The black cocoon that was completely enveloping Rian filled with cracks, as if preparing to release something from within. Bright light streamed out from these cracks, and as it emerged, it dispelled all the surrounding darkness; even the cocoon itself lost its black color and turned into luminous white. At this moment, the Sorcerer watched, terrified by the shocking event unfolding before him. He had never seen anything like this.
"Haaahie! Damn it, what is happening?!"
But the Sorcerer did not stand idly by; he tried to regain control of the current situation. He retreated several meters, moving away from the light source, then struck the ground with the palm of his hand, seemingly preparing for something:
(In the depths of the bottomless abyss where everything begins and ends, where your great soul resides, and by your great name, aid me in defeating your enemies) #Incantation#
After the Sorcerer cast his spell, a black aura, fiercer than before, surged forth and penetrated the ground where the Sorcerer's hand lay, emerging from the other side of the light source. The darkness began to coil around the luminous cocoon with great force, and the density of this darkness was immensely thick this time, blacker than night. But the surprise that ensued utterly shocked the Sorcerer, making expressions of horror deepen on his face; even this darkness completely vanished the moment it drew near the source of the light.
"Damn it! What is this thing that is happening now? Fine, I no longer care about you staying alive anyway. I must get rid of you here and now!"
A massive shadowy sword formed around the Sorcerer's hand, and he charged with it toward the cocoon embracing Rian inside.
"Haaaaaaaaa! Die, you scoundrel!"
BOOM! A massive explosion.
The mere contact of the shadowy sword's blade with the luminous cocoon resulted in a huge blast, a brilliant light that absolutely obliterated the Sorcerer's darkness, irrevocably.
The Sorcerer collapsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted, losing all his strength as he gasped his last breaths.
The light emanating from the luminous cocoon grew brighter, and the cracks widened more and more until it completely shattered, sounding like breaking glass. The cocoon broke apart, revealing what was inside.
Rian finally emerged. A luminous aura tightly wrapped around him, but it began to fade away little by little.
"Haah... What just happened?"
Rian was astonished by the event; it felt more like a dream than reality—something utterly unbelievable to anyone.
The presence of the Sorcerer interrupted Rian's moment of bewilderment. Rian instantly turned toward the collapsed Sorcerer nearby, then pounced on him immediately.
"Hey! You despicable bastard, what happened here just now? Was that part of your tricks?"
Rian's eyes were staring directly into the Sorcerer's.
The Sorcerer offered him a faint, despairing smile.
"Heheheh... Don't you really understand the situation? If I had known, I wouldn't have ended up like this..."
These were the last words the Sorcerer spoke before his death. Every ounce of life faded from him, and his eyes became dull; the flame of his life had been extinguished.
"Hey! Heyyyy! Answer! Answer, you wretch! Don't try to die this easily! Speak! Speak!"
Rian was furious at the Sorcerer's miserable death. How much he had yearned to tear open his chest with his fist, but events had taken a completely different turn, leading to this situation. Rian tossed the corpse from his hands.
"Damn this..."
At that moment, Carlos finally arrived.
Carlos: "Hey Rian, what happened here? I sensed unnatural fluctuations in the energy radiating from this place. What occurred?"
Rian answered the question clearly:
"Don't ask me. I myself am unaware of what happened. In the middle of the fight, that wretch trapped me in a strange, pitch-black place. But suddenly, a white flame pulled me out of there, and the world became bright, and all I saw was white. When I returned, I found things exactly as you see them now."
Carlos: "Haah... Is what you're saying truly real?"
Rian: "Tch! Do you think I'd joke about things like this?"
Carlos: "Alright, you need to get some rest, then go to where Tala and Tiel are."
After this discussion between Carlos and Rian, Carlos headed toward the Sorcerer's corpse, while Rian set off toward the location where Tiel and Tala were hiding.
On his way to them, Rian was thinking deeply about what had just happened to him... that light that suddenly appeared and saved him, and also something else much more terrifying he had seen in that white world. When he felt a sensation of rising upward, and when that sensation stopped, he saw something frightening... A massive eye materialized before him, as if it had been monitoring everything that happened to him from the start. That eye gave him a strange look he knew nothing about.
"Aaaargh! Damn it, my head is about to explode from thinking about it... Forget this."
Rian arrived at Tala and Tiel's location.
Rian: "Hello, we're finally done."
Tala: "It's not like I don't know... I knew the battle was over beforehand, but forget it now... We have a new problem."
Rian: "Hmm... A problem? What could it be?"
Tala: "Tiel... his condition is not good."
Rian: "What? What happened to him? Didn't the magic potions work to cure him?"
Tala replied firmly: "No, they succeeded in treating his wounds, but the matter didn't end there."
Rian: "What do you mean?"
Tala answered him clearly: "There are signs of Black Magic infiltrating his hand."
Hearing this news shocked Rian abruptly.
Rian: "So, how can it be treated?"
This was the first time Tala was unable to answer Rian's questions. Tala refused to answer; she was very hesitant and nervous, and her facial expressions explained everything.
She expected Rian to shout at her and try to act foolishly, but his remaining calm was worrying.
Rian: "Hey Tala... Is there no way to remove this magic from Tiel?"
Tala: "Well... at the moment, it doesn't threaten his life; it has only infiltrated his hand, nothing more. But I'm sure this magic will spread if Tiel's body is not purified from it. Right now, I don't possess enough knowledge to do this, so we must search for someone capable of dispelling curses. I suspect this is some kind of curse."
Rian: "A curse, huh... Whatever it is, we will find this person."
End of Chapter.