something he never expected to see.
Amon's expression crumbled. He flinched and crawled backward, eyes wide with sheer terror. His heart pounded wildly, chills crawling up his spine as cold sweat poured down his forehead. He trembled, gulping in horror, continuing to crawl back.
A vague silhouette stood before him, moving calmly, letting out a loud, eerie laugh. Its head tilted, eyes fixed on Amon with utter disgust.
"Looks like I found you… Mysteries."
***
[A/N: Well, the battle is over. Heh, I bet no one expected that Raven would end up killing the Terror. My boy really went wild, for real.
And yeah, our gang was left behind, lol. It was good teamwork, I guess. Raven and Kai acted at the right time. As for why they didn't join the battle? They would have gotten in Amon's way, so that's why. I try to give everyone their role so everyone has something to do. I don't like when a character is good at everything. I made my MC that way in my previous fic, and I deeply regretted it.
[Image]
Well, stones and reviews plzzz, and enjoy the meal, guys.]
***