Ivanovich freed himself from the fire spell that Alexander used to blast him away. He was surprised at the World Guardian’s refusal to stay down; but he was also angered by it. Frustrated, he gritted his teeth and looked to where the crowd of people had been standing. The rubble he sliced from the side of the building had reached the ground, kicking up a massive cloud of dust and dirt. Pleased with his work, he dropped back to the ground to rub Alexander’s failure in.
Upon landing, Ivanovich noticed something within the rubble. A faint glow that became brighter as the dust began to settle. He saw the people lying on the ground, some cowering in fear, others staring up in awe. Alexander Bellmont stood tall, a dome of light arcing upward from his skyward hands containing the rubble from the building. His arms and legs shook violently as he struggled to remain standing. Blood ran down his face and dripped to the ground. Through gritted teeth, he told the people, “Move! I can’t…hold it back…much longer…”
A stunned Ivanovich remarked, “You really are so cool, World Guardian.” Though the compliment only made Alexander angrier as he glared at Ivanovich, it was clear that his power and stamina were fading quickly.
The civilians scrambled out from under the light dome as Ivanovich waited patiently. Once the last was safely clear of the rubble, Alexander dropped the dome and stumbled forward, barely clearing the debris field himself as it crashed to the ground. Exhausted, he fell to his hands and knees, desperately attempting to catch his breath, seeking just a brief moment of respite before the vampire attacked again.
He looked up at Ivanovich, who said, “You are a truly fascinating creature. No matter how much punishment I put you through, you keep getting back up.”
Alexander didn’t respond, still out of breath. He scrambled to come up with a plan. His body was heavy and screaming in pain again. Just keeping himself conscious strained his magical reserves. He figured that he had enough left for maybe a couple more big spells. That was it. And this battle wasn’t even close to over. Aside from Ivanovich, there was still the device and the other vampires to worry about. He needed to free Erika and Elizabeth and then destroy the device. He hoped that together they would stand a better chance.
An idea struck him. It wasn’t enough to defeat Ivanovich, not by a long shot, but it could maybe buy him some time. Keeping his hands planted on the ground, he conjured an earthen-colored casting circle. It remained camouflaged in the dirt of the ruined street. Ivanovich slowly approached, unaware of what he was doing.
The vampire knelt down to eye level and told Alexander, “You put up a good fight, World Guardian, but it’s over now.”
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Alexander defiantly responded, “It’s not over as long as I’m still breathing!” He completed his spell and yelled the incantation, “Rock Golem!”
The pile of rubble and debris behind him stirred to life. The pieces of rock and stone shifted and writhed. Fragments of the destroyed sidewalk and concrete road rolled over to the mound of rock. It finally took shape, and a 10-foot-tall golem made from the debris looked over Ivanovich, letting out a deep groan.
Ivanovich, in a stunned frenzy, questioned, “How?! How is this possible?! How are you still fighting?!”
The golem responded for him, delivering a powerful blow with its earthen arm, launching the vampire down the block of the destroyed city. Ivanovich recovered a moment later and charged back at the golem. It stepped over Alexander and met the vampire king head-on, trading shots with him.
Alexander knew that his golem wouldn’t last long. His hands remained planted on the ground, and he quickly conjured two more magical circles. The first was the same earthen color that brought the golem to life. The second took the color of a fiery inferno. He rushed to gather what little remaining magic he had, pouring it all into this spell.
He watched his golem and Ivanovich fight. With each strike, fragments of rock splintered from his creation. It wouldn’t last much longer. But he only needed a few more seconds. A few crucial seconds could mean living or dying.
With one final brutal punch, Ivanovich shattered the center of the golem, and it collapsed back into a pile of rubble. Visibly fatigued, he clutched at the wound on his torso from the siphon, the pain was more severe than he had initially let on. He let out a forced laugh and slowly walked towards Alexander and said, “This time, it really is over.”
Alexander responded with another spell incantation, “Giant Crater!” The ground beneath Ivanovich collapsed rapidly. The area surrounding him and the remnants of the golem decayed with it, creating a wide opening in the ground.
As he fell, Ivanovich yelled, “You’re a fool if you think the ground can contain me!”
He flapped his wings, a powerful gust of wind shot down into the crater, keeping him in the air. Confident, Alexander twitched his hand that controlled the earthen casting circle. The remnants of his golem sprang back to life, this time taking the form of a giant hand. It grabbed onto Ivanovich’s leg, dragging him back down into the crater as he screamed.
Alexander completed the spell and said its full incantation, “Magma Prison!”
Fire ignited in the crater, spreading throughout the entire crater in an instant. Parts of the earth and rubble melted, forming into molten lava which seeped further down, slowly approaching the trapped vampire king.
Ivanovich desperately punched the golem’s hand and frantically flapped his leathery wings. With all his might, he struggled to break free, but he was completely and utterly trapped. The magma reached him and wrapped around his body, charring his flesh. His screams of agony were drowned out by the shifting of rock as Alexander used the last bit of his magic to close the crater. The light from the sun slowly vanished as one by one, the rocks sealed up the opening.
With the prison fully formed and Ivanovich trapped, Alexander tried to get back to his feet, but the pain and exhaustion were too much. He finally collapsed to the ground. He told himself that he wasn’t finished yet. He had to destroy the device. But his body wouldn’t move. He stared up at the sky as darkness closed in around him…