Chapter 1382: Survival Without Freedom

Eldran had begun descending the moment Valric was caught by the fox tails.

The bloodred armor writhed against his body, swelling and contracting between the plates. He carried his spear behind his back, its bloodred threads slowly shifting across the surface. With every breath he took, a dark glow passed over the spearhead.

Seraphine rose to meet him.

Dense Primordial Death Energy gathered in her palm. The black energy constantly changed shape, first forming a blade, then dissolving into mist before finally compressing into a stable sphere.

Eldran’s gaze snapped to it.

For the first time, the eyes beneath his armor held something other than murderous intent. A brief flicker of anticipation surfaced, only to be smothered by bloodred light.

He looked up at Seraphine, the muscles of his face rigid with tension.

"You..."

That was as far as he got before Seraphine attacked.

The sphere of Primordial Death Energy dropped from her palm and shot straight toward Eldran. At the same time, more black energy extended from her other hand, forming a pitch-black longsword.

Seraphine gripped the hilt and dove after the sphere.

Eldran hesitated as he watched the black orb approach. He reached out with both hands as if trying to touch the Primordial Death Energy, but the writhing armor quickly closed over his fingers, sealing his hands inside its plates.

His arms were forced back against his sides.

A tortured roar came from within the armor.

The sphere struck Eldran squarely in the chest. Instead of exploding against the surface, it passed through the plates and entered his body. Primordial Death Energy spread through his limbs, breaking down the armor’s inner layer and the flesh beneath it at the same time.

The plates lost their luster and peeled away from the edges.

As soon as the black energy ate into his flesh, masses of bloodred threads shot from the gaps in his armor. They burrowed into the damaged areas, pulling severed tissue back together as the repairs accelerated.

Destruction and restoration ravaged Eldran’s body at once.

Seraphine’s black longsword was already upon him.

Eldran’s body jolted, and the spear behind him flew into his hand on its own. Instead of aiming its point at Seraphine, he gripped it backward and hurled it down with all his strength.

The spear rose at an angle to intercept the black sword. Bloodred threads spread around both weapons, surrounding Seraphine from above, behind, and around her wings.

The spear met the Sword of Death first.

There was no struggle.

Black energy spread backward from the point of contact, rapidly dulling the bloodred spear. The corroded sections flaked away and crumbled into black fragments before they could fall.

Seraphine remained alert. She released the hilt, moved her hand behind its pommel, and struck it hard with her palm.

The Sword of Death surged forward.

Its black blade pierced the weakened spear, splitting it down the middle before continuing toward Eldran.

The threads surrounding Seraphine had also moved within striking range.

Their bloodred tips closed in from all sides, about to stab into her shield, when blinding light erupted from her body.

Radiance flooded the sky.

The approaching threads stopped against the light. Their tips bent under the continuous force, then melted apart. The remaining Light Energy gathered in Seraphine’s palm and condensed into a pure white longsword.

She thrust her arm forward, hurling the Sword of Light at Eldran as well.

One black and one white, the two swords closed in from different directions.

To everyone’s surprise, Eldran made no attempt to defend himself.

He neither recalled the threads nor re-formed his spear. Instead, he grabbed the bloodred armor with both hands and desperately tried to tear it off. The plates had fused tightly with his flesh. Every time he ripped one free, more threads emerged from the wound and stitched the damaged area shut.

Still, Eldran didn’t stop.

He didn’t look like he was resisting Seraphine.

He looked like he was fighting the armor for control of his own body.

Below, the Infernal Fireball had already struck the ground.

Its core crashed into the crater, releasing all the energy compressed within. A blazing pillar of fire erupted into the sky. The nearby sand glowed red from the heat, while a circular wave of flame spread across the ground and consumed everything in its path.

Ataneya had withdrawn her fox tails before the core landed.

She stood beyond the flames, carefully sensing for Valric’s presence inside the crater. Before the fire had fully receded, a bloodred figure walked out of it.

Valric was still alive.

His melted armor was rapidly regenerating, while layers of threads repaired his charred flesh. The energy driving his recovery had been pushed to its limit. With every step he took, more of his body became whole.

By the time he emerged from the flames, his sword was back in his hand.

Ataneya’s tails could no longer restrain him.

Valric charged the group, leaving a crater beneath every step. He didn’t circle around or bother defending himself. He simply took the shortest route and attacked head-on.

Dark figures began rising from the ground in his path.

They had no discernible faces, only vaguely human outlines. Batch after batch emerged from the yellow sand and blocked his way, reaching for his armor and limbs.

Valric cut down the first shadow with his sword, but more immediately filled the gap. His charge gradually slowed until he finally came to a stop.

Bones ground together in his neck.

His body remained still, but his head rotated a full hundred and eighty degrees. His golden eyes locked precisely onto Catheryn as she stepped out from the group.

A mass of black energy hovered above Catheryn’s palm.

Valric grinned.

"So you’re my enemy?"

He tightened his grip on the sword and turned his body toward her.

"Then here I come!"

Catheryn had already moved away from the others. There were no companions nearby for her to protect. Black energy trickled between her fingers, flowing downward and spreading rapidly when it touched the ground.

Light vanished from their surroundings.

The yellow sand, blazing sun, and distant battlefield disappeared beneath the darkness. A sealed black room replaced the world around them, drawing Catheryn and Valric inside. Neither of them could be seen from outside.

There was no source of light here. No boundary by which to judge direction.

As long as Catheryn had enough energy, this space would continue to exist.

If there was no darkness—

then she would be the darkness everlasting.

Standing in the center of the void, Valric turned his head curiously. He casually tossed his sword forward, and bloodred threads extended after it, seeking the edge of the space.

The sword flew for a long time.

The threads stretched farther and farther.

Yet no matter how far they traveled, they sensed nothing but emptiness. There were no walls ahead, no obstacles, and no Catheryn.

She was here, of course.

But no one could locate her within the darkness.

Darkness was Goddess Catheryn.

And Goddess Catheryn would always exist within the darkness.