318 - The Herald of Darkness
Nathan Evenhart:
"I am a Dark Elf!" he declared.
"Who are you? Why are you attacking the students?" Professor Beatrix demanded, trying to keep her voice steady in front of the creature.
I remained silent, trying to understand what he was. His appearance was similar to that of a High Elf, but his black hair and gray-toned skin set him apart from anything I had ever seen. He had identified himself as a Dark Elf, but what did that even mean?
Before any answer could be given, he lunged toward us at an absurd speed.
Beatrix raised her scythe, trying to counter the attack, but he faced her with his bare hands, effortlessly dodging each strike.
With the Cursed Blade in hand, I took my stance and launched lightning at him. Each bolt tore through the air with force, but he evaded every one of them while continuing his advance.
The professor retreated, spinning her scythe and sending sharp wind slashes toward him. The creature laughed as he effortlessly dodged or deflected them, as if they were nothing more than leaves in the wind.
Suddenly, he twisted in midair and, with a devastating kick, sent Beatrix flying.
I seized the moment to leap toward him, my sword clashing against his—a blade that seemed to be made of the Darkness element itself. Our weapons collided, each strike met with equal force.
He tried to kick me, but I dodged. The tree behind me wasn't as lucky—it exploded into splinters, sending debris in every direction.
He spun in the air, delivering another kick. The sheer pressure of the attack forced me to step back.
Dragging his sword across the ground, the blade screeched as he lifted it in a devastating arc. I barely had time to react, blocking the strike with difficulty.
"You don't fear my presence..." he said with disdain, a cold smile on his lips. "Very well. I'll take this a bit more seriously."
The next moment, as I attempted to counter his sword again, something impossible happened.
His blade vanished into a dark blur, dissolving into thin air—only to reappear at a different angle, bypassing my defense.
BAM!
The impact sent me flying. I generated a wind barrier at the last second to try to lessen the blow, but even so, I was thrown violently, crashing into trees before hitting the muddy ground.
I quickly forced myself to stand, feeling the pain from my injuries, and realized I no longer had my sword. The Cursed Blade had fallen somewhere. Before I could call it back, he lunged at me with his bare hands.
Each punch he threw, I tried to deflect—but he was getting faster. His movements became a blur, and my eyes struggled to keep up.
BAM!
A devastating punch struck my stomach, followed by another to my face. My arm was hit, my cheek, my head—blows came from every direction. It was a whirlwind of speed and pain.
A kick sent me crashing into a tree. Before I could even process the impact, another kick altered my trajectory. And before I could react, a third kick sent me flying into the air.
My vision blurred. Pain consumed my body. The world spun around me.
When I regained focus, he was in the air—holding me by the neck.
"You reek of Light Elf blood even stronger than her!" the creature said, his voice laced with contempt.
I needed to act.
I felt mana surge once again into my Special Eyes. They remained dormant when I used the power of the Celestial Eyes, but now they were active.
Without hesitation, I unleashed a burst of fire from my mouth, forcing him to release me as I plummeted toward the ground. In the same motion, I exhaled a massive black cloud in his direction.
"Storm Art: Dark Serpent's Breath!"
A massive storm-cloud serpent took shape, slithering toward the enemy. The trees below trembled under the sheer intensity of the spell, lightning crackling through the air around the creature.
As I hit the ground, rolling to soften the impact, I watched the serpent collide with him and explode into a pulsating darkness, wrapped in layers of violet energy that radiated an oppressive power.
From the ground around him, black pillars with glowing purple cracks shot up at high speed, growing like grotesque thorns. They spread rapidly, reshaping the forest, turning it into a landscape of destruction.
I ran, weaving through the pillars as they continued to rise, but something even worse happened—the spikes began exploding, sending deadly shards flying in all directions.
Without hesitation, I slammed my hands against the ground, conjuring a surge of water that flooded the area. The rushing current was enough to contain the shrapnel—but not before some pieces tore into my back, ripping through flesh.
"Where do you think you're going?"
The voice echoed behind me, so close I felt the heat of his breath on my neck.
I froze.
Aspect of Time!
The world stopped, plunging into that familiar bluish hue. I turned instantly, delivering a kick. He caught it, but I spun again and landed a punch that sent him stumbling backward.
We began fighting in this frozen space, where neither of us could use magic. But I was at a disadvantage—my mana drained with every passing second, while his remained untouched, since I was the one who had pulled him into this realm.
Deactivate.
Time resumed its flow, and I used the momentum to propel myself forward, enhanced by the energy of thunder. I surged toward him, aiming for his stomach. But before the full impact could land, a searing pain exploded in my back as he brought both arms down on me.
I was forced to retreat, but he didn't let up. A direct kick to my stomach sent me flying backward.
We exchanged blows. He increased his speed, and I struggled to keep up. The lightning coursing through my body sharpened my instincts, allowing me to maintain the pace—but I knew I was reaching my limit.
With my Special Eyes active once more, I stomped on the ground, summoning stone spikes that shot up toward him. Using a burst of wind, I slammed his back against one of the spikes.
But he reacted instantly.
A direct punch struck my face, launching me backward with force. I was sent flying, crashing through branches before hitting the ground hard.
"You... your name is Nathan Evenhart?" he asked, spitting blood without the slightest concern.
Before I could answer, he moved at an absurd speed, grabbing me by the neck and lifting me off the ground.
Damn it!
"Nidhogg! You're a Nidhogg!" I choked out, struggling to free myself.
He laughed—a cold, echoing sound that sent a chill down my spine.
"Those are my masters. I am merely one of the Demonic Heralds."
What...?!
"Oh, I see. You thought my red eyes were the same as theirs?"
He tightened his grip, my vision darkening.
"The most powerful servants inherit this color. A gift, if you prefer to call it that."
I felt my consciousness slipping away. I tried to activate my Celestial Eyes, but I couldn't—switching between my eyes' powers was challenging. With effort, I concentrated thunder energy throughout my body, preparing for an explosion that would force him away.
But before I could activate it, something happened.
In a blur of speed, Professor Beatrix appeared, her scythe slicing through the creature's arm with brutal precision.
I hit the ground with a dull thud, quickly scrambling back. Beatrix stepped in front of me, shielding me.
The black figure stared at his severed arm.
"Light Elf... you'll pay dearly for this."
But then, something shocked me.
The wound began regenerating.
From his flesh, a new black arm emerged, wrapped in a pulsating purple glow, gradually returning to normal.
Shit... so none of my attacks actually worked on him.
"Nathan, you know that if you fight him... you could die."
"I know!"
"That's why it has to be me. Go with the others and escape."
Her words were clear. I understood what they meant, but accepting them was something else entirely.
"I can't let you do this, Professor."
Beatrix remained with her back to me, her stance firm and resolute.
"I am your teacher. My duty is to protect my students. Now go!"
The demon smirked, vanishing into a black blur. Beatrix reacted swiftly, spinning her scythe to block the attack. The impact tore through the air, shaking the trees around us.
The Dark Elf conjured a sword of darkness, its purple light pulsing like a malignant heart. The two clashed at blinding speed, their strikes shaking the earth. Beatrix wielded her scythe with deadly precision, but he was clearly toying with her, fighting without even using his true magic.
I rushed forward to help, but before I could reach them, he locked Beatrix's scythe with a sudden counter and sent her flying backward with a devastating kick.
Then, he formed a sphere of dark energy in his hand—it pulsated as if alive.
Without hesitation, I conjured a spear of light and hurled it with all my strength. The explosion lit up the forest, sending the Dark Elf crashing into a tree, splitting it in half. But he was already on his feet, dashing toward me at high speed.
I raised stone walls to block his path, but he shattered them effortlessly. I conjured another spear—this time blue—and launched it. The explosion obliterated his black barrier, but before I could react, a black spike erupted from the ground, launching me into the air.
A devastating punch slammed into my stomach, sending me hurtling through the trees. My body bounced against the muddy ground until I crashed hard, gasping, injured.
"What will your body sound like when it explodes?" he said, his voice cold and sadistic as he floated toward me.
In his hand, a black sphere pulsed with deadly energy.
I knew that spell was dangerous.
Before he could release it, Beatrix rushed in from the side, moving at full speed. With a swift motion, she unleashed a spinning ring of razor-sharp wind, striking the Dark Elf and forcing him to halt his attack.
He conjured a semi-transparent black barrier, but the destructive ring tore through it instantly, shattering it into fragments that scattered through the air.
"Aspect of the Body!"
The moment I spoke the words, I felt the energy take shape.
The Specter appeared before me, its body pulsing with lightning, crackling in waves of energy. It surged forward at an incredible speed, each step fracturing the ground, before leaping straight toward the demon.
I seized the moment, pulling Beatrix away.
"We need to retreat!" I said.
"We can't!"
"Don't worry about that!" I pointed at the Specter. "He'll keep him occupied."
As we ran through the forest, thunder echoed in the distance. My mana was draining rapidly, exhausted by maintaining the Specter, just as demanding as the Aspect of Time. We reinforced our bodies with mana and pushed forward, while the crackling thunder behind us signaled that the Specter was still holding the demon back.
I need to buy time for the professor to reach Kinue, Chloe, and Cylla, while I keep the enemy busy, drawing him away from the elevator.
I focused half of the storm cloud I had summoned, condensing it into a twisting hurricane of lightning, hurling it toward the Demonic Herald, while the rest of the cloud struck the Specter with bolts of lightning. Beatrix noticed what I was doing but remained silent, focused on the rhythm of our escape.
Suddenly, a black and purple explosion behind us obliterated the hurricane. The energy ripped through the trees, sending shockwaves across the forest. In that instant, I felt the Specter disappear.
The sheer force of the explosion was crushing—and the demon was closing in.
I pushed forward at full speed, but my body collided with something solid, sending me flying backward.
I looked up—and froze.
"I didn't tell you to leave."
The demon stood right in front of me.
Before I could react, he lunged, a black blade materializing in his hand, poised to impale me.
But Beatrix stepped between us.
"Shit..." I heard the professor murmur as the blade pierced through her.
She staggered back, clutching the wound, and pulled me away.
"Professor!"
"I'm fine!" she said, her voice steady despite the visible pain.
Before I could respond, the sky above us filled with massive black spikes.
They fell like a deadly rain, embedding themselves into the ground around us before exploding in succession.
The chain of explosions tore open the ground beneath me.
I was swallowed by the darkness, falling into freefall as debris collapsed around me.
I looked up, but there was no time to react before chunks of the walls broke apart, crashing down onto my body.
I channeled thunder energy, surging it through my body while trying to form a wind barrier for protection.
But a black blast streaked with violet light shot past me, shattering the surrounding walls and unleashing even more debris.
I quickly focused, summoning a massive surge of water around me. Using wind and fire, I slowed my descent—but the impact was still devastating.
BAM!
I slammed into the ground, the sound echoing through the cavern that now swallowed everything around us.
Before I could react, a landslide of debris collapsed on top of me, stones and rubble crushing my body.
Each boulder that struck me sent waves of pain rippling through me, but I forced myself to stand.
With effort, I rose.
I looked around—and saw Beatrix.
She was standing, but barely. A deep wound in her stomach left blood streaming down her side, her face pale.
Yet she remained firm, her posture showing unshaken determination, even through the pain.
The place we had fallen into was a vast cavern, its tunnels twisting into the shadows. Dimly lit by natural crystals, the cave was damp and oppressive, as if the very air was working against us.
"I told you… you'd pay dearly for cutting off my arm," a deep, cruel voice suddenly spoke.
Before I could react, a blur of speed struck Beatrix.
She was sent flying like a ragdoll, crashing violently into the cavern wall.
The professor collapsed—unconscious.
I slammed my hands against the ground, summoning a sea of roots that erupted with ferocity, surging toward the demon. Some wrapped around his legs while others lunged at him from behind.
He spun instantly, conjuring black blades that slashed through everything around him.
Without hesitation, I summoned massive, razor-sharp stone spikes that shot up from the ground like spears, surrounding the creature. He was trapped in a forest of roots and spikes—but I knew it wouldn't be enough.
I quickly conjured a blue flame in my hand. The energy condensed into a small orb, pulsing with raw power. I hurled it straight into the center of the chaos, where he stood.
The explosion was devastating, flooding the cavern with a blinding light.
Without losing momentum, I took a deep breath and exhaled a black mist, engulfing the entire area in a dense storm cloud laced with thunder. The relentless crackling of lightning filled the air, making it impossible to track any movement.
And then, he emerged.
Tearing through the storm at high speed, the demon rushed straight at me.
Before I could react, he drove his black sword forward—aimed directly at me.
Aspect of Time!
Just before he struck, his blade vanished, and suddenly, we were once again in the frozen dimension of time, where magic didn't work.
A burning pain surged through my eyes, and I screamed silently. Using both my Special Eyes and the Celestial Eyes at the same time was agony.
He lunged—no magic, no weapons, just raw strength.
We traded blows, but he was physically superior. A punch to my face, another to my stomach. Kicks and fists landed relentlessly as he laughed, and I couldn't fight back.
Without thunder reinforcing my body, I was too weak.
A brutal kick sent me flying. My body bounced across the ground like a skipping stone until I crashed into a wall. I forced myself up, ignoring the pain.
Deactivate!
Time resumed. I couldn't stay in that dimension any longer.
I summoned a sword of thunder in my right hand.
With my left, I called the Cursed Blade, and it flew back into my grasp.
This was my only chance.
I rushed forward as he fired black orbs streaked with violet light. Using thunder to accelerate, I dodged the attacks and leaped straight at him.
He conjured a black sword, its veins pulsing with dark energy, and our blades clashed in a deafening impact.
We exchanged blows at breakneck speed, each collision shaking the cavern. The walls trembled, fragments of rock raining down as our swords clashed, sending sparks flickering in the darkness.
I attacked with everything I had, pouring all my mana into my strikes.
But he wasn't struggling.
Even as our blades clashed again and again, the demon laughed. His macabre grin twisted into something almost amused, like he was enjoying every second of the fight.
Even at this furious pace, he wasn't pushed back.
If anything…
He was in control.
"And to think I was actually worried when I realized you were the bearer of Jormungandr," he said, effortlessly deflecting another one of my strikes. "What a waste to have those eyes in someone like you."
Before I could react, he landed a devastating punch.
I tried to summon a wind barrier, but his attack landed first.
My body was hurled backward, sent flying through the air—but he didn't give me time to recover.
He appeared above me and struck again, slamming me straight into the ground.
Aspect of Time!
Time froze, but at that moment, a searing pain erupted in my eyes.
And then—one of my visions went dark.
The Dark Elf lunged at me, and I was hit.
The impact was brutal.
I coughed up blood, pain radiating through my entire body like a shockwave.
But I had accomplished my goal.
Deactivate!
Embedded in a gap in his armor, the Cursed Blade had pierced through his flesh.
I knew what that meant—the sword would nullify his mana, making him as harmless as a human without magic.
I had won.
I forced my body up, ignoring the agony that pulsed through every muscle.
Thunder crackled around my hands as I formed a brilliant, pulsating spear, ready to end this.
There would be no questions, no interrogations.
I would eliminate him right here.
"Interesting toy," he said, mocking me as he started conjuring magic in his hand.
My heart pounded.
"What?! Impossible!"
He laughed—that cold, taunting sound that sent a chill through me.
"This metal is rare and unique. The remaining source material came from my world," he said, completely ignoring the sword impaled in his body. "Do you know the irony of you wielding that blade? The source material was one of the fangs of Jormungandr's body, all that remained of her. But I... I am not affected by the curse."
Before I could react, something invisible struck me.
A crushing force pulled me downward, like a mountain had just collapsed onto me.
I crashed into the ground, the impact knocking the air from my lungs.
And then—I couldn't move.
An unseen force kept me pinned in place, pressing me so intensely that it felt like my bones were on the verge of snapping.
"Gravity?" I muttered, struggling in vain to break free.
I was completely immobilized.
"This is my Aspect of Space," he said, floating toward me, his crimson eyes burning with cruel satisfaction.
The Cursed Blade now lay discarded on the ground—useless.
Aspect of Time!
Nothing changed.
A blinding pain surged through my left eye, already shrouded in darkness.
"Is that all you have, bearer of Jormungandr?" he asked, mocking me.
He conjured a new black sword—different from any he had used before.
The blade glowed with an ethereal, shifting darkness, as if the very essence of the void pulsed and writhed around it.
As he brought the blade closer to my neck, my entire body shook.
The mere presence of the sword sent waves of excruciating pain coursing through me—far worse than anything the Cursed Blade had ever inflicted.
At that moment, I knew.
If that thing cut me, I would die.
There was no doubt.
"Your time has come... the moment of your death," he said, raising the sword above his head, ready to deliver the final blow.
And then—
A monstrous roar shook the entire cavern.
"ROOOOOOAR!"
A torrent of fire exploded toward us, obliterating everything in its path.
The wall behind me was completely obliterated, debris scattering across the cavern.
That familiar fire should have burned me.
But it didn't.