Chapter 33 - Tower Of Blood
Important things:
[Fragment Realm]
Elite at lv.30, Transient – lv.75 and Human God – lv.120
[Mystical Realm]
Justicar – Lv. 170, Vizier – Lv.250 and Alpha – Lv.310
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The fortress grew more cryptic the closer they drew towards it. Runes were carved over the fortress walls which glowed faintly, the torches within the fortress sometimes revealed incongruous shadows of beings moving within. Frequently undead would crawl out from the graves around, but they were easily dispatched by the group.
Clarice surveyed around with Emelia while clutching his arm entirely along the way. Emelia`s expression fluctuated watching them together, but she continued vigilantly skimming her surroundings. Lucifer kept his dagger at ready in his free hand.
He had taught Clarice Pyrokinesis because even though she was a mermaid; she possessed a higher affinity towards fire essence compared to water. Emelia on the other had an exceptional affinity towards ice essence.
The air grew damp, soggy and a violet fog covered the region in front of them. Wisps floated within the fog and the group of experts stopped at its edges; using wind essence they tried part it. However, the fog was not affected in the least; blood curling cries of varying intensities could be heard from within the fog.
Having no choice the group entered the fog warily, behind them Lucifer and the girls followed. The mana fluctuations within the fog were intense. As they travelled further into the fog, it seemed to erode at ones senses. Lucifer and Emelia were not affected, but the others slowly lost their semblance of reality.
Clarice`s pupils gained a violet tint, after a while she screamed out while pointing towards Lucifer and Emelia
“You monsters, what have you done to them!”
Clarice materialized a dozen of blaze swords and shot them towards Lucifer. Emelia counterattacked with ice essence dispatching the swords into a mist, seizing the pause, Lucifer appeared behind Clarice and knocked her unconscious. Up ahead, the group of experts clashed against each other, essence attacks smashed against each other, blood seeped out from their open wounds. One of the male experts got gutted by a wind lance, leaving a large hole into his chest region.
His corpse slammed heavily onto the ground.
“Let`s help them” Emelia muttered slightly trembling from the side. Lucifer studied her expression and noticed she had a tendency to help others.
Heaving out a breath, he extended his hand; he increased the gravity around the experts, causing them to kneel against the ground trying to resist the force. Emelia dashed towards them; hitting their necks they went unconscious. Gathering wind essence around them, Lucifer raised their bodies into the air directing them out of the fog.
Emelia and Lucifer exited the fog carrying Clarice. After a while, the experts and Clarice gained back their consciousness. Noticing that they had lost one of their group members, their expression contained grief and their senses still seemed hazy, but soon came around.
The fortress was a few kilometers away, but in front of them withstood a large gorge. They couldn`t fly above it, because an enormous suction force pulled anyone who entered downwards.
Lucifer had finally gotten tired of repeatedly saving their lives. Going in front of the group he created a bridge out of earth essence. Leading Clarice and Emelia they went up ahead, the group of experts followed steadily behind. As they reached the fortress, the markings on it brightened.
The fortress creaked before parts of it disassembled to form a spiraling tower that grew into the skies, distorting the air pressure at the very top. A single entrance lead into the circular tower, the group rushed instantly into it, Lucifer and the girls followed behind.
Within the tower a spiral staircase lead to the next room above, the tower was completely dark inside. Lucifer with his vision was the only one capable of seeing within the room. Clarice ignited a fire essence orb to light the room, the group did the same. However, at that moment a banshee from the shadows came rushing at group, claws of dark essence materialized slashing at vulnerable backs.
The claws raked into the backs of a female severing her waist in half, her blood spurted out littering the floor. Their previous group of 9 was reduced to 7. Emelia and Clarice stayed close to Lucifer because they could barely see in the darkness even with the light conjured by Clarice.
The Banshee once again appeared from the shadows behind Lucifer and the girls, clearly it was aiming at Clarice with its essence claws. Lucifer created a small wormhole behind Clarice to absorb the essence attack, throwing his dagger at the banshee it penetrated into is body. The ooze in the dagger gnawed at the Banshee`s body, absorbing it into the dagger.
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The dagger shot back to Lucifer, the group headed up the staircase along with Lucifer and the girls. The next floor was lighted up with purple torches that gave the floor a grave aura; the walls of the room were covered in hearts from various beings. The hearts throbbed as soon as they entered the floor.
The floor was covered with dried blood, and near the next staircase, a man with unhealed gashes all over his body was seated. His eyes closed, his grin was utterly murderous.
Clarice and Emelia almost puked because of the stench of the blood and the still beating hearts on the walls. The group brandished their weapons, unleashing their long range essence attacks; they showered it upon the man. His grin grew wider, as the attacks penetrated his body, he laughed loudly
Standing up with his wounds, he rushed towards the group. Who attacked him with their weapons imbued in essence, the man grabbing a male who was closest to him tore into his neck taking out a chunk of flesh, furthermore, his hand pierced into the expert’s chest, gripping his heart, he tore it out.
The beating heart was then placed into the man`s gashes causing his previously inflicted wounds to rapidly heal. The man`s hands glowed red, the gashes unveiled eyeballs which rotated within them. The man grew more monstrous, his body mass bulging and the nauseous stench of rotting flesh filled the room.
The hearts across the wall throbbed faster, producing a horrid rhythm. Lucifer could see the strings of mana linking the man with the hearts on the walls. They were his life force; Emelia and Clarice were completely shivering as they had never witnessed such a sight.
The man before them was too much of a monstrosity, his red hands materialized into a blood red gauntlet. Dashing towards a female expert he swatted her on the head, exploding her brain matter out. The group dwindled to 5, their expression turned wretched but resolve was filled in their eyes.
“We still need the serum to save our mistress!” one of the female bellowed
The next moment the gauntlet gripped at her innards tearing them out, the four people valiantly battled against the beast unable to even scratch him.
“No wonder they call it the forbidden Dungeon” Lucifer thought
The monster was at vizier rank but Lucifer wondered how of some one of this caliber was in this tower. The remaining three experts were torn to shreds, slumping into their own pools of blood. As the remaining male expert retreated behind, the monstrous man caught sight of Lucifer just watching him.
Clarice was almost at the point of fainting, when the man turned towards them, it provided enough of a scare to knock her unconscious. Emelia courageously gathered her ice essence, preparing for the onslaught. The male expert gathered beside them, preparing for his final stand.
The monstrous man noticing Lucifer`s uncaring expression charged at him, the eyeballs in his gashes shot out dark essence pulses. Lucifer creating a blood barrier from the pool of blood blocked the approaching pulses. However, the pulses slowly deteriorated his barrier.
As the man collided with the barrier, it broke, unleashing a punch with his red gauntlet. Lucifer grabbed onto the incoming fist, crushing it. His free hand grabbed onto the man`s throat pipe tearing it out.
Lucifer kicked the monstrous man, shooting his body a distance away. The man slightly grunted before getting up, a heart across the wall shriveled as the man recovered from the inflicted wounds.
His wariness agonist Lucifer had increased; Lucifer extended his finger, firing of a chaotic essence pulse. The pulse penetrated the man`s body, disintegrating his cells rapidly before nothing was left. Gently carrying Clarice he headed towards the next floor, Emelia didn`t have a word to say, stopping the man`s attack with his bare hand completely astonished her. The more she got to know Lucifer the more mysterious he seemed.
The male expert followed behind them, but in his heart a torrent of hate flowed
“He could have saved us but he didn`t!” the male expert wanted to scream, his eyes issuing a abhorrence filled glare towards Lucifer, while he continued to the next floor.
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