Chapter 22 The Last Pillar Falls
As the last of the swarm fell, only the Molgurath remained, its hulking form casting a monstrous shadow across the frozen graveyard of the lake. My grip tightened around my swords as I readied myself, every muscle in my body taut with anticipation.
Sure enough, the instant I shifted my stance, its massive tongue lashed out like a whip, aiming to crush me in one strike.
“Wind Walk!”
My body blurred into a streak of red smoke, vanishing from sight.
In the blink of an eye, I reappeared at its side.
With a sharp swing of my blade, I carved across its scaled hide, steel biting deep.
The beast let out a deafening roar as blood gushed from the wound.
But instead of crimson, what sprayed out was a thick, oily purple that hissed as it touched the ice.
The liquid bled into vapor almost instantly, releasing a strange smoke that curled and writhed like living shadows. My instincts screamed danger. Without hesitation, I vanished again with Wind Walk, reappearing several strides away, well beyond the reach of the smoke.
A familiar chime rang in my ears. A notification. I opened it with a flick of thought, my eyes narrowing as I read the message:
[System Notification]
Warning: Subject – Molgurath
Blood Properties: Highly toxic and poisonous.
Lethality Assessment: A single drop is capable of annihilating a full battalion of armed personnel.
Advisory: Direct contact is strictly prohibited. Immediate evasion recommended.
“Tch… as if this fight wasn’t bad enough already.”
The ground shook as the Molgurath coiled its legs and hurled its massive bulk skyward. Its shadow fell over me like a storm as it came crashing down, aiming to crush me beneath its weight.
“Wind Walk!”
My body vanished once again, reappearing atop a towering ice pillar some distance away.
The Molgurath landed with earth-shattering force, cracks spiderwebbing across the frozen lake.
Its blood sprayed wildly from the gash I’d left, splattering onto the surface.
Wherever it touched, the ice hissed, boiled, and melted away in jagged holes.
“So… it’s corrosive too,” I muttered under my breath, narrowing my eyes.
From my vantage point high on the pillar, I steadied my breath. Across the broken battlefield of ice, the Molgurath raised its head, locking its glowing red eyes onto me. For a long, tense moment, neither of us moved—predator and prey, sizing each other up, waiting for each other's to strike.
The night air grew colder, yet my blood ran hot.
Our gazes met, and the frozen graveyard became our arena.
As I fixed my gaze on the Molgurath, the air between us trembled with raw hostility.
Its hulking form tensed, ready to lunge again.
I lifted my Flare Sword high to my right, heat beginning to ripple off the blade as I funneled mana into it.
The steel pulsed with a furious red glow, brighter with each breath, until it looked less like a weapon and more like a fragment of a burning star.
I leveled the blade at the beast, mana surging through me, and spoke the incantation aloud.
“Flare Burst!”
A deafening roar of fire erupted from the sword’s edge, a searing torrent of crimson flame that split the frozen lake’s silence. The blaze howled across the battlefield, a wave of destruction hurtling straight toward the Molgurath.
The monster reacted with startling speed for its massive size.
With a thunderous leap, it barely avoided the attack.
In that split second, I noticed it—where its foot had been, a slick puddle of purple blood lingered on the ice.
Before the toxic substance could spread, my flames washed over it, consuming the stain until not even smoke remained.
Then—BOOM!
The impact of my spell ripped through the frozen surface with explosive force.
Nearly a quarter of the ice sheet shattered under the blast, breaking apart into jagged fragments that skittered across the lake.
Though the ice was far too thick to collapse entirely, the attack carved a deep pit into its surface, leaving fractures that stretched outward in every direction.
The Molgurath landed heavily behind the cater, its claws scraping for balance as the cracked ground groaned beneath its weight.
I steadied myself on the trembling surface, my Flare Sword burning in my grip. The battlefield was changing—fragile, fractured, and dangerous.
I smirked, satisfied. “Looks like fire cancels you out.”
With a practiced motion, I sheathed my Glacier Sword back into my item box, freeing one hand as I returned my full focus to the Flare Sword. Raising it once more to my right, I poured a tremendous surge of mana into the weapon.
The blade responded, glowing brighter than ever—its fiery aura no longer subtle, but a raging inferno wrapped around steel.
Crimson arcs of energy snapped in the air, scattering embers that hissed as they fell onto the ice.
The sheer heat radiating from the sword caused the massive ice pillar beneath me to crackle and weep, streams of meltwater running down its sides as though it couldn’t withstand the power I was calling forth.
The Molgurath glared at me from below, muscles coiled, smoke rising from its wounds where fire had touched its blood.
I tightened my grip, eyes locked on its monstrous form. “Let’s finish this.”
I fixed my stance, my eyes locking on the Molgurath. Heat coiled around my body as I cast Mach One—and in the next instant, the world blurred.
The beast’s eyes widened, its massive frame twisting to follow, but it was useless. I was already gone.
I shot across the ice like a crimson streak, my Flare Sword cutting arcs of blazing light through the air.
Each strike tore into the Molgurath’s hide, searing through its scaled flesh.
With every wound, dark purple blood tried to escape, but the moment it touched my burning blade, it hissed and vanished into smoke, evaporated before it could poison the battlefield.
The Molgurath roared in frustration, spinning and thrashing as if trying to catch me, but I was always a step ahead. One second I was at its flank, my sword carving a line across its ribs—the next I was at its back, flames scorching through muscle and sinew.
Fwoom—fwoom—fwoom!
Each cut burned brighter, the sound of rending flesh drowned by the explosive sizzle of blood erased in fire. Shards of molten steam rose into the frozen air, clashing against the ice-cold mist rolling off the lake.
Desperation seeped into the monster’s movements. Its great tail smashed down, splitting cracks through the ice; its tongue lashed wildly, tearing grooves across the frozen battlefield. But no matter how many times it struck, it caught nothing but air and shadows.
I appeared at its side again, blade glowing red-hot, and slashed deep across its shoulder. The beast’s screech rattled the ice beneath us, but still it found no purchase.
Finally, in a last, frantic attempt to escape my relentless assault, the Molgurath bent its massive legs and launched upward with a thunderous crack. Ice shattered beneath its weight as it hurled its enormous body toward the sky, trying to flee the crimson storm tearing it apart.
I steadied my blade, heat still pouring from it like a blazing heartbeat, my gaze following the beast into the frozen heavens.
As I watched the Molgurath fling itself skyward, a grin tugged at my lips.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I muttered, heat surging through my veins.
In an instant, I launched after it, my body vanishing into streaks of wind and flame. The frozen air howled around me as I appeared behind the beast mid-flight. Its head twisted back with unnatural speed, rows of jagged teeth snapping as its massive tongue lashed toward me like a spear.
I whispered the command. (Wind Walk).
And I was gone.
The beast’s attack shredded only empty air. I reappeared a breath later at its flank, carving a glowing line into its hide. Purple blood burst forth—but the Flare Sword devoured it instantly, flames swallowing every poisonous drop before it could fall.
The Molgurath shrieked, its wings of flesh flaring, body thrashing violently in the sky. Each strike I delivered carved deeper, but still it fought back, hurling itself through the frozen heavens, desperate to shake me off.
But there was no escape.
I steadied myself, my grip tightening around the hilt of my sword as I poured every ounce of mana I could muster into its core.
The blade roared to life, flames spiraling along its length until it blazed like a newborn sun.
Crimson fire twisted into wild patterns, flaring hotter and hotter, the air itself warping around its edge.
“Wildfire Blade!”
I swung.
The sword cleaved clean through the Molgurath’s body, fire erupting from the wound in an unstoppable torrent. Its scream tore through the sky as its colossal frame was split in half, both sides consumed in an inferno.
The impact unleashed a cataclysmic heatwave, a shockwave of searing flame that thundered outward.
Below us, the battlefield convulsed—the standing ice pillars cracked, then shattered, collapsing one after another in a chain reaction.
Those too massive to break began to melt, rivers of water cascading down their ruined sides, hissing as steam rose to the heavens.
By the time the flames faded, the Molgurath’s body was nothing more than burning corpse falling toward the ruined lake, smoke trailing behind them like the last embers of a dying star.
I lowered my blade, its fire still pulsing faintly, my breath harsh but steady as the world slowly stilled around me.
As the Molgurath’s lifeless body plummeted, slamming into the frozen lake with a deafening crash.
The impact shook the battlefield, cracks spiderwebbing across the ice as the creature’s burning corpse hissed violently against the frozen surface.
Steam billowed upward in thick, choking clouds as the heat of its charred remains ate into the glacier beneath, pools of water forming where the ice surrendered to fire.
Hovering above, I exhaled a long,I returned my flare sword to my item box and gave a ragged breath, my chest heaving. Victory… it was mine.
But the triumph was short-lived.
A sharp pain tore through my body, every muscle screaming at once. My vision blurred, my arms felt like lead, and the fire in my sword finally guttered out. I had pushed too far. My body had reached its absolute limit.
“Damn…” I muttered under my breath, but the word came out weak, hollow.
The world tilted, the strength in my limbs giving way as my body began to fall. The frigid wind howled past me, tearing at my clothes, pulling me down toward the shattered ice below. My eyes fluttered, heavy, begging to close. Consciousness slipped like sand through my fingers.
And then—
“Raito!!”
The voice cut through the haze.
My eyes cracked open just enough to see her—Sylendra, standing amidst the ruined battlefield below, her green aura burning bright against the white wasteland. She stretched her arm toward me, desperation in her eyes.
In the same instant, vines erupted from the ground at her command, twisting upward like living serpents. They coiled around me in midair, their grip firm yet gentle, halting my fall before the ice could claim me.
Suspended in the embrace of living wood, I managed the faintest smile. Relief washed over me, knowing I wasn’t going to die—not today.
A small laugh escaped my lips, weak but genuine. “Heh… they’re safe now Sylendra.”
With that final whisper, I let my head sink against the vines, closing my eyes at last. The battlefield faded from view as exhaustion finally dragged me into the dark.