"What's the matter? Afraid to co at ?" Cedrick jeered, his laughter echoing mockingly. "What's wrong? Did my Dracolich give you cold feet? This thing is aweso! Ugly as hell, though—just like your strategy!"
Horizon clenched his fists, his patience beginning to fray. He was usually calm under pressure, but Cedrick's high shrieking voice alone was enough to make even the most disciplined lose their composure.
And then he felt it—a sudden, ominous wave of energy from the far side of the battlefield. It was subtle at first, like a faint shift in the air, but it quickly grew stronger, pulsing with raw, chaotic power.
Horizon froze mid-step, his instincts flaring. What is that? he thought, his heart pounding in his chest. The energy wasn't coming from Cedrick—he would've noticed if another artifact was activated this close. No, this was sothing else entirely.
His gaze flickered toward the direction of Von's fight. Could it be from Aeloria's team? Did they have another artifact stashed away? Or . . . is sothing worse happening over there?
For a mont, his confidence wavered. He knew Von was strong—stronger than anyone gave him credit for—but the kind of energy he was sensing wasn't ordinary. If Aeloria's team had truly unleashed sothing else, sothing more powerful than the first artifact, even Von might struggle to hold them off.
Horizon gritted his teeth, forcing himself to refocus. He couldn't afford to let his attention waver. Not now. Cedrick was still a threat, and the copy dracolich was as relentless as ever.
But the thought lingered, gnawing at the edge of his mind. I hope Von and the others are holding up.
He took a deep breath, steadying himself. Whatever was happening on the other side of the battlefield, he had to trust Von to handle it. For now, he had his own battle to win. Read new chapters at empire
"I'll deal with you soon enough," Horizon muttered under his breath, his amber eyes narrowing as he prepared to make his move. The dracolich roared behind him, shaking the earth beneath their feet as the fight raged on.
=== ===
anwhile back at Von and the others.
The artifact lood above Aeloria, pulsating with raw energy, its brilliance bathing the battlefield in a rciless glow.
It unleashed its first barrage—a blinding beam of tier-5 magic that tore through the air with a deafening roar, leaving behind a scorching trail of devastation.
Von braced himself, his crimson eyes narrowing as the attack hurtled toward him.
The impact was imdiate and brutal. The force struck Von's shield with the power to obliterate a dungeon boss in one strike. The ground beneath him cracked and caved under the pressure, sending debris flying in all directions. But that was only the beginning.
The artifact unleashed another strike, then another, each one more potent than the last. It was relentless—a calculated onslaught of at least ten bursts of concentrated tier-5 magic, the multiple burst capable of annihilating a hundred dungeon bosses in its wake. The sheer magnitude of the attacks was overwhelming, a ceaseless storm designed to break even the strongest defenses.
Von's muscles strained as he deflected and absorbed the blows, but he knew the truth: his stamina was not infinite, and his ordinary ans would not suffice. The artifact was designed for destruction, its creators crafting it to be a weapon of absolute devastation. If this continued, not only would he fall, but everyone relying on him would perish in the aftermath.
Sweat dripped down his brow as he realized the inevitable. There was only one way to survive this—a choice he had dreaded since the battle began. The darkness within him stirred, whispering promises of salvation and power in exchange for a cost he was unwilling to pay.
But there was no other way.
Von tightened his grip on his mace and closed his eyes, drawing a deep breath as the next wave of energy lood on the horizon. When he opened them, his crimson irises glowed brighter, the hue deepening as the darkness within began to rise. His body tensed, resisting the temptation to lose himself completely in its grip.
As the next magical burst collided with his shield, Von let the vampiric power flow through him. Tendrils of shadow erupted from his form, snaking through the air with a life of their own, hungry and ravenous. They latched onto the incoming projectiles, consuming the mana within them like a predator devouring its prey. The brilliant light of the magic dimd as the shadows fed, their tendrils growing thicker and darker with each strike.
The battlefield seed to hold its breath as Von unleashed his forbidden power. The darkness surrounding him deepened, the air becoming heavy with its oppressive weight. For a mont, it seed as though he was holding his own, his vampiric abilities nullifying the artifact's devastating magic.
But there was a cost.
The more mana Von consud, the more the darkness inside him grew. It clawed at his mind, whispering insidious thoughts and tempting him to let go of control.
The shadows writhed around him, their movents erratic and wild as if they had a will of their own. It was a dangerous balance—one slip, and he risked losing himself entirely.
This was why dark creatures were feared. Their ability to consu mana made them nearly invincible on the battlefield, but it ca at the price of their sanity. The more they fed, the more unpredictable and uncontrollable they beca.
The legends of dark beings going on killing sprees, their minds consud by the very power they wielded, were not re stories—they were warnings.
Von gritted his teeth, his resolve hardening as he fought to maintain control. He could feel the darkness gnawing at the edges of his mind, urging him to give in to the hunger and let it consu him completely. But he refused. He would not beco the monster the stories spoke of. Not here. Not now.
Another burst of magic ca hurtling toward him, more powerful than the last. The artifact seed to sense his struggle, amplifying its assault in an attempt to overwhelm him.
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