302 The Heart Of The Abyss Part 3

“Your Highness, make sure to not leave my side,” a young man with silver hair said. “The enemy is stronger than we expected.”

“Indeed,” another young man who looked exactly like the one with silver hair commented. The only difference between the two of them was the color of his hair, which was dark blue. “A Ranker Avatar, two Initiates, a Necromancer, and an Arclich. Dear me, he also has a Death Tyrant. Maybe we bullied the wrong group.”

Prince Lowell clicked his tongue in annoyance as he gazed at his right-hand man who was battling against the old lady who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

“Esmond! Kill that old hag right away!” Prince Lowell ordered. “What’s taking you so long?!”

Esmond, who had swatted one of Vera’s puppets away, backed off as he gave the Prince a side-long glance.

“My apologies, Your Highness,” Esmond replied. “This old ginger is still spicy. It will take some time to subdue her.”

“Just hurry up!”

“As you command, Your Highness.”

Esmond once again clashed with Vera, only this time, he started to strengthen the force behind his blows, pushing her puppets back and sending them flying.

Vera narrowed her eyes but didn’t panic. She simply waved her hands as more puppets materialized behind her, continuing his fight against the Ranker who was a rank higher than her Avatar Form.

Iris, Cai, Keane, Nero, Einar, Vall, Enlil, Henrietta, and the other members of the Four Kings and Five Overlords took the Vanguard as they fought alongside their subordinates. With the Undead serving as their shields, they unleashed a barrage of attacks that made the enemy soldiers, who thought they already had this one in the bag, grit their teeth in frustration.

But, that was not the real problem.

Lux, Eiko, and Asmodeus had been Animating the Dead people around them, and using them to fight against their former comrades, which caused great mental pressure on Prince Lowell’s private army.

They were also extremely wary of the Archlich whose deviousness knew no bounds. Commanding his Undead to throw corpses to places where the majority of the enemy soldiers congregated, Asmodeus would then detonate them using Corpse Explosion, sending shrapnel made of bone and Necrotic damage flying in every direction.

Truth be told, even the teenagers, who knew that the Undead were on their side, felt discomfort due to the fact that even their own comrades, who had died, once again picked their weapons and lunged at their enemies.

Fortunately, even though Asmodeus didn’t bat an eye at using the dead teenagers as his soldiers, he didn’t use them as grenades to be used for his skill, Corpse Explosion.

The Archlich knew that his Master would frown upon this act, so he just settled for using the enemy’s bodies as his weapons.

Fifty five Skeleton Fighters.

Fifty Skeleton Grand Archers.

Seven Skeleton Mages.

If one combined Lux’s Skeleton army, it would easily surpass a hundred. Although they were only Rank 2 Monsters, and weaker than the enemies, they were more than enough to threaten their enemies.

However, that number was now multiplied by three due to Eiko, and Asmodeus, who could use Lux’s ability as well.

With over three hundred skeletons, being led by the Death Knight, Diablo, they were a force that was capable of turning to the of battle in their favor.

“Dammit! Where did this Death Knight come from?!” one of the soldiers screamed as Diablo’s Nightmare leapt into the center of their formation.

As someone who was able to increase his attack and defense depending on the number of the dead in his surroundings, Diablo’s bonus damage had now stepped into the thousands. With one swing of his sword, the soldiers screamed because their prided armor was useless against his Ethereal Damage that easily passed through their defenses.

“We got this!” Lux clenched his fist when he saw that they were gaining the upper hand in the skirmish between both sides.

He had been buffing his party members, as well as summoning the Undead to command them in battle. Right beside him, Pazuzu stood at the ready. Both of them were protecting Iris alongside her Guardian Beasts.

Just as Lux was about to raise the soldiers that had died in the battle, something silver appeared at the corner of his vision.

A moment later, a sword clashed against Pazuzu’s shield, blocking a powerful blow that made the Demonic Protector take a step back.

“Oh? You managed to block that?” the silver-haired young man who was right beside Prince Lowell ago said. “Impressive. But, I’m not the only one you should focusing on, you know?”

Lux’s sixth sense suddenly kicked in, making him transform his right arm into the arm of a red dragon and swung it behind him.

A resounding clash of two weapons hitting each other spread beside him, as a young man with dark-blue hair sneered.

“You blocked my blow… but so what?” the young man with dark-blue hair sneered.

Right after finishing his words, he pushed Lux back with all of his might, which sent the latter flying several meters away.

“Lux!” Iris shouted.

But, before she could even run to his direction, the young man with dark blue hair smacked the back of her head with the pommel of his sword, making the blue-haired beauty lose consciousness.

“Ma!” Eiko jumped off Iris’ head and used Moonblast at point blank range, forcing the young man to dodge and back away.

A second later, the baby Slime blinked right beside Iris and used her ability to copy Pazuzu’s Shield Wall, creating a blue dome around her and Iris.

Lux was able to breathe a sigh of relief after seeing this. But, at that moment, a voice filled with annoyance reached his ears.

“Annoying monster.”

Suddenly, a silver spear collided with Eiko’s Shield Wall, piercing through it and hitting the baby Slime, who had been completely caught by surprise.

“Pa…”

Those were the last words that Eiko said before her body blew up, splattering everywhere.

The blue dome shattered into a hundred pieces, and all the Skeletons that Eiko had summoned crumbled into dust.

For a brief moment, time seemed to stop as Lux stared at the remains of the baby Slime who had been with him for a goodly portion of his journey in Elysium.

“E-Eiko…” Lux was in a state of shock because everything happened so quickly. He was finding it hard to process everything that had happened. One moment Eiko had just saved Iris from the young man who knocked her unconscious.

The next moment, a silver spear pierced her body, killing her in front of his very eyes.

“Eikoooooooo!” Lux screamed as time once again started to move, showing him that what he saw wasn’t a dream, but a reality that was akin to a nightmare.

The silver spear then flew back in the air and returned to Esmond’s hand.

“So many annoying insects getting in our way,” Esmond stated.

Vera was clutching her chest as blood spilled from it. Her opponent had used the opportunity to attack her when her attention shifted to Lux and Iris, who were attacked by the two Initiates that served the Prince.

“I’ll be taking this beauty with me now,” the young man with dark-blue hair commented as he picked up the unconscious young lady in his arms. “The Prince will surely reward me for this servic–”

The young man with dark-blue hair suddenly found himself rooted in place as if something had grasped his entire body, holding him in place.

“You… bastard,” Lux said in a hoarse voice. “I’ll kill… you!”

Within his heart, a black seed sprouted. Those who held the power of the Abyss could draw upon its power anytime, but a price had to be paid. Depending on the user’s need, the Abyssal Corruption in their body could take hold of their senses, making them transform into an Abyssal Creature, multiplying their power tenfold.

Black dragon scales covered Lux’s entire body, and a pair of horns grew into his head. Eyes, as red as blood, stared at the young man holding his fiance, making the Initiate unable to move a muscle.

“Dragon’s Fear…,” Cai muttered as she gritted her teeth to fight against the pressure that was descending on them all. “No good. The Heart of the Abyss is taking hold of his senses!”

Nero laughed internally as he looked at his love rival.

‘It’s over for you now, Lux,’ Nero sneered. ‘Once the Heart of the Abyss transforms your body into an Abyssal Creature, there is no turning back for you.’

Nero also knew that one day, his fate could be just like Lux’s. This was why those who had gained the power of the Abyss had to have a strong will, or they would be consumed by the power and the temptations it brought.

“Lux…,” Vera paled after seeing her grandson transform into a demi-dragon.

Lux’s entire body was now covered in dragon scales, including his face. The two black horns on his head, and the two black wings on his back oozed a black mist that spread across his entire body, making him look like an Abyssal Creature whom both the Elysians and Solaians hate.

With a roar filled with anger, Lux stomped his right foot on the ground, and shot towards the young man with dark-blue hair like a cannonball.

“N-No!” the young man shouted because his body wasn’t able to move.

Lux’s skill, Dragon’s Fear, paralyzed anyone whose rank was lower than him. Right now, his strength was at the peak of the Initiate Rank, just a step away from being a Ranker.

The sound of metals clashing against each other spread in the surroundings as Esmond appeared between Lux and his subordinate, blocking the demi-dragon’s attack.

“Run!” Esmond shouted. “Take the girl and run. As long as we have her, we can turn this situation around!”

“Y-Yes!” the young man suddenly came to his senses as he immediately turned around to run in the direction of the Prince.

But, before he could even do that, two black, demi-dragons appeared in front of him to block his way.

How could Lux possibly allow them to take Iris away without a fight?

The two clones roared and released their own Dragon Fear, stacking up with Lux’s own making everyone gasp for breath. It was as if the air itself became heavy, that breathing normally was deemed impossible.

‘Not good,’ Esmond thought even he, a Ranker, was being affected by the combined power of the three black, demi-dragons, making him feel as if a mountain was placed on his shoulders.

“Die, fiend!” Esmond shouted as he pushed Lux’s claw to the side before channeling his strongest attack to pierce through the demi-dragon’s chest.

“Like hell I’d allow you to kill another family member of mine!” Vera jumped between Lux and Esmond, using her body to block the spear that was aimed at her grandson’s heart.

A puppet stood in front of her, but Esmond’s full-powered blow was so strong that it pierced right through it, embedding itself in her chest, which sent her flying alongside Lux who caught her in his arms.

“Retreat!” Esmond shouted. “Protect the prince and run!”

Just as he was about to turn away, he heard a cold chuckle behind him, which made all the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

“Run?” an aged old voice asked. “Can you do it, Mortal?”

Esmond looked behind him and his face immediately became grim.

The black mists that were oozing from Lux’s body gathered together in one spot. The Half-Elf’s demi-dragon transformation was being undone at a very fast rate, and the Abyssal corruption flew towards a golden token that floated in the air.

“I thought that it would still take some time for the Abyssal Corruption in his heart to mature, but fortunately I was wrong.”

The black mists that had gathered around the golden token condensed and formed a crystal body that towered above the Ranker whose face had become as pale as a candle.

“Do you know?” the Crystal Dragon, Keoza, asked in a teasing tone. “What I like to eat the most is Abyssal Corruption.”

An amused expression could be seen on its draconic face, which made Prince Lowell’s private army’s heart shudder.

Lux didn’t summon him, but the Crystal Dragon had used the power of the Abyss, that had gone berserk in his heart, as an energy source to materialize in the world.

“Well then…” Keoza scanned the Half-Elf’s enemies with a sinister glint in its eyes. “How do you all want to die?”

Keoza released its own Dragon Fear that far surpassed Lux’s.

If Lux’s Dragon’s fear was like a candle light, Keoza’s Dragon Fear was like a bonfire. Forcing everyone below his rank to kneel in his presence.

For the first time since he approached the entrance of the Hidden Domain, Prince Lowell regretted his decision to attack the teenagers that belonged to the Six Kingdoms. If he hadn’t done that then perhaps…

Perhaps he wouldn’t be staring at the image of Death, whose gaping jaws had now opened wide, to release a Dragon’s Breath that would turn him, and his subordinates, into crystal sculptures.