Chapter 2664: Containment

เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 มี.ค. 2569 15:34

Chapter 2664: Containment "ARGHH!!!" The scream tore through the air as Emery’s Embersword slashed cleanly through Talaro’s arm. Blood erupted in an arc as the severed limb spun through the air. As it fell, the dismembered hand ignited—suddenly and violently—as if some ancient curse within it had been unsealed. The flesh withered and crumbled into cinders, consumed by a ravenous, chaotic flame that bloomed outward in a swirling vortex of heat and madness. It was the arm he used to store the stolen cosmic flame. Kaelyn Silverleaf leaped forward with both hands outstretched. She released a surge of vibrant nature energy that collided with the rogue flame, forming a sphere of green light that encased it like a cocoon. The cosmic fire twisted violently, fighting against the nature barrier. Kaelyn swiftly threw crystalline vials one after another into the sphere. Each vial shattered on contact, releasing alchemical smoke and sacred pollen, her alchemical reagents reacting with the flame to dampen its volatility. Behind her, Talaro howled. "You bastard!!" His face twisted in fury, eyes glowing with venomous hate. He thrashed violently, trying to break free from the many bindings still holding him. But the more he struggled, the tighter the restraints became, reacting instinctively to his defiance. At the same time, the forceful removal of the cosmic flame seemed to cause internal damage—an injury that made him tremble. His knees buckled, and with a grunt of pain, he shifted focus from resistance to recovery. Emery stood over him, calm and composed. "This was never yours to begin with." It was a calculated decision. By removing the cosmic flame from Talaro’s control, he had weakened the dark elf and handed his group a potential new weapon—one that was perfect to fight Talaro’s freezing spells. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦 Seconds passed, thick with tension. The dark elf’s wild breathing slowed, and the rage in his eyes faded to grudging restraint. "Alright," Talaro growled, baring his teeth. "Are you satisfied now?! Release me!" At Emery’s signal, the restraints uncoiled and dissipated. Talaro wasted no time casting a recovery spell. Veins of light threaded through his broken shoulder, bones cracked and reshaped, muscle strands weaving themselves anew. Emery left him to it and approached Kaelyn, who was still kneeling by the restrained fire. Her hands trembled slightly from the sheer effort. "How is it?" "I can contain it," she said between gasps, sweat dripping down her temple. "But to control it... I’ll need days. Maybe even weeks." "Do what you can," Emery replied. Then Emery turned to Vayarel, revealing the plan he had arranged with the dark elf. "Senior, there’s something you must know," Emery began. "The secret behind my power—it’s a primordial wisp." Vayarel’s eyes widened. A primordial wisp alone was rare enough—but one of darkness and still in its solitary stage? That was another level of anomaly entirely. "You are full of surprises, Emery," Vayarel said, his voice thick with a mixture of admiration and concern. Truthfully, with his recent breakthrough into the Grand Magus realm, Emery doesn’t necessarily need to rely on Vayarel’s power. But he knew that Vayarel’s mastery of spatial law ran deeper than his own. By entrusting Vayarel with Khaos, Emery could also keep his real power hidden, closely monitor Talaro, and intervene immediately if the dark elf attempted betrayal. With Vayarel nodding with agreement, Emery opened a rift into the Khaos space. The two of them stepped through, arriving before the looming Pestilence Gate, its eerie tendrils pulsing with ancient, forbidden energy. "Let us begin." Vayarel stepped forward, solemn and focused. As Emery guided Khaos’s dark energy into the grand magus, a tremor rippled through the realm. The grand magus was accepted as one of the Khaos Seeds. Then, Emery allowed the Khaos guardian, Chututulu, to enter his body. Power exploded within Vayarel. He staggered, then quickly dropped into a lotus position, focusing on anchoring the energy. Wisps of smoke circled his body. Within mere hours, he managed to heal his lingering soul injuries and restore his connection to his second cosmos. He now had an alternate source of power—one untethered from the restrictions of this prison realm. When both were ready, they approached the recovering Talaro. Still scowling, the dark elf clutched his new arm. "Fine," he said through clenched teeth. "Follow my lead." They chose a wide clearing outside the cave. There, Talaro began to teach Vayarel how to combine their Khaos powers. As expected, the dark elf proved as cunning as ever; he never explained the actual formation runes behind the spell. Instead, he positioned himself as the lead caster, relegating Vayarel to a supporting role. The others stood back, watching intently as two shadowy figures emerged—one from each caster. The spectral forms began to swirl around one another in a complex dance of energy, attempting to merge in synergy. But despite their efforts, the dark energy destabilized and abruptly dissipated. Their first attempt at combining the power of Khaos had failed. Undeterred, they tried again. The second attempt stretched into hours, followed by a third, each more exhausting than the last. During these drawn-out trials, the rest of the group took turns guarding the perimeter, fending off any beasts that wandered too close. The tension in the air was palpable. Emery tried to focus on the spellcasting, absorbing every detail he could from the ritual. He scrutinized Talaro’s gestures, memorized the energy flows, and watched for signs of success. But his thoughts kept drifting to the passage of time. If VIA’s calculations were correct, the Earth-Kronos duels had already begun. Even if they succeeded in breaking free from this realm now, travel time to the arena would still be required. Emery could only hope there had been delays to the assigned matches. Then, without warning, it happened. Their combined power finally stabilized. The swirling shadows merged, creating a seamless flow of dark Khaos energy. A spatial distortion formed above them—a thin, vertical beam of black light shot upward into the sky, twisting like a vortex of void. "This is it... Get ready!!"

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