Tale of Eldramir

Just a few minutes before Riley began filling the world with fire.

The area below the surface was still filled with clouds of spores and an ongoing horde of Cruor that charged toward their inevitable death. More tunnels had been opened, and the smog that was meant to fill the city above was being brought to bear against Ezekiel.

Ichor had pooled to the point that it was well above his ankles, but even then, he ignored the greasy oil-like substance as he fought. Never stopping his movements as he continued to face off against the Cruor.

It was somewhat odd for him, as he ducked beneath the swing of another Legendary Rot’s jagged blade. Next, he found himself twisting in the air as he bent around a set of wicked looking claws covered in slime. The sight was almost graceful as he dodged around every attack made against him.

All of it while his eyes were closed.

“How! How are you doing this! You should be dead! Corrupted beyond recognition!” The multiple voices from the Legendary Rot echoed through the area. A hint of desperation could be heard as they grew sloppy and tired.

The smog of spores and other poisonous gas filled the area. The walls of the large underground room ensured that the clouds grew thicker and thicker. To the point where it was almost as if there wasn’t any breathable air left at all. Which, fortunately, Ezekiel had some experience dealing with.

Ultimately, all that it did was give Ezekiel even more power. His reserves filled with more and more mana as he absorbed the energy within the spores that now surrounded him. They were just as rich in the strange essence that the Cruor fed on as Ichor was. Just with different effects that his [Nothingness] needed to neutralize.

By now, he was touching on the door to Step eight, and would likely break through within the next few minutes. His mana was refilling just a tad faster than he lost it. Much to the Cruor’s horror.

“The [Void] is the beginning and the end.” Ezekiel’s voice reverberated with a hollow undertone. Monotone and emotionless, as his mana began to affect his thoughts and feelings. The smile he had started with had long since faded away to a neutral expression. “I am the beginning of your end.”

His words sent chills running through the Cruor that were still fighting. It resonated with their souls, and if it wasn’t for the influence the higher Tiers had over the lower ones, it was almost certain that the lower Tier Cruor would’ve long since fled. Their instincts screamed at them to leave.

“It’s just one Hunter!” One Cruor broke away from the pattern that it and the others were using to attack. Charging forward, it started spewing acid and poison that surrounded it and Ezekiel as an ax shaped growth swung at Ezekiel’s head.

“Don’t!” The other Cruor retreated a few steps as Ezekiel deflected the ax with Shine’s blade and followed up with a punch to the Cruor’s center of gravity.

His fist radiated opalescent light as he reinforced his fist with several different [Understandings].

The moment he made contact, Ezekiel released the energy, and the mana, infused with his [Will] ravaged the Rot’s body and soul. There was a ripple that spread through its body. The sound of cracking glass filled the area, and a moment later, a muffled explosion sent a shockwave as the Rot disintegrated from the [Force] behind the blow. It pushed the spores back and created an empty space in the room. One where Ezekiel was now fully and clearly visible.

The fighting paused for a moment as the two forces stilled. With the clouds of gas and Rot spores gone, it was obvious that Ezekiel’s physical condition wasn’t the greatest. His clothing was torn in countless places, where it was obvious that the Rot had gotten a few close cuts in.

Beneath that were the nicks and cuts that leaked crimson blood. The injuries he had suffered over the past hour or so of fighting. Yet, each of these wounds were closing at an incredible rate. They would probably be gone within the next few seconds.

However, that wasn’t to say he was in good condition.

His body was becoming more and more emaciated, as he simply lacked the innate vitality and mas to continue regenerating from his wounds. Worse yet, even as enhanced as his physique was, his breathing was growing heavier and heavier.

Raspy breaths filled the area as he forced his body to continue fighting well past its usual breaking point.

‘We can’t keep this up much longer.’ Shine’s tone was just as emotionless as Ezekiel’s. ‘Neither our [Willpower] nor your body, will last another handful of minutes.’

‘True...’ Ezekiel cracked open an eye as he looked over himself, instead of simply sensing his condition with his magic. ‘But they don’t need to know that.’

A sudden spike of pressure struck his soul. The energy that was within the now dead Legendary Rot mixed with the Ichor on flooding the chamber. It wasn’t the first one he had killed, but the pressure was beginning to be too much.

‘Help me push through. We need to make an exit.’ Ezekiel looked around, as if observing his remaining opponents. There were more than when he began, but he wasn’t being bogged down by several dozen or more Legendaries. So, that must mean that the rest were fighting up top or preparing to do so. ‘A buildup of force should be able to break open the ceiling. It can’t be more than a few meters thick. What do you think?’

Shine thought for a second, and Ezekiel could feel the Spirit’s senses stretching upwards. While they were still somewhat muffled by the clouds around them, it wasn’t nearly as bad as before.

‘I can’t tell, but you’re probably right.’ Shine started channeling their mana into Ezekiel. To get them through to Step eight in full. Both of them were nearly at their peak, and the Cruor moved to attack once more. The pause had been enough time for them to refill their lacking number.

Ezekiel felt a ‘click’ within his soul. Tier four Step eight had been achieved. Focusing his mana, he formed a barrier around himself with a quarter of his mana. The rushing horse impacted against it.

The Rot continued to strike against it, more and more, and even the Legendaries pushed forward to join in. Their confidence had spiked at the seemingly weakened actions of the Void Hunter.

“Break the barrier! The Hunter is weakening!” A cacophony of voices called out as the attacks against the barrier continued. Cracks briefly formed but were immediately closed as Ezekiel pumped more mana into it.

‘How much more do you think we’ll need?’ Shine focused their [Understanding] of [Force] as Ezekiel maintained the barrier. The buildup of energy continued to grow as the onslaught from the Rot continued.

‘Just a little bit more...’ Ezekiel focused inward, bringing himself to the absolute limits of the amount of [Force] that he could maintain control over for a [Redirection]. ‘Now!’

With that final command, Shine infused the [Force] that had been built up with their [Understanding] of [Empowerment]. The next second, the barrier around them and Ezekiel shattered, but rather than allow the Cruor to move in and strike directly there was a sudden push outward.

The Legendary Cruor were the first to react, and managed to get several meters away, but even they were nearly too slow to fully react, let alone the lower Tier followers.

Time seemed to stop for a moment, and an invisible wave moved outward and upward.

Then, so did everything else.

The ceiling, which Ezekiel now knew was at least ten meters thick, launched into the sky, and the lower Tier Cruor were crushed as they impacted on the walls and floors of the chamber that was now open to the world.

“Let’s take this outside.” Ezekiel jumped toward the surface, the cloud of noxious smog had begun to spread over the surface where the other Hunters and Mages were fighting.

Forcing himself to expend his mana, and absorb more Ichor, Ezekiel [Compressed] and [Expanded] space to keep it close to his body. Now allowing it to escape and run rampant.

A large domain formed around him, and his senses covered it all. The number of Legendary Rot had lowered, and he only had half a dozen that were a threat. Best of all, the [Force Push] that he had just deployed had collapsed the tunnels leading to the area.

It was now just him and the few remaining Legendaries. There would be no more reinforcements coming to try and bog Ezekiel down.

Taking in a deep breath, Ezekiel felt somewhat refreshed, even though the air was still thick with spores and gas. The air was still much cleaner up here than it was down below.

Stepping backward, around the edge of the massive hole in the ground, he dodged the blades of one of the Rot that were aiming at his throat.

At the edge of his senses, he could tell that Riley was incredibly close by. Which, given how near the center of the city they were, meant that the other battles had been going better than expected.

“We will need to wrap this up soon...” Ezekiel swung behind himself, blocking a strike to his back. “Fortunately, I don’t have to worry about not letting you overwhelm me anymore.”

The mana flowing through his body still suppressed his emotions, but it was obvious that he wasn’t allowing himself to remain in that state any longer, as his smile had returned to his face as he glared at the Cruor.

“You can’t take us all!” The warbled and multi-layered voices of the Rot filled the area.

“If you were of any other Brood, you would be correct. But we all know that physical might isn’t your Brood’s forte.” Ezekiel allowed Shine’s mana to fully integrate with his own once more. His Spirit Armored covered him again, as he felt the energy from the Ichor and spores stop filling him.

He twitched for a moment as he forcibly crushed the last remaining foreign [Will] that was still inside him. His mana no longer regenerated at the accelerated rate from before, but he no longer had to forcibly divide his attention.

“Now that I’m focusing on just the few of you, death is all that you can expect.”

Leaping forward with his full speed, he barreled into one of the Rot knee first. The [Force] behind the blow shattered its body, and a series of cuts divided it into chunks that were scattered away. The pieces were too small and too many to regenerate from.

As unexpected as it was, the Legendary Tor didn’t have time to react until after Ezekiel had turned to face them. His blade and partner raised into a ready position.

“Rrraaahhhggg!’ Falling into a mindless rage, the remaining Legendary Cruor charged as one. Their minds seemed linked as Ezekiel was forced to focus and dodge their perfectly organized attacks.

Forming a [Void Pane] around his empty hand’s arm, Ezekiel fought with Shine as his blade and magic as his shield. He hadn’t fought like this often, mostly using Shine as both defense and offense. But this time around, with multiple opponents that he couldn’t cut through all at once, he felt that he needed the extra protection.

It also helped when he felt a barrage of projectiles coming at him through the smoke. So, with sword and shield, he fought in a deadly dance with the fungal monstrosities before him.

He sidestepped to avoid a downward strike from one, only to mule kick the side of another as he leaned over to avoid a horizontal blow from a pick. Followed by a swing of his leg forward as he twisted to avoid a series of talons that he had to deflect with his barrier.

His foot impacted on one Cruor, and an application of [Force] sent it flying backward with its torso caved in. Then, Shine came whistling around, splitting the smog, as they channeled their mana, shining brightly with opalescent light, and slicing through the magical fungal spear that had been hastily moved to block. A deep gash sprayed corrosive fluids that did nothing but waste some of Ezekiel’s mana as it splashed against his Spirit Armor.

But as he pulled back to strike again, another one charged at him, as another spat acid at his face. Unable to dodge both at once, he let himself be tackled in the side.

Rolling on the ground as the stream of acid flew over top of him, Ezekiel forced his attacker off of him. Throwing it away and scrambled out of the way of another spray from a different direction.

Getting to his feet, he moved his shield into the way of a trio of projectiles that exploded on impact. The force pushed him back along the tough but spongy ground. But it didn’t knock him off his feet again. He was growing accustomed to the flow of the fight.

Back and forth the battle went. With Ezekiel dealing as much damage as he took. Finally, after a third exchange with one Cruor in particular, he managed to stab through its abdomen. A normally non-lethal blow, but Ezekiel had his magic.

Twisting the Shine while they were still piercing the Legendary Rot, Ezekiel used his [Force Redirect] and [Empowerment] to tear open a hole the size of a basketball inside the Cruor’s body.

He then pulled Shine back, and pushed forward with his [Void Pane] shield, and sent a wave of [Nothingness] through the Cruor. This prevented it from healing as Ezekiel neutralized its body’s innate magical abilities.

As the body crumpled to the ground, falling apart like a dried-out husk, Ezekiel deflected another series of projectiles. The other four Rot leapt backward, getting out of his direct range of attack.

Thankful for the reprieve, Ezekiel took stock of his condition. He immediately realized that his body was still deteriorating. Though, not because of the Ichor he had previously absorbed and converted to mana. He was simply exhausted and would likely collapse from fatigue sooner than later.

‘Perhaps we should run.’ Shine suggested as they realized the condition they were in. ‘We can go and get some additional support. Yes, it means that the hold we have on the smog in this area will fade, but I think it’s naturally faded enough that the effects won’t be too burdensome on our allies.’

‘... I would prefer it if we didn’t have to do that.’ Ezekiel didn’t like the thought of Letting others fight his battles.

But just as he readied himself to charge once more, a shift occurred in the Cruor. Their bodies started spasming, and sickening crunches and cracks rang through the area.

Their bodies twisted and warped as they hunched over at the waist. Grotesque bulges grew from their backs. Expanding outwards like overblown balloons.

“Be happy at your strength, for few are as troublesome as you, Herald of the Void!!” The voices of the Rot became deeper and more guttural as they shifted to something more like a growl. “Rarely do we use our Primal forms of our own free will.”

But Ezekiel barely heard this, as had immediately turned around and ran away. The bulbous growths exploded, and a bubbly roar filled the air.

Even if they were known as one of the physically weakest of the Cruor Broods, he wasn’t stupid enough to fight four Primal Cruor on his own.

Dashing out of the smog that was now spreading outward, Ezekiel saw a sea of flames nearby. Making his way toward it, the ground behind him shook as four massive monstrosities gave chase.

----------

Sweat pooled on Riley’s brow and dripped into her eyes as she leapt back from the swipe of the Rot she was facing. Opening her mouth, she let loose a stream of flames as her helmet shifted to allow her fire breath to consume the Cruor in front of her.

With a muffled shriek, the Cruor fell to the ground. The mold and slime that had been meant to make it fireproof failed as Riley altered the properties of her Flames.

Currently green and yellow, the fire Riley used seemed to cling to whatever it touched and was more than capable of causing difficulties for the Rot’s new defenses.

“Haah, huuh, haah...” She breathed deeply with staggered, choking gasps. “I think that’s the last of them.”

Her voice was a raspy whisper, and dark smoke floated out of her mouth as she examined the area. There was nothing but fire as far as she could see, but there was still a possibility that there were a few more that had hidden themselves.

Worse yet, there was the chance that they would try to shoot at her from a distance again. But with the lack of spores in the air, due to the flames burning them up before they could form clouds, Riley was safe, for the time being. The Rot’s sensory abilities were seemingly blind thanks to the fire.

A flicker in the distance grabbed her attention, and she raised her spear in readiness. Even though she flinched from the pain as her body barely stayed upright. Her absorption of Flames for mana had done some damage to her body that would take time to recover from.

'Crash’

Bursting from the ground, another Rot with an open maw dove toward her. She blocked it with her spear, but the fluids leaking from it were far worse than the others, and it was clear that they had decided to change their tactic.

The moment Riley tried to burn it up, she was blasted backwards and into a couple of the Rot’s grotesque home-grown structures due to the immense concussive force that was released when the Cruor exploded. The liquid turned the flames into a bright purple, but only for a few seconds, since a large number of Rot began charging into the area. These ones covered in layers upon layers of the fire-retardant material that many had been covered in previously.

Unlike before, however, these Rot began shaking the moment they moved into the flames. The material flying off them as they were sacrificed to douse the flames. They had spread a great deal, covering most of the area, and still spreading in different regions, but the space surrounding Riley was nearly as hot as it was before the explosion had knocked her through a few of the Cruor’s structures.

Scrambling to her feet, she was nearly brought down again as several corrosive jaws bit into her legs. Swiping her spear, she cut through the lower Tier Rot that had latched on with ease. It still distracted her though, and she felt her armor crack under the force of a pick that was brought down on her shoulder.

She fell to her knee once more, and the flames receded further and further. Riley couldn’t even summon up more fire, since her fatigue had become too much. Her body was weakening, and even though her mana was still topped up, she could barely focus from the pain she felt in her shoulder.

‘Damn it! I think it’s broken...’ Riley switched her spear to her other hand. Thrusting it backwards as she pierced the Cruor that had injured her. A flex of her mana forced a massive gout of flame to ignite inside it. The Rot fell over, just as another came up, flying through the air from a jump to bring down an ax directly on her head.

She barely had time to lift her spear to block, rising just a bit, to better support herself, only for an invisible force to blast the Cruor away.

Sighing in exhaustion, Riley slumped back to the ground. Ignoring the Rot that were still surrounding and charging her. Her faith in the one that was coming for her was simply that unshakable.

The ground behind her cracked and shattered as something impacted outside of her view.

A wave of force pushed outward, and all the Rot were sent flying as Riley was picked up.

“What took-” She couldn’t finish her sentence, as Ezekiel’s figure flew forward, the world blurring around them as he carried her away at his fastest speed. Barely avoiding the monstrosities that had followed him as they landed where they were standing just a moment ago.

The four Primal Cruor had fully transformed, and they were shaped like strange half human half bull creatures. Their lower bodies were vaguely human shaped, with their limbs looking like the distorted humanoid legs and arms of their original form but bent over at the waist with another form growing out of what would be their backs.

This form had multiple arms with tendrils stretching outward with holes leaking fluids and gases that ate away at everything. Even the other Rot that got too close to them. On top of their new heads was a warped mushroom that covered their eyes, while opening into a vertical mouth that stretched halfway down their chests.

These mouths sprayed an assorted number of fluids that doused and ignited the flames around them, as well as corroded or decayed whatever they touched.

Seeing the presence of these Primal Cruor, the Rot Umbral beasts and lower Tier Cruor fled at top speed. The only ones who remained were the few Legendary Rot that stayed a short distance away. Just to observe the results of this battle and fill in any missing spots should one of the Primal ones fall.

“Faster! Move Faster!” Panic flooded her veins as she realized just what Ezekiel had brought with him. No more words were said, as Ezekiel pushed himself to run as fast as he could.

By this point, much of the smog had faded away thanks to the flame, and their sight was relatively clear. So, it wasn’t too hard for Ezekiel to dodge the barrage of projectiles launched at the Hunter duo.

Moving through the city at his top speed, Ezekiel carried Riley directly toward the closest gathering of Legendary Hunter's he could sense.

Internally, Riley just hoped that they weren’t too tired to help fight off their pursuers.

----------

With Riley in his arms, Ezekiel had some difficulties avoiding most of the projectiles that were flying at him. But he still managed to avoid them, even if he did get nicked here and there. The fact that Shine was maintaining a barrier that was strong enough to deflect most that were aimed at his center mass was also helpful.

‘Ezekiel, is it just me, or is the Spore tower growing?’ Shine sounded panicked, and their concentration on their barrier fell, and Ezekiel had to jerk himself to the side to dodge a spike aimed at his back. ‘Sorry! But you need to take a look!’

Glancing upward as he continued to run, Ezekiel saw that the Spore tower had begun pulsating with oily iridescent lights. It was slight, but the tower was indeed growing.

‘Dammit! What the hell!? It’s too early for this!’ Ezekiel felt his stomach sink to the ground as he realized that there were maybe a few minutes left before the tower exploded. ‘The Spore storm from this thing will consume the island in full at this rate. How did they accelerate it so much?’

Behind him, the Primal Rot roared in madness as they continued to chase after him and Riley, who was holding onto him tightly. He should’ve been with the other Hunters by now, but the fact that he was being shot at made him have to take a more roundabout way as he ran from his pursuers.

Thoughts and ideas regarding how to stop the tower from exploding and sending spores that would consume the island anywhere there weren’t high level purification formations ran through his head.

Much to his dismay, only one bad idea seemed feasible. But as he shared the idea with Shine, all he received was support and acceptance.

‘We’re stronger this time, and we’ve fought off worse before.’ Shine voiced their thoughts while Ezekiel grimaced. He didn’t want to break himself again. But as he felt Riley tighten her grip on him, he knew that failing wasn’t an option at this time.

‘Alright, then we both know what we need to do.’ He reinforced his grip and readied himself to move. A [Jump] would cost too much mana for what they had planned. ‘I’d still like to know why they changed their minds. Usually, the Cruor aren't willing to sacrifice themselves in mass like this.’

‘I think they realized that you were here, and that their plan to kill you wasn’t as great as they thought it was.’ Shine telekinetically ripped themself out of their sheath to block a blow from one of the Primal Cruor. ‘Go for now! I’ll [Jump] to you when you call me! You can’t afford to waste any more time!’

Frowning, but not disputing Shine’s words, Ezekiel focused so he could channel his mana, and then launched into the sky at a speed much greater than before. Space contracted in front of him, and there was a muffled ‘pop’ as he accelerated to speeds that were faster than any Lightning or Tempest Hunter had ever reached.

The Primal Rot tried to catch up, and the brief moment of focus that was needed to do what he did, safely, was nearly enough for him to get taken down by two of the creatures chasing him. Shine intervened, and a flash of Opalescent light ensured that there were gashes that covered the Primals all over their bodies. But the wounds almost instantly regenerated.

Projectiles missed him as he wove between them, and he covered half the city in a few seconds. Only to trip and fall, crashing into a wall when he tried to land. He barely had enough control to keep himself from crushing Riley in the impact.

“What the hell!” she exclaimed as she and Ezekiel were suddenly within a large group of Hunters.

They had found themselves bogged down by projectiles on their way to the tower, having been forced to stop a few hundred meters away. But they had begun trying to push faster and hard once they all realized that the tower was seemingly ready to bloom.

“Thank the Ancients you’re here! Do you know how to-”

“There are four Primals headed our way! I can stop the tower from blooming, but I’ll be defenseless while I’m doing it. Do what you need to do to keep me, and her, safe.” Ezekiel practically threw Riley into the arms of the Hunter who had spoken. “I need Cavern Hunters to make barriers! On me! Now!”

There was a moment of silence, but it was immediately broken by the four distinct roars that were much closer than before.

‘Shine!’ Ezekiel called to his Spirit, and they immediately appeared next to him. Their mana was lower for it, but Ezekiel still had a fair bit left. He just hoped that it would be enough.

“You heard him! Caverns to the front! Everyone else, with me!” The Hunter that was given Riley put her down and began ordering the other around.

All of them fell into order quite easily, and Ezekiel found himself pushing the last few hundred meters toward the tower. Much of the area had been converted or covered by the Rot’s strange structures. This made it difficult for the Cavern Hunters to get ample stone for them to form barriers, but they managed. Though, two had to remain behind due to spending the last of their mana.

The group pushing forward had an almost straight shot to the tower. But as more and more spikes and pod-like projectiles impacted against the glowing stone shields in front of them, Ezekiel silently prayed to the Ancients for their help. Even though he knew they weren’t there.

Each of the Hunters were forcing themselves to ignore the sounds of battle from behind them. Usually, it wouldn’t be impossible for a single Hunter, fresh and ready for action, to at least defend against a Primal Cruor for a few minutes, and maybe even escape relatively unscathed.

Yet, at this moment, all of them were tired. Their mana was low, and the constant push into enemy territory had left them mentally and physically drained.

“Keep pushing forward!” One of the Cavern Hunters called out as they came under a focused barrage that was now chipping away at one barrier in particular.

Just as the stone shield was about to break, a sudden gout of flames burst up from in front of them. Followed by several dozen more, but the group didn’t break stride.

“Go! We’ll help support you!” A new voice called out as they got closer. “Half of you go and help take down those Primals!”

More Hunters, from the other groups, had begun to arrive. Some continued to move to take out more turrets and Cruor that were launching ammunition at them. While the others went to help the group that had been left behind with the four Primal Rot.

‘Where did they come from?’ Shine was confused. They had sensed their presence earlier, but it seemed like there was no noticeable reason for them to be there.

‘If the Rot are really serious about making the tower bloom, then the other battle zones have likely been cleared out already.’ Ezekiel tried to figure out the reason for the help, and this was the only thing he could think of. ‘They must’ve decided that, if they were all going to die anyway, then it would be best to die by making the tower explode.’

Reaching his senses forward, Ezekiel grimaced when he realized that the energy inside the tower, now just a few dozen meters away, was growing chaotic, and felt like it was tight. Like a balloon that was too full, and about to pop.

“Rush forward now!” Ezekiel broke out of the formation, even though the things firing projectiles hadn’t been taken out yet.

The other Hunters were forced to act much faster and pushed themselves to their limits much more quickly. But they managed to keep Ezekiel safe as he got to the tower. The Cavern Hunters were only a step behind, and they covered Ezekiel in their stone shields just before he touched the massive fungus in front of him.

“Seal me in, and do not let me out for any reason!” Ezekiel ordered, and the Cavern Hunters hesitated, but only for a second. They all knew that Ezekiel had already proven himself in the past. This order certainly wasn’t the strangest.

So, as one, they shifted even more rock and stone, and sealed Ezekiel in a half dome next to the tower. Nothing would get in, or out. But even then, the Hunters continued to stand guard.

Inside the dome, Ezekiel took a deep breath and reached out to touch the Spore tower.

----------

Standing inside a vast and iridescent void, Ezekiel almost felt something familiar as the looked out into the endlessness in front of him. The only one he could sense, at first, was Shine. But this feeling only lasted for a few seconds, as a cacophony of warped and warbling shrieks could be heard behind him. He turned, already throwing up a barrier in defense as he leapt away.

What he saw nearly stopped his heart from how shocking it was.

A part of him had expected an army of sorts. A legion of Cruor, weak and strong, that would charge at him in an attempt to consume and subsume him. But this was much worse.

‘It’s like a meatball...’ Shine was the first to voice their shared opinion of what was in front of them. The entity in question was the size of a small city and seemed incapable of moving from its current spot. This made it somewhat less dangerous, but it was a truly hideous monstrosity.

It wasn’t an army, nor was it just one Cruor. Instead, there was an amalgamation of the many different figures that made up the Rot. Mushed together into a single body, but still twisting, shifting, and bursting out from one another, only to be dragged back in.

Fluids of different colors and viscosity mixed together. Melting and growing different body parts as the mass of Ichorous fungal flesh shifted. Pained cries echoed through the strange mental plane, and Ezekiel clenched his fist. He could tell that the Cruor were suffering worse than anything he would ever be able to inflict on them.

‘I think I’m going to be sick...’ he muttered as he nearly turned away.

That seemed to be the signal, however, and massive writhing tentacles stretched outward. They moved toward Ezekiel in an attempt to grasp him. He forced himself out of the way and didn’t stop moving as he came under attack.

‘Are you sure we can do this!?’ Shine began to panic as they felt a piece of themself burn after being splashed by one of the strange liquids the abomination in front of them was spewing.

‘Yes, but it’ll take some time. We need to keep it from killing us. I’ll do that, while you focus on the spell.’ Ezekiel reached out and placed a hand on Shine’s soul form. The astral manifestation of their human-like avatar turned into a sword, and Ezekiel put his entire focus into ensuring they didn’t die.

While he ducked and weaved between the numerous attacks that were sent his way, Shine focused their shared mana into their pommel, and an opalescent glow emanated from them as they moved in Ezekiel’s hold.

[Compressing], [Stretching], [Accelerating], [Forcing], and [Empowering] were the [Understandings] that Shine focused on. Just as they and Ezekiel had during their final trial.

‘I’m ready!’ They stopped just before the breaking point. ‘Are you sure this won’t destroy the world?’

Ezekiel didn’t answer right away, as he took the time to deflect another tendril. ‘We’re not in the real world, and we’re doing something slightly different.

The light at Shine’s pommel began to strobe as the concepts being applied to it started to falter.

‘Now! Add the final one!’

The moment Ezekiel gave the command, Shine also infused [Nothingness] into the light.

That act was the last straw, and the Void pair had almost no time to react in order to protect themselves. One moment, there was a mutated abomination the size of a small town.

Next, there was starry darkness that consumed everything within this astral mindscape. Yet, Ezekiel couldn’t admire his work. A sudden jerk was all he felt, and then he woke up.

----------

Ezekiel awoke with a gasp, and immediately tried to pull back from the tower, but his hand was stuck. It felt like he was being sucked in, even as he felt something strange happening to him and Shine.

The Ichor within the tower was losing its [Will], as well as its properties. Only to be replaced by a hint of [Will] that Ezekiel had left behind thanks to his spell It seemed like, rather than exploding into noxious spores that would sprout into monstrous growths that would consume the island, the physical body of the tower was breaking down into Spiritual particles.

Particles that Ezekiel was intimately familiar with.

‘That’s Void Mana!’ Shine exclaimed.

Much to Ezekiel’s dismay, his Spirit was right. The Ichor and essence within the tower, which had been made from the bodies and lives of the Rot and Umbral beasts that had lived here, had been broken down to the most basic building blocks of magic in all of Eldramir.

Only one thought crossed Ezekiel’s mind as he witnessed this. His danger sense screamed at him as the Void mana spread throughout the city and beyond, covering the island, and the surrounding ocean. Only to react to the other types of elemental mana in the atmosphere.

‘We can never use this spell again.’

A moment later, Ezekiel felt a rush of mana as the Void inside him tried to consume the Void outside. Elements clashed and fused and shattered, and exploded as many motes of elemental mana reacted to the now widely spreading Void mana.

Fortunately, this was only temporary, and for the most part, the Void mana in the atmosphere sank into the ground. Influenced by Ezekiel’s desire to destroy the Cruor and keep everybody safe.

There were only a few instances of chaos, each of which were destructive in their own ways. But no human nor Spirit lives were lost. However, the same could not be said for the Cruor.

All over the island, the Rot were disintegrated as the Void mana destroyed them from the inside out. If there were any remaining Legendaries, they might have been able to survive due to their greater [Wills], but as it was, most were either dead, half-dead, or subsumed by the Spore tower.

Even in the water, unseen by the Hunters in the city, the bodies of the Deep that had set up bases of their own were destroyed. Never getting the chance to participate in the battle. Only a few dozen Legendary Cruor that were able to get far enough away in time managed to survive. They left to warn the other islands with their forces of what had occurred. Even though none could explain it.

Yet, throughout it all, Ezekiel and Shine were barely aware of any of this. Having collapsed and passed out just a few seconds after they had felt the Void mana around them rush in.

This refilled their reserves and pushed past their previous limits. But they would only realize what had happened when they woke up.