Chapter 79: The Race

  Once the initial shock passed, Goren shouted, his voice urgent. “Any ideas, Spellsword?!”

  “Run!” I shouted back, but as I tried to move, I realized I still couldn’t.

  Panic followed. It was odd – there was no System notification, no status effect displayed – yet my body refused to obey me. Goren was rooted in place as well.

  It was as if the entity’s mere presence overrode our Systems, holding us down with invisible force.

  Just as I started questioning if this was the end of the loop – or life as a whole - and why something stronger than Gaelith’s Darkness was lurking in this tomb, the being finally spoke.

  But not to us.

  “Are you sure?” Its voice was calm, almost indifferent. It carried a deep hum that echoed through around us. There was also something feminine about it.

  Goren and I exchanged glances, both frozen – not just physically but mentally as well – trying to comprehend who or what it was speaking to.

  “Very well. But just so you know, your optimism will drive you to the grave one day and I won't be the one coming for you, you heartless fool.” The entity responded after a moment, still with the same detached tone. Then, it turned to us. “You’re free to go. Good luck, I guess.”

  Just like that, the suffocating grip on my body lifted.

  I staggered a step forward, feeling air rush into my lungs again. Beside me, Goren exhaled sharply, rubbing his arms and shoulders as if shaking off what was holding him down.

  Death turned away, moving as if it were gliding rather than walking. It was leaving.

  “Wait, what the fuck?!” Goren burst out, in complete shock.

  I shared his confusion, but now was not the time!

  I lunged forward, gripping his arm. “Shut up.” I hissed through my teeth. “Let’s be grateful and get the hell out of here.”

  But it was too late.

  Death halted mid-step. Slowly, it turned back to us, the red glow beneath its hood locking unto us.

  “Yes?” It asked.

  “Nothing.” I blurted before Goren could dig our graves deeper. “We were just leaving.”

  But Goren wasn’t done.

  “What do you mean ‘good luck, I guess’?” He pressed, eyes narrowing.

  Death remained still, then replied. “You are fighting Erebus, are you not?” It paused for a moment, before continuing. “No need to answer. That was rhetorical. I know you are.”

  “So you’re not on his side?” Goren’s brow furrowed. “We thought you were the wraith boss.”

  "Wraith boss..." It echoed, then released a sound which was likely the equivalent to an exasperated sigh. “I am simply a force of nature. The one who governs death across all worlds, times, and realms. I take no sides.” Death said simply. “I came to prepare your world for its passing.”

  Its passing...

  A chill ran down my spine. “What do you mean by that?” my voice shook despite myself.

  “My father, Darkness, is close to devouring this world.” Death stated matter-of-factly. “Once it is gone, all living creatures in it will require guidance to the afterlife.”

  “Erebus is your father?!” Goren and I blurted out at the same time, not even processing the rest.

  “Yes.” Death inclined its head slightly. “Where Darkness goes, Death follows."

  Goren and I exchanged another glance. If one of us had been here alone, we probably would’ve thought we were going insane.

  “And you’re just…letting us go?” I asked cautiously.

  “Yes.” Death’s response was immediate. “Chronos made a compelling argument on your behalf, Aidan Dar.”

  “Chronos…” I muttered, realizing he was still looking out for me. “What did he say?”

  “That you still have time.” Death said. “That you can still save this world. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He governs life. My opposite, in a way. But he is also...a friend.”

  I remained silent, still in shock that I was standing face to face with Death itself – another deity. And this one, a friend of Chronos.

  “Good luck.” Death repeated and turned to leave again.

  But Goren stopped it once more.

  “Wait.” He called out. “Did Dolos say anything?”

  “Dolos…” Death echoed, almost whispering the name. “A man turned God...No, he did not, Goren Shein.”

  “Figures…” Goren muttered under his breath.

  Then, Death spoke once more.

  “Death is a natural occurrence. So is Darkness. Do not perceive my father as evil – he simply is. He exists as all forces of nature do.” It paused, then added. “But fight for what you believe is right, so you won't have any regrets – neither in life nor in death.

  “I wish you all the best, and remember that even if you fail, I will be there to ensure you are not alone when it’s all over.”

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Then, Death just vanished.

  The suffocating air lifted instantly.

  For a long moment we were still in shock. None of us spoke.

  The Goren let out a shaky breath, running a hand down his face.

  “What the actual fuck just happened?!”

  ***

  “I don’t about you, Spellsword, but those last words she said did not calm me down!” Goren shouted as we sprinted through the dark corridor, a horde of Void monsters hot on our heels. We figured that fighting them was pointless – there were too many. They existed solely to slow us down and overwhelm us.

  Instead of fighting, we headed toward the shortcut room – it would let us descend straight to the lowest level without having to fight our way through every single floor. Without the Razor Basilisk – the priestesses’ souls – there to stop us, the way should be clear.

  “So, Death’s a she now?” I asked, not slowing down.

  “That voice definitely had a feminine touch to it. Don’t act like you didn’t hear it too.” Goren replied, noticing a wave of Void Spiders skittering toward us from the front where the corridor split up.

  He swapped to his sword, dropped low, and slid across the ground with the momentum of his sprint, aiming the tip of his blade forward. A burst of magic erupted from the strike, shredding through the incoming monsters effortlessly.

  “Just focus on the mission, please.” I said, slamming into the wall ahead to redirect myself into the left corridor.

  Then, the unmistakable sound of whistles pierced the air.

  “Dark Hunters?” Goren muttered, confused. “But you’re already marked…”

  I shook my head. I wasn’t sure what to make of it either.

  We turned the final corner, the last stretch before reaching the secret wall that would open this floor’s shortcut room.

  And then it all made sense.

  A pack of Dark Hunters stood in our path, blocking our approach.

  We instinctively prepared to cut through them, but before we could make a move, the all whistled at the same time – sharp, violent, a sound so piercing it felt like my eardrums were about to rupture.

  Then, they suddenly began to convulse. Their dark, leather-like skin rippled unnaturally as if something beneath was trying to force its way out. Their metallic, cylindrical head emitted the red, bone-chilling glow.

  Before we could react, still holding to our ears, the creatures lunged toward each other – not to attack, but to merge. Into three separate beings.

  Their bodies liquified into swirling Darkness, stretching and twisting, losing any sense of structure. Their metal heads clashed together, fusing into a single, larger visage.

  The result was terrifying – a towering, humanoid figure. Its entire form composed of shifting Darkness. Its head was metallic, similar to the Dark Hunters’, yet different – it was sporting three glowing red eyes that burned like fire.

  Then we notice what they were holding – a pole. No. Upon closer inspection, we realized the truth – it was a blade. A single, long blade without a handle. It didn’t cut through the monsters’ shadowy hands because it was the monster – it was an extension of them.

  The System reacted instantly – Dark Predator, level 110. Three of them in total.

  Goren cursed under his breath. “Oh, that’s just fucking great. Erebus is not pulling his punches..."

  The three figures lunged at us all at once.

  They were fast – too fast for their size.

  I barely managed to dodge, activating Wind Rush and Enhanced Dash Step to propel myself sideways while Goren melted into his shadow and reappeared just behind them. But their movements were seamless, as if they had already known all our moves beforehand. One twisted unnaturally, and suddenly faced Goren who was just exiting his shadow. The creature struck with its blade immediately.

  Goren barely deflected the strike with his sword, the sheer force sending him skidding backward. “Shit – these things hit!”

  I used the commotion, lunging forward with Silverfang and activating Explosive Strike as I swung at the closest one’s center mass. The glaive struck true, and an explosion erupted from the impact, tearing through its form and spreading to its comrades.

  For a second, I actually believed I had done some serious damage.

  But then, with a hiss, the shadowy body of my target began knitting itself back together, closing the wound like it was never there, its HP bar still full. Meanwhile his friends lunged at me, forcing me to back away.

  “And they regenerate!” I shouted, jumping back with Enhanced Dash Step as one of them kept attacking me.

  “Then we go for the heads!” Goren growled, flipping over one of them while simultaneously swapping to his daggers. He drove one of them into the massive metallic face of one of them.

  But as the blade connected, Goren was repelled backward by an unseen force. He managed to balance himself quickly and avoid damage, but the shock on his face was evident.

  “They’re immune to headshots too?!” He coughed, rolling to his feet.

  I gritted my teeth. This was harder than anything I faced so far. Strong, fast, and impervious to our attacks.

  And to make things worse, we could hear the Void monsters swarming behind us. If we didn’t open the shortcut now, we’d be overwhelmed.

  “We need to get to the damn wall!” I shouted, dodging another sweeping attack.

  “I’ll draw their focus to me!” Goren yelled back. “You open the wall!”

  But the Dark Predators weren’t just there for show. One of them suddenly stabbed its blade into the ground, and a pulse of Darkness erupted outward. The force sent both of us reeling backward, and before I could recover, a second Predator appeared right next to me, bringing his blade down in a vertical slash.

  I barely raised Silverfang up in time.

  The impact was powerful – my arms screamed from the force, my feet digging into the stone floor as my HP dropped by 20%.

  “Fuck off him!” Goren suddenly appeared at its back, plunging both his daggers into its shadowy form. The creature twisted, releasing its pressure. I used the moment to charge another Explosive Strike and hit it before it regenerated.

  The explosion erupted right through him, ripping it to shreds, the metallic cylinder rolling on the ground.

  Goren and I exchanged a glance.

  “Now! The wall!” I shouted.

  Goren nodded, turning toward the two remaining Predators. “Come and get me, you nasty fucks!”

  They turned their focus toward him as I activated Enhanced Blade Rush to appear next to one of them, and Enhanced Dash Step to pass behind it.

  They turned to me, but Goren attacked and again drew their attention to himself.

  I slammed my palms against the wall, looking for the pressable bricks, assuming the pattern was similar on all floors – god, I hope I was right. I don't want to get acid-sprayed on my face...

  Meanwhile, to my side I noticed the cylinder on the ground – of the monster I’d slain – suddenly rise into the air as the Dark Predator formed itself again. It struck me immediately.

  The monstrous blade stabbed right through the stone wall as I rolled away, a second before I could press the last brick.

  The impact of the strike resulted in an explosion of dark energy, shattering the wall and revealing the shortcut room.

  Well, that does it, I guess.

  I didn’t hesitate. “Goren! It’s open!” I shouted.

  Goren, mid-dodge, twisted out of the way of an incoming strike and melted into his shadow, appearing next to me.

  Without wasting a moment, we both sprinted into the shortcut room, jumping through the hole the monster created with its strike.

  We reached the edge of the Void and stopped, the abyss stretching below us.

  Goren turned to me, panting. “What now?”

  Behind us, the Dark Predators didn’t give up their pursuit. Their forms flickered as they raised their blades, their glowing red eyes pulsing as the three of them began charging an attack in perfect synchronization.

  My heart pounded. We didn’t have time. If those connected, we’d likely die. And slowly descending the ladder wasn't going to cut it.

  “Hold onto me!” I ordered Goren.

  Goren hesitated. “What?!”

  “Just do it!” I snapped.

  Goren groaned but didn’t argue. He grabbed my shoulders as I took a deep breath and jumped straight into the Void.

  [Weight Load: +85 kg]

  [Condition Applied: Encumbered – Movement Speed reduced by 30%. Stamina Drain increased by 20%]

  “Spellsword!” he shouted.

  As we plunged downward, I activated Flight, hoping to take control of our descent. But the moment I tried, a System notification popped up.

  [Flight cannot be activated while encumbered]

  My eyes widened in horror.

  We were free-falling.

  And fast.

  “Fuuuuuuuck!”

  Death:

  Death is just one of them.

  of the wraiths, as it represents all the dead, but it remains mostly a neutral party.