The ritual chamber fell into silence as Drax and his team finished the last few verses of their chant.
While the dungeon core still shined brilliantly, the winds that blew within the cavern stilled, the air that stopped thick with magic and anticipation.
And then, it happened: energy began to seep out of their bodies in streamers of dark particles. After seeing trails of dark drawn out of his subordinates, Drax looked at his own fingers.
Though his hands fell to his side limply, and he felt the weakness and lethargy that came with his mana being drained, his face was set upon a triumphant smile.
The last step. Mana procurement… It is done.
"We shall welcome Lord Thog into the world once more," he declared, eyes glistening with hope even as he let out a heavy, yet relieved, sigh.
Sure enough, the mana that was seeping out of them was now converging towards the crystal shard, the light emanating from it enough to illuminate the whole dungeon.
By the time every particle was absorbed into it, only half of the crystal had materialized, with the other half nowhere to be seen.
For a split second, silence overtook the dungeon chamber.
"What… how?"
"B-boss…"
"What now…?"
Drax's eyes widened upon his teammate's sudden shudder, his pupils contracting as they stared unblinkingly at the half-made crystal shard, which was supposed to help summon their Lord.
It was about this time that the frigid air from the blizzard began to make its way within the ritual chamber, turning the thickening air colder, a hint to the team of what was to come.
Did it not work?
Every step was followed properly, through…
Sure, there had been a slight interruption towards the end, but it shouldn't matter, as long as the ritual gets completed in time.
Could it be..?
Drax turned towards the raven-haired and pale-skinned corpse lying on top of the altar, a sudden thought crossing his mind.
The incomplete crystal hovered above her, the light giving off a distinct purple hue, revealing a bewitching silhouette.
That wasn't what disturbed him.
There's no more blood on the slap and the altar; did it dry up?
Her injuries…?
As his mind began to run a mile a minute while his team stood there wondering, a completely foreign voice began to resound within the ritual chamber.
[Insufficient mana quality and quantity.]
[Core has detected a valid host. Mana utilized; host's body repaired.]
[Insufficient mana quality and quantity.]
[Core formation incomplete.]
[Insufficient mana quality and quantity.]
[Core unraveling imminent.]
[Initiating Hunt Mode.]
As Drax was trying to make sense of the otherworldly voice, panicked sounds reached his ears.
"What is it saying..?"
"What about the ritu-ahhh!"
"Huh?"
"Wait-kyaa!"
"!!!"
Everything else came to a stop as spears of earth erupted from the ground, impaling his team members all at once. Blood spurted through the air, staining the ritual ground with red.
The earthen spears began to pulse violet as they began to drain the unfortunate cultists they pierced of their blood and mana. Some were instantly slain by the initial stabbing and were spared the horror of being consumed alive. Others, though, began to scream, their voices hollowing as their life and magic were being sapped rapidly.
Drax froze. Even as the cries of the dying echoed around him, he could still hear his heart pounding in his ears as tiny splashes of blood splattered onto his face.
The moment passed, and he shouted.
"Evacuate at once!"
This is not how I planned... None of this makes sense!
How did this happen?
As soon as he gave the order, he felt the earth pulse under him. Before a volley of earthen spears appeared where he stood, Drax rolled to the side in a panic, easily evading what would have been an ignoble death.
He realized that this was the power of death itself. Indeed, he could survive powerful enemies; he could find a way to survive the hunt. It would cost him, but he would survive to fight another day; turn the tables and gain revenge!
This, however…
Drax had no further thoughts as he leaped back, grabbing the collar of one of his subordinates, and ran pell-mell back towards the broken portal, several others following, their faces pale as death.
We should not tarry here any longer!
This trap drains blood, magic, and soul!
Even a glancing hit would be disastrous!
After they leaped over the ground that transformed into a floor of earthen spikes, whatever was left of Drax and his crew made it to the portal.
None of them looked back, going to the settlement for a moment to resupply before venturing elsewhere, vanishing into the night.
It all happened in a cosmic heartbeat: a dozen of Drax's team members were killed, without so much as a fighting chance. Who would have thought that despite his years of struggle and efforts to not get trampled on, but to be the one preying on the weak...
Who would have thought that tonight was going to turn into a hunt, where he and his crew would be no different from a pack of sheep?
Furthermore, this hunt had been a situation of his own making?
As Drax and what remained of his subordinates journeyed into the night, he felt that it was all too shocking and ironic to be real.
It must have been an illusion made by the blizzard, blowing in the night.
Meanwhile, back in the ritual chamber, the glowing spears that had claimed victims turned their points towards the half-formed crystal, letting out a purple light. Each of the spearheads detached, drawn towards the crystal, leaving behind trails of pulsing purple light as they were all absorbed by the crystal.
As each spearhead was absorbed, the crystal began to grow, and with the last of the spearheads, the crystal began to shine brighter, its missing half finally materializing.
[Initiating fusion with host.]
With a flash of light and a shower of sparks, the crystal core settled into the corpse.
The body's veins pulsed purple with the core's power as it levitated above the altar.
As the pulses grew stronger, the girl began to shake.
Slowly, at first, until she was thrashing around the altar.
And as her veins began to glow brighter, the disembodied voice spoke.
[Error...]
[Error!]
[Unidentified presence detected in host's body!]
[Unidentified... Error... Unidentified Soul...]
And above the shimmering emerald altar, the raven-haired and pale-skinned girl in dark green let out a gasp and took the breath of life one more.
Her heart throbbed.
Then it beat.
The girl settled back onto the altar.
After an indescribable amount of time had passed, her figure spasmed. She began to move a finger.
Then her hands moved.
Her eyes suddenly shot open, pitch black pupils gazing deeply into space.
Outside, the sun began to emerge from the Styx mountains.