Advent of the Three Calamities

This newfound power…

Lazarus wanted to continue to experience it. Despite the pain, he could feel that he was slowly starting to get acclimated to the eye.

He started to experience all of the other benefits that came with the eye.

His vision started to sharpen, granting him the ability to see more clearly and further. Not only that, but even in the depths of the water where everything was dark, he could make out Sylas’s silhouette clearly.

He could also make out the monstrous entities that roamed in the distance, and the sea life that lingered in the depths of the Maw.

Lazarus started to see everything clearly.

And that wasn’t all.

Lazarus was very clear that these weren’t the main benefits of the eye. Not even the slowing-down ability was its main function.

There was something else.

Something… a lot more terrifying that he could tap into.

It was just unfortunate that he couldn’t pay proper focus to it as the water before him stirred, and Sylas’s figure moved.

Swoosh!

Lazarus activated the ability again, and his right eye started to sting once more.

The world around him started to slow down as a result, and Sylas’s figure appeared not far from where he was, lunging in his direction with a terrifying glare.

A red orb appeared in Lazarus’s mind, his body squirming and popping as it adjusted to the sudden increase in strenght.

But the change only lasted for a brief moment before Lazarus returned to normal.

‘No, this isn’t ideal…

Lazarus thought about fighting back with brute force, but stopped himself.

‘…I’m too injured for that.’

Fighting head-to-head was only going to aggravate his injuries. His physique was also a lot weaker than Sylas’s.

Fighting this way was only going to put him at a disadvantage.

He was also supposed to be a mage.

A [Curse] mage.

Lazarus’s hand started to turn green all of a sudden as his right eye started to sting even more, and Sylas’s movements started to slow down, allowing Lazarus to see better what he was planning on doing. Predicting his movements, Lazarus shifted his body accordingly and dodged the attack.

This action in itself was also quite difficult for him.

Although everything was in slow motion in his eyes, he was also moving at the same speed as everything around him. He could only perceive and see things faster, but his body wasn’t capable of keeping up with his sight.

As a result, he had to act in advance in order to dodge the attack.

By the time he managed to position himself and his right eye started to hurt too much for him to bear, he blinked his eye, and the world returned to the same pace as it was before, his body lowering, and the water above him stirring as Sylas’s attack missed.

“…..!”

Almost at the same time that the attack missed, green hands erupted from behind Sylas, catching him off guard.

Swoosh!

It was just unfortunate that Sylas was able to dodge the hands in time as the green hands clawed at the empty water.

Shifting back, Sylas raised his head while warily staring at Lazarus.

His mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts as he looked at the merchant in front of him.

‘How did he see my movements? He isn’t faster than before… However, he seems to be able to read my movements. Especially since his speed didn’t improve at all. How is he capable of doing that?

All sorts of thoughts crossed Sylas’s mind as he thought about the situation.

However, after thinking it over for a moment, he managed to come up with a rough theory.

‘….Could it be that the thing he put in his eye allows him to predict the future?’

This made Sylas extremely apprehensive.

Even though there was a gap in strenght between the two, if Lazarus could predict his movements, then defeating him was going to be a lot harder.

He even thought about doing some things to make his actions less predictable, but after careful thought, he realized it would just be a futile attempt on his end.

Then…?

Sylas thought for a brief second before closing his eyes.

He didn’t need to think for long to know the solution to the question.

It was rather simple.

‘I just need to attack him in a way that even if he can predict it, he won’t be able to dodge it. As long as I set up enough preparation, it should work. Judging from how he holds his eyes from time to time, he can’t predict too far into the future, meaning that I can set up without getting noticed.’

Sylas didn’t waste a single second. He was quick to act. The moment a plan appeared in his mind, his body stirred, and he disappeared from the spot, appearing right before Lazarus and attacking again.

Swoosh!

…And just like before, Lazarus was able to swiftly dodge his attack before retaliating with one of his.

But despite being capable of ‘predicting’ Sylas’s movements, Sylas was one step ahead of Lazarus in terms of speed as he swiftly dodged each one of his attacks.

As he attacked, Sylas occasionally tapped the water with two fingers, leaving small, subtle ripples that were barely perceptible to the naked eye.

He was slowly starting to make his preparations.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

The two went on like this for the next several seconds, continuously throwing exchanges.

Neither of the two budged, each trying to one-up the other.

However…

It was also during those brief exchanges that Sylas was horrified to realize Lazarus’s movements were growing sharper and more precise. At the same time, Lazarus’s pattern began to shift as he started incorporating Curse Magic in his attacks, testing different ways to make Sylas fall for it.

In just a few seconds, the tides between the two started to switch as it became harder and harder for Sylas to keep up with him.

‘How does this make sense?’

Him…

A Tier 8 was actually struggling against a near Tier 7?

Ridiculous!

Even though Sylas understood that he was merely trying to bide his time for his inevitable attack, and that this wasn’t even his real body, his pride still hurt, knowing that he was being pushed back by someone two tiers beneath him.

He wanted to abandon all plans and attack recklessly, but decided against it and forced himself to calm down.

‘Almost…!’

He just needed a little bit more time in order to reverse the situation.

He had to remain calm.

He couldn’t allow his stubborn pride to take over.

And—

His preparations were soon done.

Sensing that all of the runes had been set in place, Sylas faded from the spot, appearing further back from Lazarus as everything settled down between the two of them.

Their eyes met, and Sylas just stared at Lazarus.

Neither of the two spoke before Sylas extended his hand and flicked his finger.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The moment he did, bright runes burst to life, flooding the space with light as they encircled Lazarus from all directions. They formed a massive dome, pulsing with a terrifying energy that began to surge outward.

‘I’ve got him!’

Staring at Lazarus, Sylas was confident there’d be no way for him to escape.

He was trapped on all sides. So what if he could predict the situation? He wouldn’t be able to—

“Uh?”

Sylas may have rejoiced a little too early.

It was right as the runes lit up and surrounded Lazarus from all sides that Lazarus’s lips slowly pulled up in amusement.

Staring at the smile, Sylas felt a sudden chill run down his body and before he even had time to figure out the reason for Lazarus’s smile, Lazarus made his move, bringing his hand up in the water as a series of threads shot out from all directions, piercing through the runes that were embedded around him.

Xiu! Xiu!

They were quick and precise, shattering all of the hidden runes he had carefully set up while the two were having an exchange.

“What?!”

The runes shattered right before Sylas’s eyes, and as if the shock wasn’t large enough, he felt a soft whisper coming from next to him.

“Your guess was close, but not quite right…”

“….!”

Swoosh!

Sylas’s entire body chilled as he hastily turned around, only to see nothing.

Wha—

“My ability lets me…”

Lazarus’s words cut off, and Sylas’s head snapped back just in time to see a pair of hands reaching for his face. Sylas didn’t even have a chance to react before they touched him and vanished.

A sudden wave of weakness crashed over him.

“Ukh!”

He stumbled back, feeling the effects of the curse invade his body.

It wasn’t a powerful curse, but it was enough to make him feel weak for a few short seconds.

He also wanted to hear the answer to Lazarus’s words.

If he couldn’t predict, then what did the relic do? What did it—

“You think I’m actually going to tell you?” Lazarus’s words whispered to his ear once more, sending subtle shivers down Sylas’s body as he tried to react, but felt something touch his stomach.

“…..!”

Another wave of dizziness washed over him.

This time, it was even more intense. It was nothing crazy, but enough to throw him off and present an opportunity for Lazarus to exploit as he proceeded to inflict curse magic on Sylas’s clone.

Thankfully, even though Sylas’s body wasn’t his real one, the curse magic still took effect. It wasn’t long before his face turned pale and his body began to convulse.

Although he was extremely tired and his eye was hurting a lot, he knew that he still needed to push a little bit more. He was almost there.

He just had to—

Rumble! Rumble!

“…..!”

That was when it suddenly happened.

Just as Lazarus was about to strike again, the world began to tremble. He froze in place as Sylas, still kneeling on the seabed, suddenly burst into laughter.

“Kek… kuhk.”

Lazarus stared at Sylas in confusion, unable to understand what was going on.

But everything changed when he suddenly felt the water around him shift. A terrifying ripple spread outward as a massive eye emerged from the depths, locking onto him and freezing him in place.

Sylas’s clone disintegrated on the spot as Lazarus found himself face to face with the eye.

Eye?

Xa’hurl was here?

Wait, wasn’t it fighting the woman from the Empire?

If it was here, then…?

Lazarus’s eyes widened in shock.

‘No, that makes no sense. That…!’

And then—

[Stop, resisting…]

A deep and ancient voice whispered into the depths of the water.

[…Become my nutrition, just like the human woman from before. Our little game ends here.]