Fait Fight

{PLEIADES POV}

Looking at the snarling Regis, I took a deep breath and turned away, hoping to alleviate the small twinge of guilt I felt about crushing my companion.

[Sorry 'bout that.]

The purple glow on the cavern walls suddenly intensified as Regis processed my words.

>>Sorry? For what? Crushing me just to look cool? Well, don't worry about it… Just the thought of you failing at your little—what would you call it? 'Aura farming,' was it? Fail so miserably makes me happier than being in Effies lap.<<

Groaning, I shivered slightly as a faint blush crept onto my face.

[Really… Sorry.]

When I turned back, I saw that Regis was still snarling. But now, he wasn't the only one looking at me. Everyone was.

Fighting the urge to bury my face in my hands, I forced myself to hold a serious expression. Clearing my throat, I looked toward the traitors.

"Well, just as I expected. You guys were traitors."

One of the recruits glanced between me and Liarus before suddenly screaming in exasperation.

"What is happening!?"

Another recruit rubbed his temple and sighed.

"Yeah, same question."

In unison, the rest of the recruits echoed their confusion. Their reaction somehow made me feel a little less tense.

I took a quick peek at the now... wormified? Would that even be the right word for people under the influence of my worms of spirit? Well, it didn't really matter. Now that Liarus was under my control, I could salvage this situation.

Controlling Liarus, I made him look at the recruits.

"We are fulfilling Lord Gunlaug's orders, obviously! You fools, get your shit together and prepare for combat!"

Though still puzzled, the recruits hesitantly raised their weapons, pointing them at me. Meanwhile, the cohort that had already been on guard exchanged wary glances.

Effie looked ready to move but froze as the wall of ice behind them began to shake and groan.

A deep, ominous thunder reverberated through the cavern.

I grimaced. Behind that wall, who knew how many abominations were waiting to tear us apart. But right now, that wasn't my immediate concern.

[Sunny, time to summon Saint and Krabs.]

The message transmitted instantly, and without a word, Sunny obeyed. To my right and left, the hulking form of Krabs began to manifest, along with the now-evolved Stone Saint.

Her Stone body took shape, standing in perfect contrast to the dark, damp cavern, while Krabs' massive form loomed over the traitors, dwarfing me entirely.

As soon as they fully materialized, both of them rushed forward, completely ignoring the traitors. The confusion on their faces was almost amusing. A few even glanced back at Nephis, who simply gave the two shadows a considering look.

"They'll help you fend off those things! Leave the traitors to me!" I yelled, activating Frost Calm.

A wave of cold spread across the ground, ice forming in jagged spikes that surged upward, splitting the cohort from the traitors.

Raising my kord, its lustrous steel gleaming against the dim light, I pointed it at the traitors as a cold breeze swirled around us.

"You guys are mine."

[Hey Sunny, you wanna fight them?]

(I'll sit this one out. You planned all of this, so it's your responsibility anyway.)

Nodding to myself, I took slow, measured steps toward the ten of them, keeping my stance loose to lower their guard.

The first to react was Liarus. With a roar, he lowered his stance and charged, swinging an overhead slash.

I flicked my fingers. A razor-thin slash, infused with Cutting Dominion, cut through the air.

A thin line of blood bloomed across Liarus' neck. A second later, his head tumbled from his shoulders, hitting the cavern floor with a dull thud. His body followed shortly after.

'Well, there goes my first human Kill'

[You have slain a Dormant Beast, Liarus]

[You have plundered his Memories.]

Widening my Eyes slightly i Narrowed my gaze and then remembered my Innate Ability.

And for a moment, there was silence between me an the traitors.

His head rolled for a few seconds before coming to a stop, eyes still wide with shock. The scent of blood filled the air, mixing with the cavern's damp chill.

The remaining traitors froze, caught between instinctive fear and the knowledge that they had nowhere to run.

One of them—a wiry man with a jagged scar running down his cheek—gritted his teeth and let out a shaky breath.

"Shit… KILL HIM!"

The group surged forward.

I exhaled slowly, raising my blade. The cold air around me thickened, frost creeping along the cavern floor.

The first attacker, a young short haired man wielding twin daggers, lunged at my side. He was fast, but not fast enough. A flick of my wrist sent a jagged ice spike shooting upward from the ground, impaling him mid-step.

He let out a choked gasp, eyes flickering with disbelief before going still.

[You have slain a Dormant Beast, Zeltri]

[You have plundered his Memories.]

Another recruit—a broad-shouldered man wielding a longsword—roared in rage and swung at me, his strike wide and desperate. I sidestepped easily, twisting my wrist. My kord sang as I slashed across his ribs, Cutting Dominion slicing through flesh and bone like paper.

He barely had time to register the pain before collapsing.

[You have slain a Dormant Beast, Krees]

[You have plundered his Memories.]

The rest hesitated now, the confidence in their eyes faltering.

"Still want to fight?" I asked, my voice even. My breath curled in the freezing air, and I took another step forward, Activating Tyranny, my strenghtened presence pressed down on them like a vice.

A few of them took half-steps back. One even dropped his weapon, hands shaking.

But before any of them could make a choice, the ground rumbled.

A deep, unnatural growl echoed from beyond the ice wall. The very air seemed to vibrate with something... wrong.

The recruits turned, some instinctively backing away as cracks spread across the frozen barrier.

Then, with an earsplitting shatter, the wall exploded.

A swarm of shapes began to pour through the opening.

One of the recruits screamed and then the abominations arrived. I tightened my grip on my kord and took a steadying breath.

Unbothered by the apperance of the creatures i lunged at the recruit that was capable of sensing life, he just barely dodged my attack, taking the chance he tried to skever me with his sickle, but already predicting his movements i ducked and took a step forward before overwhelming him with Tyranny.

His eyes lost a bit of light and using my momentum i swung under his elbow, the kord continued to cut through his flesh and bones before fully cutting off his shoulders and head in a single slash.

The traitors shuddered at the sight—except for the one with scaly armor, who only looked more determined to kill me.

It was now six against one, but this time, the traitors calmed down and formed a circle around me. Three of them rushed toward me, while two began to summon different memories.

Noting the likelihood of ranged attacks, I focused my attention on the one closest to me.He was about a head taller than I was and wielded a single-bladed long axe.

I activated Record and used the caster's ability. In the blink of an eye, I closed the distance and crouched. I was to his left and slashed upward. The young man reacted quickly, swinging the axe head down to intercept my blade.With a clank, our weapons collided, and we both pushed for leverage.

However, my strength as a dormant demon was far too much for him to handle.He released the axe and tried to grapple me.

I leaned back and shifted my grip so that the blade now pointed toward his abdomen.With a boost, I drove the blade into his stomach and it pierced straight through.

The man froze for a moment—and without hesitation, I used Cutting Dominion, changed the direction of my blade, and sliced right through him.

Right after finishing him off, the voice of the spell sounded—but I had no time to react. I tensed my legs and jumped into the air, just barely dodging the two attackers charging at me.

Still airborne, I countered two arrows headed straight for me. They ricocheted off my blade, and as I landed, I turned and blocked the attack of a well-built man wielding a spiked mace.

I deflected two of his strikes and backed away. He snarled under his helmet and slammed the bottom of his mace into the ground twice.

The spherical part of the mace shot upward, now connected to a long chain.He began spinning the strange flail-like weapon.

I struck it away and simultaneously summoned two ice walls to shield myself from the incoming arrows.

Manifesting a thin spike of ice, I threw it between one of the flail's chains. The man looked down, desperately trying to free his weapon. In the next moment, I rushed forward and cut off the right arm holding the flail.

Staggering back in shock, he clutched his severed limb and stared at me. In an instant, I coated my arm in indestructible steel and drove it through his chest.

He looked down in horror and tried to strike me with his remaining hand—but that wouldn't happen.

I activated Record and set his insides ablaze with the incinerating soul flame. Moments later, the spell confirmed the kill.

I released the now unrecognizable corpse and turned toward another attacker—this one hesitating.

"What? Don't look so shocked. You're next."

He hiccuped as I stepped toward him. In a moment, we were exchanging strike after strike.He was clearly more skilled, but with Load Amplifier, my blows kept pushing him back.

(Watch out—two arrows behind you!)I activated Ironed Out, and the arrows bounced harmlessly off my skin.

Even while defending myself, I didn't let up the assault. I only paused briefly to intercept a spear flying straight toward me.It bounced back and began to dissolve into sparks.

I glanced at the spear-wielder and saw another weapon forming in his hand, he had previously used a bow but seemed to switch to something better suited for the situation.An idea struck me. I shoved the swordsman back and broke into a sprint toward the spear wielder.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the swordsman hesitate—then begin to pursue me.

Smiling, I couldn't help myself—I transmitted a thought to Sunny.

[Sunny, I really hope you don't mind getting penetrated.]

(WHA—)

His response was cut off as I ran straight into the newly formed spear. It pierced my stomach, but I took a few more steps forward and locked eyes with him, wearing the most menacing smile I could muster.

"Watch this trick."

Glancing back, I used Antithesis and swapped positions with the swordsman who had been only a few steps behind me.

Now I stood right behind the two traitors. Using Record, I appeared behind the impaled swordsman, then triggered the ability that allowed one of the traitors to elongate their weapon.

The kord of the blade extended, and with a well-placed strike, I cleanly severed the heads of both enemies.

[You have slain a…]

[You have slain a…]

A surge of essence flooded my body. My eyes widened as I felt my cores overflow with power. Then, the voice of the spell echoed in my ears:

[Your soul is overflowing with Potent Power…]

[Your second Soul Core is manifesting…]

Kneeling, I felt my soul quake with raw power.

"Not… Not good."

Cursing under my breath, I nearly managed dodged two more arrows fired at me. One missed while the other pierced my shoulder.

A moment passed—and then I felt something liquid seeping into my bloodstream. I tried to move my arm but couldn't.

And i felt a paralyzing venom begin to spread.

The one in scaly armor saw his chance and charged, dismissing the bow and a moement later wielding a curved longsword.

Instead of pulling the arrow out, I left it embedded. As Blood Weave burned the venom away, I used Antithesis to switch my wounds with him.

Instantly, my wound closed and the arrow flew free.

The Scaly armored one stumbled and collapsed to the ground.

I didn't spare him a second glance. Leaping into the air, I snatched the arrow and hurled it at the archer. Then I switched places with the arrow mid-flight.

Disoriented for a moment, I still managed to reach out and grab him by the face. Descending with him in my grasp, I slammed the back of his head into the solid stone.

Squirming under my grip, the young man let out a desperate yelp. I pressed harder—until his skull gave in and burst like a watermelon.

[You have slain a Dormant Beast, Dyest.]

Rising to my feet, I wiped the blood, bone, and brain matter off myself. Then I summoned the kord and approached the last remaining traitor.

He was kneeling, eyes downcast, yet still steadfast.

I placed the blade to his neck and met his eyes. He raised his head slightly, narrowing his gaze. And then, for the first time, he spoke. His voice was weak and raspy.

He weakly muttered one word:

"...mo…monster…"

I was about to correct him—until I felt the quaking in my soul finally subside.

[Your Soul Core has taken shape.]

Smiling crookedly, I replied with a hint of mirth:

"Good guess."

With that, I drew the kord back and lopped off his head.

As the voice of the spell echoed again, I turned my gaze to the cohort still fighting in the distance.

Effie was holding off a small group of abominations cloaked in shadow. Each looked different—unlike the uniform cavernous stalkers we'd fought before.

It reminded me of the terror of LO49.

That could only mean one thing: these abominations were under the control of a Terror.

'Great. First a Tyrant, now possibly a Terror… I really want some ice cream.'

Still lost in thought, I turned and saw Nephis.

Her illuminated form burned with incinerating white flames as she glided flawlessly across the battlefield.

I sighed—and sprinted forward.