"Ugh… what is going on…"
Kael groans as darkness presses in from every side. No ground. No sky. Just that endless void and the weight in his skull.
'I feel like crap… how long was I dragged through that record?'
His ethereal body tilts, drifting backward like he's falling in slow motion. "What's going on…"
[You have witnessed a Record of Time. Your mind is re-adjusting to your body and physical condition.]
[Huh. And here I thought your mind would overload and kill you.]
[Notice: You have witnessed Leena's creation and her connection to the dungeon.]
[As a lifeform with a soul created outside the realm of souls, Leena is a Calamity-Class entity, similar to Desolara, under different causes.]
[❃Mission unlocked!❃]
[Kill Leena with your own hands to end the calamity.]
[Reward: Artifact]
[Grimoire[1] of Aisu[2]]
'Aisu!? As in the damn mage responsible for splitting a continent over a trivial argument!?'
[Warning: The record has closed. You will be awakened.]
[Detected: Mental influence has subsided.]
[Watch out for that right hook.]
[(˶ˆᗜˆ˵)]
'Huh? What are you—'
POW!
A fist detonates into his face.
His body snaps back into reality mid-impact, slamming past a tree and into the ground hard enough to bite dirt.
"It's all your fault…" Leena's voice shakes.
She grips the side of her face with one hand, the flower in her eye trembling violently, then her boot crashes into his stomach.
Kael shoots backward, spine first into a tree.
"All I wanted was to die..." Her voice cracks as she steps in, teeth clenched. "Why... Why... whywhywhywhy... What did you do!? WHY CAN'T I DIE!?" Her grip tightens around a new sword as she closes the distance, shaking like she might tear apart at the seams.
'Ugh… that hurt.' Kael hisses, holding his stomach as he lies on the rocky ground. 'What type of girl kicks that hard…' When he looks up, the sky is already wrong. Thundering clouds twist and clash against dark energy, and rays of power crash downward, tearing at the surroundings in irregular bursts.
"Wait, Leena. I didn't do anything. Don't let her words get to—"
"Get up," she grunts, stepping in and driving another kick into him. The blow nearly sends him sliding off the edge. "I know you're strong, so GET UP!" She grits her teeth. Blood leaks from her nose, and a crimson flower with a black pattern blooms across her shoulder. "You're not fooling anyone, so stop pretending already and stand up. Since it's your fault, I'll offer your corpse to Mother in return for ending this pain once and for all."
'Hmm… I miss the others. I wonder how Des and Ash are doing.' With an exhale, Kael forces himself upright. "Wait, Leena. That witch can't—"
BOOM!
A shockwave rings out. Kael drops to one knee, his head ringing as he tries to process what just happened. 'What was that…' He presses a hand to his stomach, then coughs up a puddle of blood. 'An explosion? My protective clothing blocked most of the damage, but how did she do that? I didn't sense any mana until the explosion hit.' He looks up through dizzy eyes, and Leena's blade is already descending.
Kael shifts, but the strike is too close. In that split second, Umbra morphs into a black mask that covers his entire face. The sword scrapes along it a heartbeat later, sparks flaring as metal grinds against the unnatural surface.
"Calm down for a second!" Kael clicks his tongue, channeling mana and aura at once. He palm-strikes her chest, blasting her backward. Leena stumbles, gasping for air. 'This is so irritating.' Kael straightens, checking himself for injuries. "Why does everyone in this damn world turn to violence the second they want something?" He pops his shoulder back into place. 'Oh, that's right. Because I'm stupid and wrote this shitty world into existence.' His eyes drop, catching blood smeared across his shirt, and it isn't his.
"I see. So that's how you did it." He cuts the fabric free and throws the piece aside. 'She has some kind of blood manipulation that lets her blow up her own blood. That's why I couldn't sense the explosion until it actually happened.'
Leena inhales, breathing hard as she finally regains control of her lungs. "You just had to ruin everything I wished for, didn't you, V? You couldn't just mind your business. I can't even die without something going wrong…" Her voice shakes, but the air around her spikes. Her skin begins to steam as stored mana vents outward in waves. "A dungeon master has no business entering another dungeon. Even I know that. And yet, here you are[3]." Her final words come out cold, and her eyes lock into his.
A strike of red lightning slams into the ground between them, blasting a hole into the rock. Beyond it, the battle overhead continues, violent and unending, as Dae and Sylaris tear at the sky.
★ ★ ★ ★
- Lowest level
"Its full death is near," Mirelith mumbles under his breath as he sits on his throne, the green leaves making his seat glowing faintly while the area around him grows increasingly destructive. Heavy debris falls from the ceiling, the energy around them spikes, and small patches of space begin to fracture. The massive tree swings its branches violently, trying to stay upright while also attempting to catch the elven prince. "It looks like I can finally awaken you." Mirelith tilts his head, holding two red crystals in his hand.
"What the hell is going on!?" Bein yells through the cavern as he attempts to organize the guild. Most monsters have either run off or dissolved into mana, and the distortion of energy keeps increasing by the minute. After the whispers subsided, the dungeon was classified as cleared, and they received a reward box from the dungeon system before getting warning messages.
[System Error]
[The Dungeon will collapse in 10 minutes]
[All restrictions have been lifted]
[Spatial collapse in 9:55]
"Just what is going on? Did picking the flower up clear the dungeon?" With a wave of Yula's hand, a massive ice dome forms above everyone, preventing any more debris from falling. Her ice-white hair accidentally slaps Itto in the face as he crouches down to pick up an artifact. "Oops, sorry Itto. I'm still a little disoriented from the illusion I was in."
After a heavy yawn, Itto stretches and looks around. 'No one apart from Bein and the guild master seems that worried. Since the dungeon is cleared, they just need to teleport out.' However, he doesn't spot V anywhere. "Hey, what happened to that ugly boy? Did he end up dying?"
"Ugly?" Ryua questions as she walks up to him and jumps slightly, yanking his whitish-purple hair. "You're the ugly one. That boy is actually quite handsome. He was just hiding it this whole time. After the split, I was stuck with him for a while and he's surprisingly more capable and mature than you." She clicks her tongue, throwing his head aside. Her mismatched eyes glow faintly as she checks the surroundings, double-checking that everyone is gathering together. 'I wonder where he went. He's strong, so I doubt anything happened to him. I wonder when I'll see him again.'
Itto lets out a groan as he rubs his hair. "Ugh... that was unnecessary, Ryua." He rolls his eyes, whistling to Oda. "So what happened to him anyway?"
"He's fine. He had to leave early. It's for the best too. Imagine a kid experiencing this level of spatial pressure? Even the most talented junior would collapse from energy deviation here." She murmurs with an exhale as she runs her hand along the handle of her sword.
Itto's eyebrow lifts. "Oooh? What's this? You found a sword... hey, why don't I buy it off of you? You're a sharpshooter, so you don't need this—" The moment he tries to reach for it, she elbows his stomach, making him grunt. "When we get back, we can spar."
-
"You! Get back here right now! You can't do this, you're going to end up dead, so give me that flower!" Cora clenches her sword, bleeding out as she chases Ilúvëthar across the distorted space.
"Return to your country, human, and stop interfering with elven matters." Ilúvëthar's speed only increases as he searches for an escape route. 'Everything is going according to plan. Once I get back, I'll be able to start my advance.' "Looks like your ride is here." He mocks just as Bein grabs Cora and drags her back.
"That's enough! We can't keep going after him. We need to leave as soon as possible. Something big is happening outside the dungeon. The twins claim we need to leave before whatever is out there comes to kill us." He speaks while carrying Cora back, even as she struggles.
"NO! We need to get that flower, or all hell will break loose! We all know what that thing can do. If he ends up using that power—"
"Guild master! I know, but we can't continue the chase. Our mission was to clear the dungeon, that's it. We'll deal with the aftermath after consulting the king." As he runs back, he makes eye contact with Mirelith, who still sits on his throne with two crystals in his hand. Something about him feels different now. He had put his creatures to sleep and called back the guardians earlier, so Bein assumed he planned to leave, yet he is still here. "Excuse me... may I ask what is happening outside?" He slows his steps slightly. 'Someone like him likely knows what's happening here. I need to collect as much information as I can.'
Leaning on his arm, the Fairy Prince looks down at the two crystals in his hand. "A witch with strength equal to the current Queen of Witches, as you may know. She has been revived and is currently in battle with another individual." He murmurs, almost bored, as he turns his gaze toward the tree. "You may want to take your leave now. I suggest teleporting as far out as possible."
Bein doesn't need to be told twice. He's gone before the prince finishes his sentence. 'What... what... what!? Someone as powerful as that monstrous witch? Is that even possible!? The Queen of Witches is someone with equal power to Lilith or Darius, and now he's saying a witch with equal strength has been revived!? Fuck... I think I'll need a vacation after this.' He groans internally as he reaches the group and immediately begins organizing everyone.
"The preparations are ready." The twins walk up to Bein as they speak. They hold hands, no fear in their eyes. They are nearly identical except for their eyes; both possess one crimson and one blue iris, but each has them reversed. Their black hair remains immaculate despite the chaos around them. "We do not wish to hear those whispers again. Shall we proceed, Vice Guild Master?"
Bein exhales in relief as he restrains the struggling, bleeding Cora. It doesn't take long for Yula to scold her into silence after checking her injuries. "Yes, let's go. As far as possible. We have enough artifacts to consider the raid a success." Within seconds, everyone gathers close as the twins complete their chant, teleporting the entire group just as the space around them deteriorates to a lethal degree.
"You may go now." Mirelith turns to the prince, teleporting him near the Elven Kingdom without further ceremony.
"Now it's just you and me," Mirelith speaks coldly as he stares at the tree. "Oh, how I've waited for this day." He lifts his hands, stabilizing the fractured space around him. "I have no intention of granting you a quick death after what you have done to my people." He rises into the air, energy radiating from him in steady waves. "Now that my contract is broken, I am free to do as I please. Those laughs you believed were hidden. Those thoughts of corruption you nurtured in silence... they displease me. Today, I will enact what I have waited 700 years for."
[1] A grimoire in my novel is a book of spells typically written in ancient times. Several thousand years ago, it was common for mages to obtain grimoires and create them; this was before the gods introduced their language of spellcasting. During those times, mages created their own spells and inscribed them on paper for quicker spell casting.
[2] Aisu is one of the most powerful mages in recorded history. He helped the progression of magic during the time of war. Though he was a powerful mage, most of his accomplishments are tied to everyday spells he created to help commoners. Aside from that, he is known as the father of destruction in hidden texts kept by nobles.
[3] There is only 9 true dungeons that have yet to be cleared. Every one of those dungeons has a dungeon master, and several thousand years ago, they agreed to stay out of each other's land, even during war.