Upon hearing Shade's words, the Lich clearly showed irritation.
"STOP PRETENDING TO BE AN IDIOT!"
The Lich yelled, his voice reverberating with anger and indignation.
"If it weren't for that, my magic would never have been dispelled"
Somehow, instead of trying to escape this situation, the Lich seemed more obsessed with proving his point than anything else. Though I didn't understand why, to him, having his magic dispelled seemed worse than death itself.
"But honestly, I have no idea what you're talking about... for starters, what do you mean by “creation” exactly?"
Upon hearing Shade's words, I turned to her with a surprised expression on my face. Her expression clearly indicated that she was genuinely puzzled by the statement. At first, the thought crossed my mind that Shade might be deceiving the Lich, but I quickly dismissed the idea as she showed no signs of acting that way.
After deeply pondering Shade's words, I remembered the wise words of Aurora-sama I had heard some time ago. According to her, spirits do not see the outer beauty of humans but something within. However, even with this understanding, I couldn't conceive a logical reason for Shade's confusion about the meaning of "creation".
While these thoughts wandered through my mind, a sudden and intense pain erupted in my head, causing me to instinctively raise my hand to it. Calling this sensation a "headache" seemed like an understatement, as it felt as if my own brain was throbbing in pain.
"My king, are you alright?"
While I held my head, Shade's voice echoed around me. I looked at her and noticed her intense black eyes fixed on me, her face carried an expression of concern as she watched me closely.
"Yes... it's just my head suddenly started hurting"
I replied, trying to reassure Shade's concern. Gradually, the pain subsided, replaced by a strange drowsiness that began to envelop me.
"My king... your nose"
Said Shade, with a tone of concern in her voice, delicately pointing at my nose. Upon hearing her words, I ran my hand over my nose, and as I looked at my hand, I saw a drop of fresh red blood. Witnessing this, I felt somewhat disoriented, as this was the first time something like this had happened.
"Why did my nose start bleeding out of nowhere?"
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
I muttered, trying to comprehend what could have caused this. Although the words escaped me naturally, I wasn't really seeking an answer to my question. The situation was so surreal that it seemed to defy any logical explanation.
"We've been here for too long, my king. Your body won't hold out much longer. You need to defeat him to get out of here"
Warned Shade, her voice laden with urgency, as she cast a firm gaze towards the Lich. As soon as I heard her words, I turned my gaze to the Lich as well. In a determined move, I raised my hand towards him. If what Shade said was true, I needed to defeat him as quickly as possible to escape this place.
"Hiiiiii"
Watching my reaction, the Lich let out a shameful scream, recoiling as he crawled backward. His eyes, which had once glowed intensely, were now like a small flame that could be extinguished with the slightest breath of wind. In fact, that's exactly what the Lich represented at that moment, a frail and wavering presence.
Before I could react, my legs gave way, causing me to collapse on the ground. All my strength seemed to be sucked away with every passing moment, while my head throbbed more and more intensely.
"Ughhhh"
The pain I was feeling would surely easily make it into the record books for the worst pains a human being could endure. It was as if my body was breaking apart from the inside out.
While enduring the agony, a beam of black and white light quickly approached me. Although I was surprised, I didn't have time to understand what was happening. However, to my surprise, I was still alive, enveloped by a blue orb. The orb had not been summoned by me; somehow, it spontaneously appeared just before the beam hit me.
"Why won't you die... I cannot perish here, in this place. My dream, I refuse to be defeated by an insignificant being before fulfilling my wish. I will attain eternal life, no matter the cost"
The Lich's voice echoed aggressively and desperately, but even as he spoke, I couldn't pay attention to his words. The pain I felt seemed to intensify with every moment, making it impossible to focus on anything else.
"Ughhh... Dis... Disappear"
I murmured with difficulty, while the agony continued to consume me. The words barely escaped my mouth, as if I were just on the edge of consciousness. At that moment, I wasn't fully present in my mental state, but what happened next, even in my most surreal dreams, was something I could never have predicted.
In the sky, the stars, once distant and unreachable, began to approach rapidly until they became visible. It was as if "something" was drawing near. Soon after, terrifying trumpet sounds echoed through the area, leaving me completely stunned, not understanding what the hell was happening. However, the Lich was undoubtedly in an even worse state than I was.
Next, a massive sphere erupted in the sky, radiant in various dazzling colors. A purple ring surrounded it, standing out against the night sky. The thing was so colossal that I honestly couldn't fathom its true dimensions.
Shortly after, from the sphere, shadowy winged creatures began to descend, moving toward the Lich. Their bodies were entirely black, and their eyes gleamed in spirals of endless darkness. The scene was terrifying enough to make anyone tremble in fear.
"Ahhh, no, stay away from me! What the hell are these creatures?"
The Lich shouted in panic as the shadows relentlessly approached. The creatures clung to him and began dragging him toward the bright sphere.
"Makoto"
Amidst all these events, a soft and warm voice echoed as I gradually lost consciousness. Looking up at the sky, the darkness opened up into a white hole filled with light. A white brilliance began to descend in my direction. That was the last sight I had before completely losing consciousness.