The descent was no longer a chase; it was a plunge into the throat of a primordial beast. We were screaming through the subterranean tunnels, the walls closing in like jagged ribs. Night was driving my body with a reckless, suicidal intensity, completely ignoring my agonizing pleas.
"Night! Stop... please! My soul... it's tearing!" I screamed internally, my voice raw and jagged.
The 'Soul-Weight' had become a physical blade, sawing through my very essence. Every meter we descended, the pressure increased. The air grew thin, smelling of ancient rot and sulfur, making every gasp feel like swallowing crushed glass. I was gasping, my lungs seizing as the oxygen vanished. It felt like death was reaching out from the shadows, wrapping its cold fingers around my throat.
Whispers from the Void
As we tore through the dark, I heard them—the enemies hidden in the gloom. Their voices weren't human; they were gravelly, echoing whispers that sent shivers through my fracturing spirit.
"Another sacrifice... fallen from above," one voice hissed.
"His dance ends here, in the dark where no one hears the scream," another replied with a sickening chuckle.
Night didn't flinch. He unleashed slash after slash, the blue energy illuminating the tunnel in strobe-like bursts. But every attack sent a shockwave through my soul. "Stop it! You're going to kill me before they do!" I roared, cursing him with every foul word I knew.
Night just laughed, a hollow, metallic sound. "We're just getting to the good part, partner. A Sovereign doesn't stop because of a little spiritual friction!"
The Grand Arena of the Damned
The tunnel ended abruptly in a sheer, terrifying drop.
"Prepare yourself," Night hummed. "We're going down."
"We're going to be pancakes!" I shrieked.
Night ignited a brilliant blue light, incinerating the demons clinging to the walls as we plummeted. We hit the bottom, but instead of a cave, we found a colossal Subterranean Arena. Torches lined the obsidian walls, casting a sickly golden-blue glow. Thousands of duplicate commanders stood in perfect, haunting silence.
"Uninvited guests... have finally... arrived," I wheezed, coughing up a thick spray of blood.
The Protector and the Earth-Witch
Then, he appeared. A Demon General so massive and terrifying that his aura alone made the remaining oxygen feel like lead. But he wasn't alone. Behind him stood a Human Girl, her hands weaving complex magical circles. She looked eerily calm for someone in the heart of a demon lair.
She raised her hand, and the Earth Element responded. Thousands of jagged stones launched at us like artillery shells.
Night pushed my body into a blur. He drew his blade, unleashing a slash that felt like it was carving directly out of my heart. He lunged for the girl, realizing she was the source of the magic. But the General was faster. He wasn't controlling her; he was protecting her. He was her shield.
As Night's blade descended, the General stepped in. Two forces—one of blue light and one of demonic shadow—collided with a world-shaking force.
BOOM!The collision sent a shockwave that shattered the bedrock. The General unleashed a force-attack that hit me square in the chest. I heard my ribs shatter like dry twigs. I was hurled across the arena like a broken ragdoll, slamming into a pillar. Blood erupted from my mouth, ears, and nose. My vision turned into a hazy, bruised purple.
The Final Descent of Stone
The General didn't stop. He moved with the force of a landslide, charging again. Night tried to parry, but the force was overwhelming. We were hurled back, the ground sinking ten meters beneath us. I was losing my anchor; my soul was slipping away from the broken meat of my body.
The girl, seeing the opening, hovered in the air. She raised both hands, and a miniature mountain of jagged Earth spears formed above her. They were aimed directly at my shattered heart.
I looked up, seeing the Second Rank Hero, Kaelen, watching from the balcony with a serene, terrifying smile.
"Night..." I whispered, my throat gurgling with gore. "I think... this is it. Prepare to die."
With a flick of her wrist, the girl unleashed the storm. The earth screamed as the spears began their final descent.