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MP: 123 Reality Marble
🕑 Added 2025-01-14 16:00:32 +0000 UTCFwoom!
The moment the black flaming sword descended, waves of scorching heat surged forward like a tangible wall. In mere breaths, the fleshy swamp beneath their feet was reduced to charred remains, its searing intensity draining the moisture from the air and leaving those nearby with parched throats.
Hidden within the shadows, Nrvnqsr Chaos instinctively retreated from the infernal blaze. The oppressive heat, unnatural even to his inhuman form, forced discomfort upon him. For the first time in years, he regretted acting so impulsively.
The composed expression on his austere face crumbled, replaced by unease. His sharp, eagle-like eyes now fixed warily on Roy, filled with newfound trepidation.
Though Nrvnqsr had previously observed this boy in the city and dismissed him as a mere Church executor, he now realized how catastrophically wrong he had been.
The figure who wielded flames with such destructive force... Nrvnqsr didn’t know his true identity, but the sheer menace emanating from his every move surpassed even that of the Princess herself.
Strength, speed, and magical energy reserves that dwarfed his own. A wielder of devastating magecraft attacks and eerie fire. How could such a terrifying individual escape his notice? And why had someone like this appeared in such a remote location?
Alone, Roy would already be a formidable opponent. But combined with the girl, whose seemingly ordinary strikes could carve through his very essence, Nrvnqsr found himself cornered. It was as if she were his natural nemesis. He could still feel the chill of her blade; had he not acted quickly to separate his flesh, that single stroke might have ended him.
Who were these two monstrosities the Princess had aligned herself with?
Nrvnqsr cursed his misfortune. Against opponents whose abilities so fundamentally opposed his own, continuing this battle was a grave mistake. One sought to suppress him, while the other could potentially destroy him entirely. And with Arcueid close by, the odds of survival dwindled further.
Retreat.
The thought emerged in Nrvnqsr’s mind.
Even beasts, relentless in their pursuit of prey, would retreat when faced with existential threats. This survival instinct, etched into the core of life itself, applied even to a Dead Apostle Ancestor like him.
From the point where Roy’s flaming sword had landed, half of the building and all the surrounding flesh and shadow were incinerated. The charred remains smoldered, releasing waves of heat and thick, acrid smoke. The very ground beneath them radiated suffocating heat.
For now, it was unclear whether Roy had struck Nrvnqsr directly. His companions could only guess.
“Are you scared, Nrvnqsr Chaos? Planning to flee?”
“A so-called Dead Apostle Ancestor, reduced to trembling before mere humans. How laughable.”
Roy’s words cut like blades, striking Nrvnqsr Chaos’s pride with brutal precision.
Fear. Humiliation.
“…What nonsense.”
From Nrvnqsr’s dry throat came a strained voice, filled with bitterness.
To reach his current level of power, he had forsaken all remnants of humanity, ascending to the tenth seat among the Dead Apostle Ancestors. Yet now, he was mocked by mere humans... insignificant beings he had always regarded as cattle.
This was the ultimate insult.
Rage surged within Nrvnqsr’s mind like a storm.
But even in his fury, his rationality did not falter completely. He knew that retreating just a few steps would allow him to escape. Yet fleeing in disgrace... leaving his enemies to sneer at his back... was unthinkable.
I won’t allow it!
“Never!”
In a split second, the sound of cracking bones echoed through the air. Nrvnqsr’s neck twisted unnaturally, pain searing through his body as his cervical vertebrae fractured.
How could this be?
Even after merging with the surrounding shadows, an ability that made him nearly undetectable, his location had been pinpointed with ease.
How did he find me so quickly?
Had those words... meant to provoke... merely been a ploy to stall for time? Impossible. It was only a matter of seconds...
Nrvnqsr’s mind raced to comprehend what had just transpired. But before he could reach any conclusion, Roy’s iron fist slammed into his face with bone-shattering force.
The blow echoed like thunder. The impact deformed Nrvnqsr’s features, shattering bones and twisting limbs. His body, once a fortress of steel-like resilience, crumbled under the relentless assault.
He felt like molten steel on an anvil, hammered repeatedly by Roy, who showed no intention of stopping until every last impurity... every trace of life... was purged.
Monster...
The thought crossed Nrvnqsr’s mind. Compared to this man, he was the lesser monster. His own power seemed laughable in the face of Roy’s overwhelming dominance.
He had to find a way out.
“Gahhh!”
Desperation fueled Nrvnqsr’s magic. The shadows beneath him convulsed violently before bursting forth in the form of a massive wolf’s head. It lunged, its enormous jaws clamping onto Roy’s arm at point-blank range. Simultaneously, serpentine shadows slithered from below, coiling tightly around Roy’s legs in an attempt to drag him into the darkness.
“Watch out!”
Arcueid and Shiki, witnessing the sudden counterattack, rushed to intervene.
But their assistance proved unnecessary.
“Stay back!”
Roy shouted, his voice sharp and commanding. There was no need for further explanation; the surging magical energy radiating from his body and the molten ground beneath his feet was warning enough.
Black flames surged once more, spilling from his hands, arms, and entire body in a torrential cascade.
The rising temperature burned the very air, drawing moisture from the eyes of anyone nearby. The serpents coiled around his legs were instantly incinerated, their remains shriveled to husks by the searing heat. The massive wolf that had emerged from Nrvnqsr Chaos’s chest let out an agonized howl before its skull was crushed in a vice-like grip by the man’s flame-wreathed hands. Like Heracles tearing apart the Nemean lion, the beast was savagely ripped asunder.
The floor beneath them, unable to withstand the unbearable heat, gave way entirely. A molten fissure split through the apartment building’s foundation, pulling both figures into freefall.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Let me go!”
Nrvnqsr Chaos writhed, summoning the power of his beastial essence. His body bristled with venomous spines, and from his back unfurled the massive wings of a crow, poised to take flight.
But the only response was a crushing fist that shattered his face, completely disregarding his defensive barbs. The impact spun his broken body midair like a ragdoll, slamming him into the building’s structure. From the seventh floor, his mangled form was driven downward in a series of cataclysmic collisions.
The black wings, once poised for flight, were violently torn away before they could lift him to safety.
Boom!
As the two combatants plummeted, their relentless clash sent shockwaves through the structure, reducing the once-sturdy apartment complex to a precarious ruin. It was miraculous it had even lasted this long under such ferocity.
Realizing the imminent collapse, Arcueid swiftly scooped up Shiki and leaped from the battlefield.
Plummeting debris, coupled with their current injuries, posed a lethal risk... particularly to Shiki, who lacked supernatural resilience.
Arcueid had no reason to worry about the battle below. Roy, was far stronger than she had imagined. Even at her full strength, she doubted she could gain the upper hand against him.
Against Roy, Nrvnqsr Chaos stood no chance. From the moment their clash began, Nrvnqsr had been completely outmatched... barely surviving only due to his vexing immortality. Without it, he would have long been annihilated.
For now, Arcueid focused on securing Shiki. Roy clearly valued this girl deeply, and protecting her was the best course of action. Not that Shiki seemed to need much protection, as far as she could tell.
With her priorities clear, Arcueid darted through the collapsing structure, carrying Shiki to safety.
Meanwhile, at the base of the crumbling building, Roy and Nrvnqsr Chaos continued their brutal battle.
Faced with the prospect of annihilation, Nrvnqsr Chaos unleashed his ultimate arsenal.
The shadows beneath his feet roiled, bubbling to life. Emerging from their depths were not the usual beasts but something altogether different... hybrid monsters of myth and nightmare.
Griffins with eagle heads and lion bodies, their wings outstretched in lethal majesty. The nine-headed Hydra spewing venomous mists into the air. Even the Chimera, its lion’s head, goat’s body, and scorpion’s tail reared in defiance.
A pantheon of horrors materialized, each creature crafted from the essence of his beastly familiars. Though far removed from the might of their mythological counterparts, these monstrosities were far beyond anything most modern magus could hope to confront.
This was Nrvnqsr Chaos’s trump card. He had poured nearly all his remaining energy into forging these composite beasts.
But no matter how fearsome they appeared, against Roy’s relentless onslaught, they were nothing more than kindling.
“Impossible!” Nrvnqsr Chaos’s voice cracked with disbelief.
One by one, his mythical hybrids fell. The Hydra and Chimera, magnificent in their grotesque forms, were reduced to cinders under the scorching blaze of Roy’s black-flamed sword. They didn’t merely die; they were erased... consumed utterly by the inferno, leaving not even ash behind.
Roy strode forward, the embers of his previous strikes still smoldering underfoot. The blackened steel of his blade glinted ominously in the firelight as he closed the distance.
Shhhk! Shhhk! Shhhk!
The sound of flesh being pierced and burned echoed through the air, accompanied by Nrvnqsr Chaos’s guttural screams. His body was obliterated again and again, only to regenerate moments later.
Destruction. Regeneration. Destruction. Regeneration.
The cycle repeated endlessly. No matter how many times Roy struck, Nrvnqsr Chaos’s shattered body reformed.
Unkillable.
Nrvnqsr Chaos’s immortality stemmed from his Reality Marble, Lair of the Beast King, which he had fused with his very being. This granted him the unparalleled ability to resurrect endlessly unless all 666 of his stored beastly essences were simultaneously obliterated.
It was this immortality that made him such a nightmare for the Holy Church.
But even immortality had its limits.
Though his body continued to mend, the sheer agony of being torn apart and rebuilt over and over began to break Nrvnqsr Chaos.
Destruction. Regeneration.
Again and again.
His once-calm expression twisted in desperation, and the arrogant composure he had clung to finally shattered.
Destruction. Regeneration. Destruction. Regeneration. Destruction. Regeneration.
How many times had this cycle repeated in mere minutes?
His limbs were repeatedly severed with astonishing speed by Roy, only to regenerate moments later. Any attempt to resist was futile; Nrvnqsr Chaos found himself utterly immobilized.
The figure before him seemed tireless, each slash faster than the last, an unrelenting force that knew no mercy.
"I won't let you live another second."
With this vow echoing in his mind, Roy's magical energy surged higher, fueled by boundless rage.
Strike after strike fell, slicing through Nrvnqsr Chaos’s limbs and scorching his body with searing flames.
At that moment, Nrvnqsr Chaos was visibly shaken.
Though his immortality shielded him from death, the torment of being endlessly slain and reborn... the suffocating sensation of cycling between annihilation and renewal... was driving him mad.
This relentless onslaught mirrored the terror he had instilled in his own prey. For the first time, Nrvnqsr Chaos tasted the despair he had so often delivered to others.
Move. Move, dammit!
If this continued, if the princess and that peculiar girl, the one who could genuinely threaten his existence, joined the fray, it would all be over.
Desperation clawed at him. Every ounce of power he could muster, every beast he could conjure, anything... anything to save himself... he called forth.
The shadow beneath him expanded violently, birthing grotesque, monstrous creatures to stall Roy and buy him a fleeting chance to escape.
But it was futile.
Roy cleaved through the beasts with an unstoppable aura, reducing them to smoldering chunks of scorched flesh within moments.
Gazing at Nrvnqsr Chaos’s panic-stricken expression, Roy finally spoke.
"Are you afraid?"
"You, who have spread death so freely, who have claimed countless lives... are you afraid of your own mortality now?"
"A creature like you has no right to live!"
Advancing on Nrvnqsr Chaos, Roy raised his flame-wreathed sword and struck, carving deep into the Dead Apostle Ancestor’s pride and breaking what little confidence remained.
And yet, the blow was not enough to end him. Without destroying all 666 of the Beast Factors housed within him, Nrvnqsr Chaos would regenerate, his shattered body endlessly reborn at Roy’s feet.
The cycle of destruction and renewal continued.
But this stalemate was nearing its end.
Minutes later, Arcueid arrived, carrying Shiki in her arms.
Upon reaching the battleground, Shiki leapt gracefully from Arcueid's grasp. Her ice-blue eyes pierced the dark night as she drew her silver blade, ready to bring true death to the undying.
Now, all Roy needed to do was pin Nrvnqsr Chaos down. Once Shiki severed his death lines, it would all be over.
With determination blazing in her gaze, Shiki sprinted forward.
She knew exactly what needed to be done.
Her sharp eyes traced the intricate death lines running across Nrvnqsr Chaos's body. All she needed was to find the convergence point... to follow those lines to their source and slice downward.
That would spell his end.
As the black-haired girl approached, exuding an aura of lethal inevitability, Nrvnqsr Chaos's mind raced, replaying countless thoughts in a desperate frenzy.
Is this... my death?
What can I do to survive?
Release more beasts? Stall them further?
No. No matter how many familiars he conjured, they would all be annihilated in seconds. That would only delay the inevitable.
But if that blade reached him, it would truly be over. What could he possibly do?
His thoughts spiraled uncontrollably, and in that chaotic haze, he glimpsed his end... a vision of ultimate defeat.
Total annihilation awaited him.
"No! I won’t accept this fate!"
A guttural, desperate scream erupted from Nrvnqsr Chaos, resonating with sheer defiance.
The abnormal surge of magical energy within his body drew Roy's sharp attention.
“What is this…?”
Nrvnqsr Chaos had no choice left.
With a horrific display, he tore open his own chest, unsealing the final weapon hidden deep within.
His ultimate gamble had begun.
The black shadow exploded outward, devouring everything in its path and erasing the world around it. In the eyes of onlookers, the entire building vanished, replaced by a towering, pulsating wall of shadowy flesh.
This was chaos incarnate. Flesh from chaos, soil of disorder... a calamity born unto the world.
Roy’s expression turned grim as he recognized the phenomenon before him.
Reality Marble: Lair of the Beast King.
In a desperate final move, Nrvnqsr Chaos unleashed the Reality Marble embedded within his own body, the chaotic nest of 666 Beast Factors erupting into the physical world.
Beastly roars echoed endlessly, the spiraling mass of black flesh and blood expanding into an unholy domain. Reality itself seemed to twist and shatter as the grotesque realm enveloped everything.
