Ashley

Our planning session gets interrupted before it can even continue when crimson lightning begins to spread throughout the chamber we’re in. Completely blocking us off from leaving the chamber. And the lightning itself just continues traveling along the floor, walls, and ceiling of the chamber, gradually creeping over towards us while occasionally sparking into the air and linking with the lightning on other surfaces.

Blake and I hurriedly look at each other while rising into the air, him through magic and me through my wings. Then I try to use my own crimson lightning to fight against it, since I’ve managed to get a couple skills over the past days to control my crimson lightning a little bit at the very least.

But it doesn’t do anything at all to the approaching lightning. It’s just batted away like a tiny bug.

And when Blake tries to block the lightning, the lightning just turns everything he tries to block it with to ash.

We both grit our teeth before Blake begins casting a teleportation spell. One that requires a longer preparation time thanks to his not knowing exactly where we’re ending up. Since I’m sure he’s planning on teleporting us outside of the catacombs to dodge this.

I on the other hand begin making one silver barrier after another while also using destruction magic to block and delay the crimson lightning. Not really amounting to much, but at least delaying it a tiny bit.

But even with that delay, it still rapidly approaches and will clearly make it to us before-

My thoughts are interrupted when the entire catacombs begins to shake and a loud roar echoes throughout the Unique Domain. One that immediately makes the crimson lightning halt its approach.

Then the lightning slows down rapidly as the monster who is causing it no doubt begins to flee to the surface as it continues its attack.

And it’s thanks to that alone that I’m able to delay the attack long enough for Blake to finish his spell, sending us straight to the surface.

Before we can feel any sort of relief from this rather convenient timing though, a mummy wearing the clothes of a pharaoh bursts out of the ash on the ground with crimson lightning coating its entire body and running through its crimson eyes.

♢ Level 140 Ashen Pharaoh – 1001 Potential Skills – X ♢

Damnit, the worst-case scenario.

The monster that was attacking us was the mini boss itself.

And it still wants us dead even after we were all forced out of its catacombs.

Blake and I immediately begin to fly away from the site of the catacombs, dodging the King of Destruction’s paraclasts as we go.

But it doesn’t take long for a massive meteor to strike where the catacombs is located, destroying the catacombs in the process and further enraging the pharaoh that is chasing us.

The two of us continue flying as quickly as we can away from the pharaoh, but the monster proves itself to be just as fast as we are. Making it so we can’t gain any ground on it.

In fact, it’s a little faster than us.

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We only manage to slow it down a little by moving towards other monsters that it ends up accidentally attacking with its lightning and making join the chase with us. That and the King of Destruction’s attacks that we’re all dodging.

So once again I find myself in a death march. Except this time with Blake alongside me.

And the death march only grows in number as we pass by more and more monsters, with the occasional mini boss joining.

The only bright side to all of this is that none of the monsters seem interested in Blake or me. They’re all after the pharaoh that accidentally shocked them while passing by with its largely uncontrolled crimson lightning.

Which is perfectly understandable. I’d be upset too if something flew past me while shocking me with lightning.

We fly all the way through the King of Destruction’s rampage and continue flying even after the King settles down again, with the monster parade behind us still trailing behind. But at the very least, we’re able to avoid the pharaoh’s attacks. Simply because the pharaoh is busy avoiding the other monsters’ attacks.

I grit my teeth as I remember my earlier death march. But this one should be even worse.

After all, the mini boss chasing us is level 140. So it’s 40 levels above me, and even more above Blake. Unlike the kobold lord that had chased me before that wasn’t even a full twenty levels above me.

And it’s also a much stronger monster in general as well. Even if it lacks control over its powers.

But the sight of it turning a lot of the monsters chasing us to ash on accident is enough to prove its power.

The crimson lightning barely seems to affect the lich lord or the draken. And it doesn’t affect the greater ashen elemental at all.

So there’s that at least.

Although the sight of the lich lord summoning skeletons from the ash-covered ground below and the greater ashen elemental using said ash to create more elementals isn’t a pleasant sight.

It doesn’t matter that they’re chasing after the pharaoh and not us.

And I’m sure the System Forums are having a ball with this death march, just like they are last time.

I’m starting to wish that I could bet on myself from inside of a System Event.

Suddenly the crimson lightning begins to get further away, surprising me and Blake enough that we glance back at the pharaoh, only to find it having suddenly halted its chase. Instead hugging its legs to its chest and curling into a ball mid-air with crimson lightning crackling all around it.

Lightning that continues to grow.

And grow.

And grow some more.

And when the other monsters catch up to the pharaoh, it opens its eyes and sends a massive wave of crimson lightning out all around it. Marking Blake and my own cue to fly away as fast as we can.

So we fly as far away as possible without so much as looking back until the sound of the lightning begins to fade. At which point we find the pharaoh chasing us again, leaving behind a bunch of ash that’s falling to join the rest of the ash on the ground. With none of the monsters previously near it remaining except for the mini bosses that simply continue chasing after it.

Meanwhile the pharaoh itself…

♢ Level 141 Ashen Pharaoh – 1001 Potential Skills – X ♢

…leveled up.

Blake and I share a concerned glance before we speed up to go even faster. Trying as hard as possible to flee from the rampaging mini boss.

But the mini boss just continues to close the distance between us, proving itself a lot faster than before now that most of those monsters are dealt with. Even if they’re quickly regrowing in number again.

And right as the pharaoh begins charging up a large railgun shot in our direction, an equally massive ball of black and crimson flames slams into it, knocking its attack off course and making it slam into a nearby wyrms’ den.

I blink as a slightly awkward silence fills the area with the only sounds being that of the monsters trailing the mini bosses.

Then a rush of wyrms leave the den with their own mini boss trailing after them. Heading straight towards us and the mini boss that just accidentally attacked their nest.

Further growing the number of mini bosses currently present in this death march.

“Ashley,” Blake says, making my gaze turn towards him, only to see a certain look in his eyes. A look that I’m not quite sure what means. “Protect me while I cast, okay?”

He’s going to cast a major teleportation spell now? While we’re being chased like this?

It’s not like the last time where I could at least stall them a bit. These monsters are a lot stronger than those were in the last death march…

I meet his eyes as we continue flying, but something about the look of determination I see in them leaves me sighing.

Well, it’s not like we have another choice.

So I nod my head in agreement, and he immediately stops flying to start casting his spell. Leaving me to catch him and fly with him in my arms.

It’s time for death march escape number two.