Chapter 188: Burn It Out

Gray pressed his hand against the wound on his chest, the void corrosion still eating into him. He could feel it spreading, tendrils of dark energy burrowing deeper into his flesh, blocking his regeneration, poisoning his blood.

"I need to burn it out," he said through gritted teeth. "Cindy, I need you to freeze the wound first. Then I’ll use Overcharge to burn away the corrupted tissue."

Cindy’s frills stiffened.

"That’s insane. If you use Overcharge on yourself at that range, you’ll—"

"I know," Gray cut her off. "But if I don’t, the corrosion will spread to my core. And then I’m dead anyway."

Cindy stared at him for a long moment. Then her silver eyes hardened, and she nodded.

"...Alright. But I’m going to heal you the moment it’s done."

Cindy raised her hands, frost gathering at her fingertips. She pressed them against Gray’s chest, and a thin layer of ice formed over the wound, numbing the area, slowing the corrosion’s spread.

"[Frozen Seal]."

The ice locked the void energy in place, preventing it from spreading further. Gray felt the burning slow, the corrosion pausing, trapped in the frozen tissue.

"Now," Cindy said, pulling back. "Do it."

Gray clenched his jaw, gathered his remaining mana, and activated Overcharge.

But he didn’t release it outward. He compressed it, focusing the electricity into a single point directly over the wound, and let it discharge into his own flesh.

The pain was beyond anything he had ever experienced.

His vision went white. His body convulsed. The smell of burning flesh filled the air, mixed with the acrid stench of void energy being incinerated. He bit down on his own tongue, hard enough to draw blood, and forced himself to stay conscious.

[OVERCHARGE — SELF-INFLICTED — 320 DAMAGE]

[VOID CORROSION — BURNED AWAY]

[GRAY ASHFORD — HP: 1074 / 1880]

[REGENERATION — REACTIVATED]

The corrosion was gone. The wound was cauterized, the corrupted tissue burned away. And as the last sparks of electricity faded, Gray felt his regeneration kick in, his flesh already knitting together, new tissue forming over the burn.

He slumped against the wall, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"...That," he said weakly, "was the worst thing I’ve ever done to myself."

Cindy was already beside him, her hands pressed against his chest, green light pulsing from her palms. The healing magic seeped into his body, accelerating his regeneration, easing the pain.

"Idiot," she muttered.

Lily hovered nearby, her five points orbiting slowly, her dark core pulsing with worry. She kept glancing toward the tunnel, where the two Imps were still searching, their shrieks echoing through the roots.

"We can’t stay here," Cindy said quietly. "They’ll find us eventually."

"I know," Gray said. "But we need a plan first."

He pushed himself upright, testing his body. The wound was closed now, the tissue fully regenerated. His HP was climbing steadily. He flexed his fingers, then his tentacles, making sure everything still worked.

"The Imp can split into multiple bodies," he said. "That’s the problem. Even if we destroy its horns, it might just split again. We need to kill it in one shot, before it has a chance to regenerate."

Cindy’s frills lowered.

"How? It’s faster than us. It dodges everything."

Gray was quiet for a moment, his golden eyes narrowing.

"It dodges everything we throw at it," he corrected. "But it doesn’t dodge everything we do."

Cindy stared at him.

"What do you mean?"

Gray turned toward Lily, who was still hovering nervously nearby.

"Lily’s void energy," he said. "The Imp’s void projectiles. They’re the same type of energy, aren’t they?"

Cindy’s frills lifted with sudden understanding.

"You think Lily can absorb the Imp’s attacks."

"She absorbed the Seed of Destruction’s energy," Gray said. "She absorbed the orb’s residue. Void energy is part of her nature. If she can absorb the Imp’s void projectiles, she can weaken it. Maybe even redirect it back."

Lily pulsed brightly, her five points spinning with sudden excitement. She understood. She could do this.

"But that still leaves the speed problem," Cindy said. "Even if Lily absorbs its attacks, we still need to catch it."

Gray’s golden eyes gleamed.

"We don’t need to catch it. We need to trap it."

He turned toward the Heart of the Tartarus, toward the spiral root that rose from the center of the chamber, toward the pool of shimmering essence at its base.

"I have an idea," he said. "But it’s risky."

Cindy’s frills stiffened.

"Riskier than burning void corrosion out of your own chest?"

"Much riskier."

Cindy let out a long, exhausted sigh.

"...Of course it is."

Gray walked toward the pool of Tartarus Essence, his golden eyes fixed on the shimmering liquid. The roots around it pulsed with iridescent light, feeding on the concentrated mana, drawing it upward into the shell.

"This pool is the source of the Imp’s power," he said. "It’s been drinking from it for centuries. That’s why it’s so fast, so strong, so impossible to kill." He paused, his hand hovering over the surface of the pool. "If we can use the essence against it, overload its system with the same energy it’s been feeding on, it might destabilize. Its regeneration might fail."

Cindy’s frills snapped rigid.

"You want to throw the essence at it?"

"Not throw," Gray said. "Bait."

He turned toward her, his golden eyes burning with cold determination.

"We lure it back here. We let it chase us into the chamber. And then we use the pool to overload its system. The essence is toxic in its raw form, right? Highly concentrated? What happens if the Imp absorbs too much at once?"

Cindy was quiet for a moment, her silver eyes widening.

"It would... its body would destabilize. The mana would tear it apart from the inside."

"Exactly," Gray said. "We don’t need to kill it. We just need to make it kill itself."

Lily pulsed with excitement, her dark core flickering with understanding. She liked this plan. She liked it a lot.

Cindy was quiet for a long moment, her frills swaying as she considered the idea.

"It could work," she admitted. "But it’s still risky. If the Imp doesn’t absorb enough, or if it realizes what we’re doing, it could just retreat. And then we’re back to square one."

"Then we make sure it doesn’t retreat," Gray said. "We trap it here. We force it to fight on our terms."

He turned toward the tunnel, his golden eyes narrowing.

"We need to lure it back. Cindy, can you set up barriers at the entrance? Something that will seal the chamber once it’s inside?"

Cindy nodded slowly.

"I can do that. But I’ll need time."

"Then we’ll buy you time." Gray turned toward Lily. "Lily, you’re with me. We’re going to get its attention."

Lily spun with excitement, her five points orbiting faster, her dark core blazing.

Cindy’s frills lifted with alarm.

"Wait, you’re going to fight it? Both of you?"

"Not fight," Gray said. "Provoke. We’ll hit it, then run. Lead it back here. It’ll chase us. It’s too aggressive not to."

He paused, his golden eyes meeting hers.

"Once it’s inside, seal the chamber. Then we’ll do the rest."

Cindy let out a slow, resigned breath.

"...Alright. But if this goes wrong—"

"Then we’ll improvise," Gray said. "We’re good at that."

Cindy let out a small, bitter laugh.

"That’s not reassuring."

"It wasn’t meant to be."

Gray turned toward the tunnel, his shadow cloak rippling behind him. Lily darted to his side, her five points spinning, her dark core pulsing with fierce determination.

"Let’s go," Gray said. "We have a freak to trick."