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A colossal blazing hamr struck the Venerable, sending him crashing through several rooms below with trendous force! To everyone's astonishnt, a dwarf-like golem appeared before Ruby, its body still damaged in places, emitting sparks of green electricity.
At its side stood a massive, blue-scale dragon, resembling Drake but distinct, revealing himself as Drake's older brother, whom Ruby had briefly interacted with. Ruby had conversed with the Venerable and accompanied him to stall for ti until reinforcents arrived. Even if the reinforcents consisted of only two individuals, they were formidable.
"It seems we arrived just in ti. That scoundrel truly intended to kill them all simply because of their races?! I have never heard such a ludicrous motive for a Venerable's grand sche!"
The dwarven magic-tech golem grumbled, releasing magical steam from its pipes.
Its appearance swiftly shifted to a more humanoid form, as if a veil of magic cloaked its chanical fra.
Ruby recognized him instantly upon witnessing this transformation!
He was none other than the Onyx Hamr Demonic Venerable, Augustus himself!
"A wicked man who has driven his madness to utterly absurd heights… he reminds most of myself, yet he had no one to guide him onto the right path," said Drake's brother. "He and his partner have succumbed to despair, reborn without restraint, embodying hope only to sow malice and destruction."
Hrimvaldr's observation was astute. The man appeared profoundly disturbed, perhaps over an even longer period than Sangre.
"You're here…!" Ruby exclaid with a smile. "I was… I wasn't even sure I could hold him off, but I tried to buy as much ti as possible…!"
"You did well, young one," Augustus said, as his Dominion expanded, though significantly weakened, forming a distorted volcanic landscape around him with giant hamrs rising from the mountains. "We are the final line of defense before they reach everyone else, correct? We must protect them and either secure their escape or hold out long enough for Drake and the others to find us…"
"We are strong, but nowhere near as powerful as he is…" Hrimvaldr sighed. "We couldn't possibly—"
"Maybe we can win," Ruby interjected, startling them both. "After all, two other Venerables have yet to revive, correct?"
Augustus' eyes widened montarily. "I had completely forgotten about them! You're right! Where in the world are those won?!"
"Still reviving, apparently…" Ruby sighed. "I have no idea of their current state… But at the very least, if Fuyu can be freed from the paralysis, she could urge them to hurry."
"It's possible," Augustus said with a sigh. "But even so, I've lost most of my faith in those two… I suppose they never anticipated Oberon would act so swiftly… Still, we have no other option."
FLAAASH!
B O O O M !
A beam of radiant golden light surged from the ground, disintegrating hundreds of rooms instantly and targeting the trio. Ruby swiftly summoned Tiamat's Scale Shield, one of the few still in her possession, and blocked the oncoming beam, infusing the shield with her Soul Essence. As a Soul Gear, it expanded sufficiently to protect everyone.
RUMBLE!
The beam struck with imnse force before finally dissipating, the shield aglow with a radiant rainbow and golden aura, having absorbed a significant amount of energy.
"A shield capable of withstanding my attacks? Only the scales of Tiamat could be so resilient. How did you acquire such a precious material?"
The Celestial Path Venerable rose from the rubble, floating in midair as he regarded the trio with disdain in his glowing white eyes.
"Isn't it obvious? Our leader is the Dragon King," Ruby said, smirking to feign greater confidence than she felt.
"Deus, do you truly need to pursue this course?" Augustus asked, eyeing the Venerable. "We've had nurous discussions before! I believed you were reasonable, but what is this about eradicating every race except humans? Were you concealing this from and the other Venerables all along?"
"Indeed, Augustus, that was our goal from the beginning. I deceived you and the others, convincing you I was your ally. It was a simple ruse; one you all chose to believe because you feared my power. Now, I must thank you. Without your aid, I could not have restored those Ancient Relics from the Gods…"
Deus grinned wickedly through his face of glowing light, spreading his arms as a giant hamr, a spear, and a scepter materialized, all crafted of gold and adorned with glowing jewels, radiating ancient power.
"You did what?!" Ruby exclaid, shocked.
"I thought he was a good man. I wanted to believe…" Augustus sighed. "But his agenda, and that of Fortune, proved entirely different in the end. To think I went so far as to help him restore such powerful weapons to near-full strength…"
"Hahaha! I must admit, dwarves are my least despised race! Your craftsmanship is remarkable… yet, you are all selfish, greedy, and prideful hypocrites. Your kind never hesitates to burn a human village for profit or to seize a mine rich in resources you coveted… Therefore, I will show no rcy, even if we were once friends—or rather, false friends."
"You wretched fiend! Why are you blaming for cris I never committed?! You're utterly deranged!" Augustus roared. "You deceived us all! You united the Venerables against Oberon, only to betray us now that you've revived with our help?!"
"Your help?!" Ruby exclaid again.
Augustus confronted Deus, as the true nature of their relationship was revealed.
"Indeed, all of them contributed resources to my vast sect, aiming to hasten my revival. They believed to be their great leader, one who would lead a crusade against the King of Fairies. Without their aid, I would not have succeeded in ti… I am deeply grateful for your utter foolishness. I suppose it stems from your belief that I, a simple, innocent, and honest human, would never betray you, correct?"
"W-What?! No! We were...!" Augustus groaned, his face filled with anger and frustration. "You fucking hairless piece of shit... I should have never trusted you beard cutters!"
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