Chapter Sixty-Four: Will You Remember Me? (Arc 3 – End)

    The Essence of Wrath felt anxiousness burrow a hole through its heart. The soul of the girl it possessed was forced to watch everything while in a state of something like pleasure. Her mind was flooded with dopamine as the rush of power swallowed her whole. It numbed what she saw through eyes filled with the purest wrath known to man.

    But the Essence of Wrath made a mistake, sprouted from her ineptitude in love. It believed its overwhelming power was enough to bring an end to its most hated foe. And when using the same cruel skill that enabled the Dark Lord of Tyranny to grow so powerful in the first place?

    The Essence of Wrath’s victory should have been assured.

    But no.

    When Sekh used her power to burn the rest of her life to the curse in exchange for power, the woman she had come to love more than anything was finally roused awake by a combination of Sekh’s willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice and her own ego screaming at her weakness.

    The Essence of Wrath''s hold on the situation slipped through its fingers rapidly.

    Suddenly, the air felt thick and heavy. Immense pressure took the breath away from anyone still breathing. With the air caught in its lungs, the Essence of Wrath saw an unholy amount of Dark Mana collecting inside the ice prison. In just seconds, it was entirely black, and she couldn’t see inside. Then the wind began to pick up, extinguishing the ring of flames that threatened to burn Irisa and the others. The oni, her friends, and her family rushed to safety behind the rubble of a building. Even though the Essence of Wrath saw them, it refused to take her eyes away from its target. Above, the burning clouds were put out, and they gathered overhead to block out the sun.

    It was an ominous display of power that only grew more awesome when rampaging crimson lightning roared without cause, striking at just a single point.

    That point, of course, was the frozen prison currently restraining the Dark Lord of Tyranny.

    But the lightning?

    It was fire.

    And then it was ice.

    Both clashed down without prejudice, each intense strike etching off more ice than the last until there was just the smallest gap. The Dark Mana building up pressure and intensity exploded, sending ice everywhere as the excess mana shot into the sky.

    The Essence of Wrath was in awe as it watched the clouds...

    And it wasn’t the only one... The feeling of such over-oppressive mana managed to reach the one that was not supposed to be there, accelerating the Dark Lord of Tyranny''s reawakening.

    “[Abyssal Iceflame: Cloud Fall].” Suddenly, it heard footsteps and a voice, and the Essence of Wrath tried to pierce the Dark Mana clouding its foe. The spirit summoned its icy pistols and prepared to fight—it was too tongue-tied by fear to even risk speaking in the face of pure power. An uncomfortable sense told it to look to the sky.

    The very clouds the Essence of Wrath had once set ablaze were falling because they had all become enshrouded in ice. The color drained from its face slightly when, a moment later, the ground started to shake from the tumultuous crashing into the surface. The spirit was temporarily thrown to its back, and that was when it saw her terrible form. She still had those silver eyes, yet her irises were slightly tinted blue and red. The fur that used to be on her arms and legs was burnt by this newfound power, but in their place sat an azure pair of flaming bracers and greaves. Somehow, her hair had turned a darker shade of black.

    And she had this horrible, oppressive aura clasping around her soul...

    She was naked, but that all changed when she used [Abyssal Iceflame: Body Armor] to cloak and cover herself in flames and ice that mimicked the armor from an ancient forgotten kingdom. The Dark Mana still surged around her, and she looked down at the Essence of Wrath like it was the purest form of trash.

    “Disgusting,” she said, her tone sounding more tyrannical. “[Abyssal Iceflame: Executioner''s Impalement].”

    A dozen spikes of ice and fire violently burst from the ground, piercing the foolish enemy through her limbs and chest. That ice armor cloaking her body was like wet paper to [Abyssal Iceflame], the evolved form of [Black Fire]. A powerful upgrade, to be sure, but this wasn’t its final form.

    Even giving the rest of this life isn’t enough to bring me back to the peak of my power... Without my mace, I’m incomplete... It was a mistake to use pour my strength into it and use it as a catalyst to enhance my might. I’ll never be as strong as I once was if I don’t reacquire it.

    A jolly grin spread across the Essence of Wrath’s face as she failed to free herself after reverting to her flame mode. “I knew it! I knew you were holding back. This is even grander than when we last fought a millennia ago!!! This is what I wanted!!! Come at me, Dark Lord, let us—”

    “Are you under the perception that I’m stronger now than I was our match a thousand years ago?” I asked, cutting her off. It took a second for the realization to happen, and I saw my mana regenerate all the way.

    She wasn’t just scared; she was terrified out of her goddamn mind.

    “You’re far weaker now than you were back then. [Abyssal Iceflame]? It isn’t what I used to kill you before. It’s weaker and less versatile when compared to the power I wielded during our fight. I didn’t even have to use my ice to extinguish your pathetic flames. You spent a thousand years preparing for nothing because I could counter everything you could throw at me.” I took another step, using [Abyssal Iceflame: Void Slash]. That spell wrapped my arms in total darkness, and upon slicing towards her, it let loose a paradoxical cold flame that passed through her body. It was ethereal in nature, yet it obliterated an opponent''s inside. Her beautiful cries filled me with even more mana.

    I could get drunk off her fears. Oh! How nostalgic this felt!

    “[Abyssal Iceflame: Chaotic Icicle]!” I said, taking another step. A magic circle appeared above her and rained down a frozen icicle, ablaze with abyssal flames that were far more than what this ignorant, petulant fool, who believed she could take over my liege, could handle.

    “[Abyssal Iceflame: Azure Vortex].” I took another step and watched as she was enclosed within a cyclone of sharp ice that pricked off even more of her flames and obsidian-like armor.

    “[Abyssal Iceflame: Crystal Maiden].” I took another step. A blue iron maiden appeared from the ground. Tentacles of fire lashed out when it opened, revealing a thousand spikes of the darkest flames I could produce.

    “This is impossible!!!!! HOW DO YOU HAVE SO MUCH MANA!?!?! AAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!” Her shrill voice was silenced when the iron maiden closed. It floated upwards, where it exploded. The ice fragments shimmered like crystals in the flames and sunlight, dazzling all who saw them. The battered, broken body slammed into the ground, but I used [Abyssal Iceflame: Frozen Axe] to create a floating axe thrice my size and used it to vertically slice my opponent in two.

    The two halves of her body sickeningly landed on another set of [Abyssal Iceflame: Executioner’s Impalement]. Both sides breathed in agony before I allowed them to reconnect via flaming, fleshy tendrils.

    “You’re...going...to...kill...her...!” the Essence of Wrath spat out amid the agony.

    “No, I won’t,” I replied, taking another step and using [Abyssal Iceflame: Azure Javelin] to create a spear of fire that glowed blue in my hands. I threw it high in the sky, then watched as it multiplied into three dozen that all rained down upon my enemy.

    Her blood was the fire making up her body, and there was so much below her. I kept up my brutal assault until I had reduced her to tears.

    “Essence of Wrath? What a fucking joke. You. Will. Never. Be. Stronger. Than. Me. You do not know the horror the curse brings—how I’ve been forced to play its demands like a puppet. A pissant like yourself can''t even begin to compare to feel what I''ve felt over my entire existence.” I grabbed her face and moved my iceflames to my left hand, burning and freezing her every other second, melting and crumbling her skin.

    “AAAAAHHHHHHH STOP IT!!!! STOP IT!!! STOP IT STOP!!!!!!” Her fearful cries supercharged my mana even more, and I gripped her head hard enough to pierce through her thick fucking skill. Then, I threw her down, letting her moan and whimper in a beating she brought about herself.

    “You’ll never be anything more than a skill—go back to being a slave. Run back to your hiding hole, cry alone in your pit of weakness after knowing you’ll never get the better of me. The Dark Lord of Tyranny commands you to return my liege to me. [Abyssal Iceflame: Iceflame Pride].” My flames gathered on the nails on my right hand. When I held it out, the flames danced to the ground, each taking the shape of a ferocious lion. Their bodies were blacker than the night sky, but their flaming manes were as cool as ice. Orbs of volcanic-like flames became their eyes, and they all bowed their heads at me. Out of the five, one towered above the others, standing about eight feet tall.

    That was the leader of the pride—the commander—and I was their Dark Lord of Tyranny.

    “Make that petulant fool regret everything. I desire to use [Tyranny Control] to force you to feel just a fragment of the curse’s torment, but it’ll remain attached to my liege’s soul, which lingers in her Divine Skill, and on her body. And I cannot have that. Instead, I’ll make you suffer this way.” The five lions roared, stood, and turned their deadly gaze to the cowering pissant. Fire coated with Dark Mana began to gather when they opened their mouths. “It’s a shame this won’t hurt nearly as much.”

    “FUCKING STOP IT!!! STOP IT!!!!!!! I DON’T-- AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

    Five beams of deadly conflagrations shot towards the Essence of Wrath. The skill was called [Iceflame Pride: Pentagon Incineration]. “Beg for death, you pile of shit. Beg for it... I want to see it.” It was like watching the force of five volcanoes erupt at once. No matter what they did, my opponent couldn’t escape until my lions drained my mana or I called off the attack.

    And my mana hadn’t moved an inch. This fool’s fear was delicious. At the rate this was going, I’d never run out.

    Regaining this stepping stone on my path to my [Purgatorial Thermokinesis] reminded me of when I first acquired [Abyssal Iceflame]. These lions were a type of autonomous self-defense skill designed to protect me and those I cared about, but I could order them to fight with me and appear even in times of peace.

    But in the past, I didn’t care about myself. Nor did I have any room for love because the curse flooded even the tiniest gaps with the purest hatred imaginable. They were useless to me and never saw the light of day.

    “STOP!!! DON’T HURT HER!!!!!” Irisa wanted to tackle the lion, but her father held her back and restrained her. She struggled, pulled away, and yanked, but he never let her go.

    A few seconds later, the lion suddenly roared, freezing the flames solid, which became something akin to an icy coffin. At first, it was transparent before darkening and becoming opaque, with only the Dark Lord of Tyranny''s face visible when looking down from above.

    The reality of the situation was more than she could imagine. As much as Irisa wanted to sit down and bawl her eyes out, she knew she couldn’t.

    Sekh isn’t dead. I know she isn’t. And Mila isn’t, too. They’re alive. They have to be. They wouldn’t leave me like this!!!

    “Come on, we need to move! It’s not safe to stay here. I’ll carry—"

    Standing, the lion roared, cutting off Kokan as the beast picked up the icy coffin with its powerful jaws.

    “It is time to move,” said the AI, who flashed into existence above the High Elf. It opened the map and zoomed out, revealing Gloria’s army and Bellerophon soldiers rushing towards Ria. There wasn''t enough time to properly set up a mass teleportation spell, and sending in a unit when they didn''t know what they were going to encounter was a foolish idea. But considering the situation, perhaps it was one they should have devoted serious thought to. “Evacuation via ocean has the best chance of success.”

    “Can you guide us?” Irisa asked, picking up Mila. She gritted her teeth and refused to let weakness paralyze her.

    “Please, follow the path in front of you.”

    After searching for an intact boat, the AI found one about three miles to the south. The best option was probably the Heptarchy of Parthina to the south. The group would probably have to sneak in, but it was far better than just staying here. The grand lion sped up to get in front of them, clearing the way of any underbrush or annoying limbs with its flaming body.

    Primrose looked conflicted about everything. Worriedness for her Lord Aetos clouded every ounce of her mind. To save her summoner from unneeded stress, she returned to her crystal and found a spot on her Master’s belt. The journey to their salvation was silent. The only noises were the huffed breathing of Erin, who was carried under Kokan’s left arm, and Niva, held under the right. The former grasped the yellow slime Lei in her arms.

    After racing through the forest and running down a steep hill, the group reached the coastline.

    The sand made it difficult to run through, but they persevered because their goal was right there. The ship was a single-mast vessel with a pitch-black sail, and this one had two cannons on each side. It was sitting about 200 feet out, but no one stopped moving. Even thinking of taking a break wasn’t permitted under the current circumstances. The lion wrapped its large paws in ice coated with Dark Mana, allowing it to walk on water while creating a non-slippery path for those running behind it.

    The lion leapt into the sloop and sat Sekh’s icy coffin on the deck. Kokan climbed the rope ladder and helped his family up when a tattooed, muscled man hobbled up the stairs from the back middle, just below where the helm was. His chin was full of white stubble, and his arms were covered in liver spots. No one could fault him for yelling and cursing at the strangers intruding on his boat. And perhaps it was within his right when he refused to help them. One could even argue drawing his knife and threatening to kill Kokan and the others if they remained on the boat was self-defense.

    Even when Kokan explained his and his family''s predicament, the man would not hear anything. He knew of the danger happening just three miles away, yet he chose the act of self-preservation above helping others. Finally, he spat one more threat and started to act on it.

    But the lion couldn’t let this go, choosing to growl when the ship’s owner became increasingly violent. The great beast took this as a challenge when the man turned his blade to it. In a mighty roar, all courage from the man left. Screaming, he ran past Kokan and the others and leapt overboard.

    The AI materialized above Mila’s body and started to give orders. Kokan rushed to the capstan and raised the anchor. Irisa ran into the cargo hold to put Mila on a bedroll. Niva and Erin sat near each other, and Ichiha jumped to the wheel and turned it.

    Irisa returned moments later; exhaustion plastered all over her face as the boat began to move away from what was once her home.

    Sekh was gone.

    Mila was gone.

    Tilde was gone.

    The friends she had made over the past few months were just...gone. And the growing sadness couldn''t be contained within her aching heart anymore.

    Inside her mind, she shouted at her weakness while shedding tears. During the Essence of Wrath’s attacks, she couldn’t do anything. Irisa wanted to grow more powerful. She was, up until this point, content with her life. That was truer when her father returned to the family.

    Once Niva heard her whimpers, she began to weep. Erin soon followed, and Primrose emerged from her crystal to comfort her summoner and friend. She whispered and told Niva everything that had transpired, her voice being the only one to break the cacophony of crying. The woodland spirit bit her lip. She was created by nature. As such, she was affiliated with life, but the spirit couldn’t sense anything from that icy coffin. At the same time, she didn’t know if [Status Cloak] was to blame for it because she couldn’t feel Mila’s or Sekh’s life from the moment the spirit was called upon. Primrose could only sense her summoner’s life force because she was contracted to serve her.

    But I can still see her name... Her HP is empty, but it’s still there... She can’t be dead...

    The fight was nothing less than spectacular, with the Essence of Wrath and Dark Lord of Tyranny fighting to the bitter end.

    Looking at her hands, Primrose wondered if her healing magic would be enough to pierce the ice and affect the body. A spirit''s strength partially depended on its summoner, and Niva was weak. There were outliers, but she wasn’t one of them. Primrose found herself growing confused with the mixed emotions.

    Why, in the world, was she feeling something like empathy for the Dark Lord of Tyranny and her chimeric abomination with a skill that harbored the Essence of Wrath and its divine flames and ice?

    “Primrose, you have to help... Please, help Sekh and Mistress... I don’t want them to die...”

    “Don’t worry... I’ll do what I can. Irisa, can you help me take Sekh down below?” Primrose asked, kissing her summoner on the forehead after pulling back her robe’s hood.

    She wasn’t going to let those her summoner cared for die. Primrose had conflicting feelings about it, but she would push through it and harbor the naturalistic power of the Eagle Yew--the sacred tree that birthed her life and sent her on a single mission to spy on the chimeric entity who arrived with an enslaved Dark Lord of Tyranny. Truthfully, her summoner was supposed to come second to her creator''s primary goal, but Primrose was having doubts about actively betraying them all.

    The great Eagle Yew filled Primrose’s head with many feelings dictating how she was to feel. But after hearing the tale in person? And understanding that the monster would drown herself in pure wrath to protect those she loved? If Mila had not done what she had done, all of Ria would have died to that awful gas. If Sekh hadn’t pushed herself to the edge of death, that monster would’ve eventually become the most powerful entity in the entire world.

    Not just in terms of physical or magical strength, but [Hermes Trismegistus]’s unparalleled information gathering would have been at its fingertips.

    “Yeah... I’ll help,” Irisa said, wiping her eyes. Primrose nodded and approached Sekh, but the great lion suddenly stood over the icy coffin of its Master. The deep red eyes saw hatred. Its low, deep growl was enough to freeze lava cold.

    “I want to assist her,” Primrose said, not backing down. After the lion roared right in her face, opening its grand mouth while threatening to bite her in half, the woodland spirit stood resolute.

    It was a stare-off of two ideologies. Even if Primrose knew it would be her end, she kneeled and touched the icy coffin, injuring her palms when they made contact. Still, she continued and channeled [Minor Heal] through the coffin, unaware of if it was helping. Primrose endured until her HP was dangerously low, then continued, even going so far as to offer an indiscriminate prayer.

    My Master finds joy in your companionship! Don’t die on me, damnit!

    When she finally let up, she turned her hands and winced, looking at her dead wood. Sekh didn’t look any different. Slowly, Primrose moved her head until she came face to face with the great lion. Roaring, it sat and used its head to nudge Primrose’s hands before licking her palms.

    It was touching, for sure. Primrose felt her heart drop when she realized what this meant.

    With one more final roar, the lion reverted to flames and returned to Sekh, piercing the icy protection without making a hole or damaging it.

    Was the grand beast’s job finished? Why else would it leave?

    What did this mean?

    Primrose stood and wrapped her vines around the icy coffin, enduring the damage as she hastily walked down the stairs with Irisa. Together and carefully, they bypassed dozens of crates filled with food, water, weapons, and other supplies. In the far corner sat bedrolls near the vessel''s stern. The woodland spirit placed Sekh just on the other side of Mila after Irisa made some space. Primrose winched and shed tears at how damaged her vines were. And Sekh was heavy—the ice weighed over two hundred pounds alone. She would need rest to recover from this ordeal.

    The chimera’s—Lord Springfield’s HP is filled. She’ll probably wake up in a few days.

    The AI incarnated above its lord... The rainbow-colored stone pillar trembled with much force. A day prior, it had cracks flowing down the side, and now they pulsed with polychromatic lights. The voice it cried with became less robotic and monotone-- more feminine and fuller of passion. It begged its lord to open its eyes, the emotions becoming more commonplace than rare after achieving the final task the Conduit had given it before she vanished inside the Transcendent Dark Lord.

    “My lord!!!! My lord!!!!!” repeated the quivering cylinder of multicolored stone. With each word, the cylinder started to glow. When it reached its apex, it exploded, sending out one final blast of rainbow-colored light...and then it, too, found a new home inside its lord’s body, disappearing in the same manner as Tilde.