CHAPTER 66: CHAPTER: 66 VEHEMOTH SUBJUGATION, PART:2 [2000 PLUS WORDS]

The male vehemoth backed away ten feet as Vivian’s sword grazed by him.

At this point in the battle, its back was slashed open, and blood was flowing out of the wound.

Its right hand was burnt badly, and there was now a deep gash across the back of its right chest.

The vehemoth panted heavily, its breaths rough and uneven, as it glared at Vivian with bloodshot eyes.

Steam rose faintly from its body, mixing with the smell of burnt flesh and blood.

It gave a low growl, the sound filled with anger and pain, and then snorted loudly.

Even after taking such brutal injuries, the creature showed no sign of giving up.

Its muscles trembled, not from fear but from the effort to stay standing.

It turned its head toward the female vehemoth, who was in no better shape, struggling against the black shadows that attacked it without rest.

For a moment, its eyes softened, just a flicker of emotion, before hardening again.

With a roar that shook the ground, it lowered its stance, ready to charge once more. The battle was far from over.

"Hm? It seems it still has some fight left in him," Vivian muttered as he glanced at Charlotte. "It’s time to capture it."

Charlotte nodded, flying higher into the air. Her eyes closed as she began chanting softly, her voice echoing faintly through the dungeon.

Vivian steadied his sword and prepared for the next round of battle.

But before he could make a move, it happened.

Roar!!!

The male vehemoth raised its head and bellowed at the ceiling of the dungeon, its cry filled with fury and desperation.

At the same time, the female vehemoth roared as well, its voice blending with his in perfect unison.

The two cries shook the entire chamber, dust falling from the stone walls.

It wasn’t just a roar, it felt like a call, a signal, or some strange form of communication.

Vivian’s expression hardened. Something about the synchronized roar didn’t feel right.

He instinctively took a step back, then retreated further, eyes fixed on the two wounded beasts.

The air grew heavier, as if the dungeon itself was responding to their call.

As Vivian backed away, the vehemoth pair began to emit a faint white light that grew brighter with each passing second.

The strange glow made his eyes narrow.

Something about it felt wrong, too sudden, too unnatural.

His instincts screamed danger.

"That doesn’t look good," he muttered, then raised his voice sharply. "Attack the female!"

At once, the leader of the black shadows nodded and dashed forward, followed by the others, their forms blurring as they rushed toward the glowing female Vehemoth.

Meanwhile, Vivian turned to Charlotte and shouted, "Charlotte! Use that Nebula from earlier, now!"

Charlotte stopped chanting for a heartbeat, then nodded firmly.

She ascended a bit higher as she began reciting the spell, her voice echoing through the chamber, each word was part of a complicated chant.

But Vivian didn’t wait.

He charged straight toward the male vehemoth, whose body was now glowing so brightly that it hurt to look directly at it.

Gritting his teeth, he raised his sword high and swung it down toward the heart of the light, hoping to stop whatever was about to happen before it was too late.

Boom!

The instant Vivian’s sword struck the glowing male vehemoth, a violent shockwave burst outward.

An invisible force slammed into him, hurling his body through the air like a ragdoll.

He crashed into the ground nearly sixty feet away, rolling hard before landing flat on his back.

"Cough! Cough!"

Blood splattered from his lips as he forced himself to look up.

His vision blurred for a moment, but he could still make out the shape of the male vehemoth through the haze.

The same force had struck the black shadows as well.

Several of them were thrown across the chamber, crashing into walls and the floor.

Groans filled the air as they coughed up blood, their forms flickering weakly.

Vivian quickly realized something, the strength of the backlash depended on how hard they’d attacked.

The stronger ones had taken the worst of it.

His instincts flared again. Whatever was happening wasn’t normal.

The light around the vehemoths was growing brighter, and the air felt thick, humming with strange energy.

"Charlotte! Stop! Withdraw the spell!" he shouted, his voice echoing with urgency.

The spell was already halfway complete, but Charlotte immediately stopped chanting.

The glowing symbols around her faded into thin air as she flew toward Vivian, worry written across her face.

"What’s happening? Why are they glowing?" she asked, landing beside him.

Vivian wiped the blood from his lips and forced himself to stand, still breathing heavily.

His eyes stayed fixed on the vehemoth pair, whose white light now pulsed rhythmically, like two hearts beating in sync.

"I... don’t know," he said slowly, his voice low and tense.

"But whatever they’re doing, it can’t be interrupted."

As he spoke, the ground began to tremble beneath their feet, and the light grew even stronger, spreading through the dungeon like ripples in water.

Not long after, the vehemoth pair rose slowly into the air, their bodies surrounded by a blinding white radiance that grew stronger with every heartbeat.

The air crackled with energy, and the dungeon walls shuddered under the strain.

Vivian frowned deeply.

He sheathed his sword and pulled out a dagger instead, the metal glinting faintly in the pale light.

"Charlotte," he said steadily, "can you inscribe the basic formula for teleportation?"

Charlotte blinked, startled by the sudden question.

"I can," she replied, watching his calm, unreadable expression. "But why?"

"Do it," Vivian said firmly, pressing the dagger into her hand. "You’ll understand when the time comes."

Charlotte hesitated for only a second before nodding.

She began carving glowing symbols into the ground, her magic weaving into the lines as the dagger moved with practiced precision.

Vivian turned his gaze back toward the vehemoth pair.

Their light had become almost blinding now.

High above the ground, their massive forms drifted closer together, the glow around them merging, two brilliant flares becoming one.

It was completely unexpected.

Neither had he written anything like this, nor had he ever read a single record mentioning such an event while researching to confirm the Vehemoth theory.

A chill crept down Vivian’s spine as he watched, the scene before him radiating an eerie, almost unnatural energy.

His frown deepened, but his eyes remained calm, steady, calculating, as he observed the transformation taking place.

The two vehemoths were no longer separate.

Their bodies had merged into one colossal form, their outlines twisting and blending together until the distinction between them vanished.

Yet the blinding white light didn’t fade.

Instead, it grew even more intense.

The creature’s limbs stretched, muscles bulging as they doubled in size, and with a sickening sound, an extra pair of arms tore their way into existence.

The two goat-like horns on its head thickened and lengthened, curling upward as if reaching for the ceiling.

Dark, scale-like fur began spreading across its body, glinting in the light with a metallic sheen.

Vivian’s grip tightened around his sword hilt.

Whatever this new being was, it was no longer just a Vehemoth.

Not long after, the blinding white light began to fade, and the newly formed vehemoth emerged from within it.

Its entire body had changed, its skin was now pitch black, covered with thick, overlapping scales that gleamed faintly under the dungeon’s dim light.

The extra pair of arms stretched outward, the creature flexing its claws as if testing its newfound strength.

The air around it pulsed with raw power, and the wounds from the earlier battle were completely gone, as though they had never existed.

The black shadows froze in disbelief.

A chill ran down their spines, and several instinctively took a step back.

But even as fear crept into their hearts, none of them retreated.

They tightened their grips on their weapons, eyes filled with grim resolve, ready to fight, even if it meant death.

Vivian, however, remained composed.

His expression was unreadable as he glanced toward Charlotte. "Is it ready?"

Charlotte landed beside him, her breathing steady despite the pressure in the air.

"Yes," she said softly, handing him the dagger.

Vivian took it, his gaze flicking to the faintly glowing words etched along the blade, runes of teleportation, small but precise, waiting to be activated.

Vivian’s eyes hardened as he turned toward the black shadows.

"Black Shadows, follow me," he commanded, his voice calm yet sharp enough to cut through the tension in the air.

They straightened instantly, their earlier fear replaced by grim obedience.

Vivian then looked at Charlotte. "Do you have anything stronger than that Nebula spell?" he asked, his tone leaving no room for hesitation.

Charlotte hesitated briefly before nodding. "I do... but it’ll take at least two minutes to prepare."

"Then start," he said firmly, already moving forward.

Without wasting another word, he charged ahead, the black shadows following closely behind like silent phantoms.

Their footsteps echoed faintly across the cracked stone floor as they advanced toward the newly transformed vehemoth, which was watching them with glowing red eyes.

Meanwhile, Charlotte soared into the air. She gripped her staff tightly.

Closing her eyes, she began to chant, the ancient words rolling off her tongue like the rhythm of a storm.

The air around her shimmered, and faint sparks of light began to gather, swirling faster with each breath she took.

Meanwhile, the black shadows advanced, led by Vivian.

Their movements were silent and precise, their dark forms gliding through the dim light of the dungeon.

In their eyes flickered a brief glint of admiration and respect, an unspoken thought echoing through each of their minds: ’Worthy of being the heir of the Zenithara.’

But that feeling vanished as quickly as it came, replaced by a razor-sharp focus.

They knew this wasn’t the time for sentiment; their lord was already several steps ahead in thought.

Without looking back, Vivian spoke in a low, steady voice. "Listen carefully. I’ll attack first. It’ll most probably be blocked, but that will open a window. Make sure you use it."

The leader of the black shadows straightened, his expression firm.

"Yes, my lord," he replied.

Vivian’s grip tightened around his sword as he moved forward, the weight of command steady in his posture.

Behind him, the black shadows fell into formation, their eyes locked on his back, ready to strike the moment he created that fleeting chance.

In the blink of an eye, they closed the distance.

Vivian lunged upward, his sword gleaming as he thrust it toward the vehemoth’s chest.

The creature let out a low, contemptuous snort and caught the blade mid-strike, its massive clawed hand clamping down on it with terrifying strength.

Sparks flew as metal ground against scales.

Ever since its evolution, or whatever transformation it had undergone, its power had soared beyond reason, it was now a pseudo swordmaster.

Vivian’s strikes, once deadly enough to cut through its skin, barely scratched its hide now.

But that had been his plan all along.

The vehemoth’s focus was on him, its rage drawn entirely to the sword it held.

That moment of distraction was enough, the black shadows surged forward, attacking from every angle, their movements like streaks of darkness.

The vehemoth roared and retaliated in a burst of fury, sweeping its arms and claws through the air with crushing force.

The ground cracked under the impact.

Amid the chaos, Vivian let go of his trapped sword and reached for the dagger inscribed with the teleportation formula.

His eyes flashed coldly.

Without hesitation, he hurled the dagger toward the creature’s right eye.

The vehemoth snorted again, its expression twisting with disdain.

With a small tilt of its head, it easily avoided the throw, and when it turned back toward where Vivian had been, he was gone.

For a heartbeat, confusion flickered in its crimson eyes. Then, a chill crawled up its spine as an icy killing intent surged from behind.

A pair of cold blue eyes gleamed in the darkness behind it.

Vivian’s hand shot out, snatching the flying dagger out of the air mid-spin.

With a swift, fluid motion, he drove it straight into the vehemoth’s throat.

Chick.