Chapter 270 – Floor 59: Part 2

  Adelaide stepped cautiously out of her hiding place; her breath hitched in her throat as she surveyed the devastation before her. The temple was unrecognizable, and its once-grand architecture had been reduced to little more than rubble and ash.

  Jagged debris littered the ground, and massive support columns that had reached the ceiling were now splintered into distorted chunks. The three statues of Eryn had crumbled, scattering across the ground.

  Blood was splashed across the shattered stone walls and pooled in wide, uneven streaks on the cracked floor. It was a grim testament to the ferocity of the battle. The heavy scent of magic and Aether hung in the air, and a suffocating silence consumed everything, only relieved at times by the faint hiss of lingering energies.

  A thick, ethereal blue mist of Aether clung to the ground, swirling lazily as if it had a life of its own. The mist caught the faint light of the few remaining torches on the walls, causing it to shimmer with an otherworldly glow. It coiled around the broken remains of the temple like a snake, dense enough to obscure the ground yet faint enough to reveal the trail of destruction leading to the room’s center.

  There, kneeling amidst the carnage, was Mathew. His body was a ruin.

  Blood covered him from head to toe, streaking across his torn clothing and matted hair. His left arm was gone, severed just above the elbow. His skin flaked away like brittle marble, leaving behind a blood stump that he cradled in his lap.

  Mathew was barely upright, and his monstrous form had been reduced and broken so that only a few remains of bone armour clung to his battered body.

  Adelaide’s heart sank as she saw him with his head bowed and his shoulders slumped in utter exhaustion. He seemed to draw in shallow breaths, each one a painful effort. The Wrathful Blade lay discarded beside him, its energy now only a faint and flickering glimmer as if it was mourning the toll its wielder had paid.

  The blue mist seemed to be thicker around Mathew as if it were drawn to him like the tide to the shoreline. As she approached him, the Aether was repelled by her presence, clearing a path to him.

  Mathew’s head shifted almost imperceptibly at first as if the weight of even that small motion was nearly too much for him to bear. His bloodied hair clung to his face and formed streaks of crimson that dripped from his jaw onto the floor below.

  With agonizing slowness, he lifted his head, and the motion was strained as though every muscle in his neck screamed in protest. When his eyes finally met Adelaide’s, they were dim but alive. They glowed with a faint light that flickered on the verge of being smothered.

  The room seemed to hold his breath as he continued to look at her silently, his expression a mix of defiance and resignation. Blood trailed from his cracked lips as they parted slightly, but no words came out.

  Before he could speak, the temple suddenly went through a change. The blue mist of Aether thickened and swirled faster as if it were drawn to Mathew by some unseen force. It gathered around him in spiralling tendrils that snaked through the air with a life of their own.

  What began as a faint shimmer of blue light turned into a raging vortex as the mist twisted and churned like a storm with Mathew at its center. Loose debris was pulled into the swirling energy; small stones and fragments of the temple floor rattled and levitated as the Aether storm grew stronger.

  The tendrils of Aether latched onto him, flowing into his wounds and seeping beneath his flesh. Mathew’s body convulsed, and his muscles tightened as the raw energy surged through him. It forced itself into every fibre of his being.

  Then, slowly, Mathew began to rise into the air as the power lifted him off the ground as though he were weightless. The Aether storm roared around him, currents of blue light that cracked and flared like miniature lightning bolts that illuminated the ruins around them.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Mathew’s body began to mend; the missing arm re-formed from Aether in a mesmerizing and impossible display. At first, the missing limb was no more than a skeletal framework of blue energy, but layer by layer, it grew whole. Muscle weaved itself over bone, and skin shimmered into place with a radiant shine.

  The fractures and scars across Mathew’s body sealed themselves, and the crumbling bone armour was restored and sank back beneath his skin. Mathew’s transformation was slow but measured, and each second restored him to what he had been before.

  The vortex began to tighten around him; the remaining mist funnelled into him in a final, explosive surge of energy. Mathew’s eyes snapped open and blazed with an intense blue light that pulsed like a beacon. His aura expanded, rippling outward in a shockwave that pushed the rubble away.

  Adelaide raised a hand to shield her face as she continued to watch.

  When the storm subsided, and the last tendrils of Aether faded into his skin, Mathew landed gently on the ruined floor. He seemed to be taller and more muscular, and his presence exuded a raw, overwhelming power that felt almost divine.

  Mathew flexed his restored hand, testing it, before reaching down to pick up the Wrathful Blade where he had dropped it after the battle. The sword’s surface was still rusty and dark; its enchantments were lifeless.

  When Mathew’s newly restored fingertips touched the hilt, the blade began to hum with a low sound that gradually grew louder. A faint glimmer crawled along the edges of the blade, and cracks formed across its rusty surface.

  Instead of breaking, the metal began to shed its decay like a second skin. Flakes of rust fell away and dissolved into fine golden dust before vanishing into the air. The dark steel underneath the rust gleamed brighter with every second, as though it were being reforged by an unseen, divine blacksmith.

  The weapon’s transformation was equally violent and beautiful. Blue and crimson light intertwined around it, and the blade lengthened as its edge sharpened to perfection. Glowing runes were etched along its surface, adding to the weapon’s enchantments.

  When the transformation was complete, the Wrathful Blade had become the Godslaying Blade of Wrath. It floated upright, suspended in the air in front of Mathew. It was no longer a crude and brutal instrument but a weapon of divine might.

  When Mathew grasped its hilt, the weapon pulsed with recognition, and there was a resonance between them, a bond that could not be broken. Admiring it for a moment, Mathew saw burning words appear above the sword.

  Godslaying Blade of Wrath

  A weapon of unparalleled power, the Godslaying Blade of Wrath is a weapon forged for vengeance and honed by a divine fury. Wielding this weapon will grant the user:

  +10 Body

  +10 Mind

  +10 Spirit

  Satisfied, Mathew placed it into his inventory and turned to speak to Adelaide. Before he could, there was a loud ‘ding’ as the Tower notified him of his completion of the Floor. More burning words appeared in front of him, giving him no opportunity to ignore them.

  Congratulations on completing Floor 59. With the death of the Primogenitor, Eryn, you have been rewarded with one additional Tier for each of your essences.

  Essence: Velocity

  Tier 4: Time’s Edge

  For a brief moment, your perception of time will slow to a crawl. You can react with perfect precision and increasing your speed no longer requires mana.

  Essence: Vigor

  Tier 4: Crushing Blow

  Your strength is unparalleled, allowing you to tear through steel as if it were paper. Your increased physical abilities no longer required the active use of mana.

  Essence: Resilience

  Tier 4: Last Stand

  Even on the brink of death, you can push beyond your limits. You refuse to fall until the battle is over and you are victorious.

  Essence: Aura

  Tier 5: Dread

  Your presence is so terrifying to your enemies that they will flee from your sight. You command the obedience of all living things that lay eyes upon you.

  Essence: Command

  Tier 3: Compel Minion

  You permanently take full control over the target’s body, turning them into a minion that will never refuse your orders. Their life and death are yours to control.

  Mathew let out a sigh as he swiped his hand through the burning letters, banishing them from his sight. He would deal with them shortly, but for now, he needed to speak to Adelaide.

  “Are you alright?” Mathew asked, his voice booming in the silence of the shattered temple. Adelaide gave a small start as she realized Mathew was finally paying attention to her.

  “I…I’m alright. This…its over right? You’re all done?” Adelade asked as she gestured weakly at the destruction around them. Despite the seriousness of what had just occurred, Mathew smiled.

  “For now. I don’t know where the other primogenitors are, and I won’t ask you to come with me. I should have a long time to-” Mathew was cut off as the portal that Eryn entered the temple through flared to life once again. There was a loud hum, and energy crackled around it.

  ‘Ding.