Chapter 23: The Earth Splits Asunder
Boom—! Boom—! The ground cracked open. Between the fissures splitting in every direction, green trees and gray stone pillars erupted upward. Towering pillars shrouded in nature's power corrupted by the Abyss. Even brushing against them promised utter pulverization.
Hayes watched the oncoming wave of trees and stone in silence. Her staggering body was too slow to dodge. Shwooo...! The shadows she had spread enveloped her. In the blink of an eye, Hayes vanished.
Kaboom—! Spilvena's technique obliterated only the innocent Shadow Forest.
"Shadow teleportation! Fitting for the Dark Lord!"
Thanks to the terrain Spilvena had wrecked, shadows blanketed the area. Hayes emerged from the shadow of a stone pillar above Spilvena's head. Hanging upside down, she gripped her Death Scythe and leaped downward. Slash—! She slashed with the Death Scythe and vanished into the ground's shadow.
The massive bear's flesh split in a single stroke. Yet Spilvena's body didn't fall.
Crunch—! Massive teeth burst forth, interlocking to seal the wounds.
Hayes, who had emerged from the shadows to observe, frowned. She had slashed seven times with full force to ensure death, but the Abyss bear showed no damage.
"Man, the sensation of dying is creepy no matter how many times. That scythe—grazing it guarantees death. Totally unfair. Heh."
Spilvena shook off his shoulders lightly and sneered.
"Keh heh heh. That look in your eyes—you've figured it out. Yeah, I die every time you hit me, Dark Lord. But—!"
Spilvena stomped the ground. Boom—! The tangled mess of stone and trees cleared in an instant. With one footfall, he created a vast plain, his eyes gleaming.
"This body is Spilvena Emul! Chieftain and druid who commands nature and souls. Killing me, fused with countless others, is impossible for you right now!"
Spilvena had devoured all druids with the Swallower's Power, growing his strength. Beyond that, over the years, he consumed powerful adventurers. Even if the Death Scythe brought death, he revived by devouring other souls. A feat even the original Swallower couldn't achieve—a miracle only a soul-communing druid could perform.
"Here's a tip. To kill me, you'd need to slash 1,382 times. But Dark Lord, can you even manage that now? Keh heh heh."
"..."
Spilvena was waiting for Hayes's depleted mana to run out completely.
"Truly... it won't be long now... I've waited so patiently."
He drooled at the thought of devouring the Dark Lord, his tongue flicking and throat gulping with raw greed.
Hayes leaned on her Death Scythe. She looked on the verge of collapse. The Dark Lord, once radiating chilling death mana, was no more.
Even in this dire situation, Hayes's eyes remained indifferent.
"You're afraid of me."
"Ha ha... Me? Of you? Can't you see the situation?! My mana and life are endless! You're barely leaning on that scythe with your frail body! And you think I'm afraid of you!!"
Spilvena bellowed, swinging his arm to glare at Hayes. She didn't miss the opening.
Krunch—! The Death Scythe erupted from Spilvena's shadow.
"Guh—! Urk—! Useless—!"
Mana surged from the Death Scythe piercing from back to chest. Shadow blades exploded from it, shredding Spilvena. Slice—! Slice—! His limbs split apart. Shadow blades burst from the gashes, slicing again. Hayes's technique, born of death mana.
In moments, chunks of bear flesh rained down.
"..."
No matter how finely minced, mouths of devouring emerged from Spilvena's flesh. Crunch—! Crunch—!
"That just killed me 21 times total. How'd you muster that from your weak body? So tempting. Keh heh heh."
Crunch—! Spilvena regenerated instantly. Despite recovery, the mouth protruding from his chest opened and closed. He grew larger by devouring life mana. Now towering like a wall he could smash in one blow.
"Cough—!"
Hayes spat black blood from overexertion. Her vision blurred and shook.
"I've revived countless times!! And you think I'm afraid of you!!?"
Spilvena roared. He revived endlessly, growing stronger by devouring life mana. Hayes, meanwhile, looked ready to crumple at a mere gesture.
Spilvena bellowed, glaring at her.
"But you still can't see my attacks, can you?"
Hayes, head bowed too weak to lift, forced her mouth open.
"An idiot... who can't even use... his full power properly... has no reason to beat me."
Hayes looked up at Spilvena. He blanked at her words, then twisted his face in rage.
"...I'll devour you right now—!!"
Spilvena charged. The earth quaked with each step. The mouth on his chest gaped wide, unleashing Abyss mana to crush Hayes.
"Heh... Should've done that from the start. Too late."
Hayes raised her hand. Her finger pointed at the oncoming behemoth.
Something massive surged behind her. Kabooooom—!
"Wha...!?"
A colossal skeletal serpent coiled up. Bone segments brimming with deadly venom. Three times larger than the enlarged Spilvena. The serpent's jaws unhinged, plunging toward him.
"Gaaah—!"
Upon impact, it spewed venom. Each dose near-fatal, stacking deaths on Spilvena.
"No prob—! I'll devour this too—!"
Pushed back, Spilvena invoked the Swallower's Power with a roar. Countless massive mouths erupted across his body. Crunch—! He swallowed and digested the serpent. As bones vanished, resistance to the venom built. Venom even beaded on his fur.
Spilvena halted the retreat, eyes gleaming.
"Ha ha ha—! Is that your ace? I still have thousands of lives!!"
Mad with rage, he advanced again, devouring the serpent. Hayes closed her eyes, focusing on the approaching giant.
Shwooo...! Shadows from the massive serpent thickened and spread. Covering every inch of ground, Hayes plunged her Death Scythe into the shadows. Ripples spread.
"Come forth."
At her words, deathly beings erupted from the shadows.
Neighhh—!! A dullahan on a phantom steed drew its blade. Behind, skeletal soldiers rose, eyes blazing as they charged. Kyaaaaah—! The banshee queen's wail decomposed matter. The chilling dirge erased the Shadow Forest terrain. Whoosh—! A massive fireball from liches and skeletal mages detonated. Scorching heat to incinerate all.
Countless undead rose from the shadows. Hayes, King of Death. One who could fell Adenia alone. Her power unleashed.
"I'll stab you over a thousand times."
Clack—! At her will, the undead drew blades and readied spells.
"Kill."
She gestured command. Stab—!
"—!?"
But against her order, a deathly being stabbed her from behind. A black blade protruded from her side. Hayes spat blood, eyes widening.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!! Dark Lord...! You thought I'd come unprepared!?"
Spilvena threw his arms skyward, laughing maniacally.
"For 50 years, the underworld has flickered open and shut in this forest! I've devoured its essence with the Swallower's Power!"
He covered his mouth, laughing uncontrollably.
"And I'm a druid who commands souls! The realm of death is no longer yours alone. Kra ha ha ha!!"
As Spilvena said, the deathly beings around Hayes turned their blades on her.
"..."
Hayes's lips moved. Shwoo...! The vast shadows retracted. The risen deathly beings vanished.
"Smart. Giving up the tug-of-war over death's power. Fitting companion for a seasoned hero."
"..."
"I'll hear your last words before you get devoured."
"Filthy—"
"What? Can't hear you? Keh heh heh."
"Don't speak his name with that filthy mouth."
Hayes looked up at Spilvena with her 'sight.' The source of her power: the Death Eye beheld his soul's form. A colossal aggregate of souls. Many souls forming one mass. Countless souls reached out, wailing. Amid weeping souls, Abyss fangs surged, grinding and devouring them. Even as it devoured, more souls poured from within, screaming.
Spilvena's soul was an endless hellish cycle. Slashed by the Death Scythe, it revived by consuming others. But Hayes's eye saw something special: at the core, the bear's soul.
Crack—!
"Urk—!"
Hayes staggered, hand over her eye. The overexertion in her exhausted state shattered the Death Eye. Her power source broken, she couldn't wield mana. Her blurred vision plunged into total darkness. Blinded in one eye, she peered at the massive Spilvena through hazy reverse vision.
Yet she had paid dearly for a gain. Thud—!
The colossal Spilvena toppled backward. The bear soul that needed thousands of deaths vanished in one stroke, leaving only flesh.
"...Cough—!"
Hayes collapsed, black blood spilling from her mouth. The cost of the Death Eye outweighed her side wound.
"Regen... regenerate..."
If she'd conserved power, a better outcome might have come. But Hayes couldn't contain her rage. The filthy Abyss mouth had spoken of the hero. She couldn't let the Abyss defile the world he'd fought to protect.
"..."
Thinking of him brought surging sorrow. She missed him. Through her one dim eye, the Shadow Forest sky remained dark.
"No... not yet..."
Negative thoughts slowed her recovery. Dying, but she couldn't end it now. She hadn't seen him yet. It couldn't end like this.
Hayes forcibly recalled happy memories. The starry night he'd shown her. Her trembling eased. She closed her eyes, entrusting her body to ambient life mana.
—Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.
"...!"
An Abyss laugh echoed. Hayes whipped her head around. The fallen bear body rose. She'd killed its soul core—proven by its vacant eyes.
Before her thought finished, massive fangs appeared at Spilvena's nape. Crunch—! A devouring maw rose, swallowing the bear's face without trace. Now just a headless bear silhouette. Grind...! Grind...!! Flesh pushed out, fangs meshed, and something emerged from the empty neck: a serpent's face.
The serpent face, fully embedded in the bear body, looked at Hayes and grinned. A toothy serpent grin.
"How...!"
At Hayes's shock, the fanged serpent smirked smugly.
—Long time no see, friend. Missed me?
"Swallower...! We destroyed you together!"
One of the Abyss's nightmares. The Swallower had revived possessing Spilvena's body.
—Friend, before that—how've you been? It was hell for me. Consciousness shredded, devoured by maggots. Can't even think properly as a snake, devoured endlessly. Ugh, don't ask. Oh, the snake! Right, your hunch. Forest snakes ate my chunks and grew fat. Died to your power anyway. But ta-da! Some inferiority-complex druid ate the snake's heart!! That guy craved power more than me.
Hayes gritted her teeth. The chatty serpent—definitely the Swallower.
—Oh yeah! How I revived? Of course I'll tell. He rose as Hayes watched, clapping.
His friendly tone opened wide.
—Always wanted to say this. That hero guy—he'd say talk it out, but always hit me with this. Ah! Finally my turn! Beautiful day, huh?
The bear with serpent head spun playfully. Ta-da—! Arms flung wide like over-the-top theater.
—Your mom.
"...!!"
Hayes forced herself up, glaring at the Swallower.
—Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.
The Swallower clapped at the bleeding Hayes, laughing unpleasantly like at a fun toy. Thud—! Rock erupted at her feet, binding her.
"...!"
Faster and more adept than Spilvena's nature control. The Swallower wielded devoured powers freely.
—Tsk tsk! Can't have that. Hmm... Can't use that eye anymore, right? Hee hee—! The serpent mouth split grotesquely upward. Bear paw shyly covered it.
—Puh. Hu. Hu. Hu. Then let's merge peacefully, friend. Don't fear. I'll use your death power well. Oh! Do I become King of Death now?
The Swallower giggled, approaching the bound Hayes. Each step, greedy mouths clacked, drooling. Drool from the devouring maws eroded the terrain. The fully manifested Abyss power was perilous.
Facing the Swallower through hazy vision, Hayes resolved. A Swallower wielding death would threaten the world. Someone would stop this chatterbox eventually. But if too late, the world he'd protected would become ruins.
So.
"Didn't even get to say goodbye..."
Tears flowed from her one working eye. Hayes summoned her remaining death mana with resolve.
A cursed life. But happy with you. Goodbye, Evan. Goodbye, my first friend. Goodbye, my first...
Splurt—! Slash—!
—Grahk—!
A scream. Something sliced. Hayes opened her eyes. The mouth on the bear's chest split, spraying fangs and blood. Through hazy vision, starlight gleamed between sword trails. Rumble—! The binding rock shattered.
Someone caught her as she fell—with hands.
"...!"
Familiar hands. Familiar starlight. Hayes turned urgently to see her savior.
"Ah... Ah... Ah..."
Words failed. Her throat choked. Her one eye brimmed with tears, blinding her. Yet she knew. His warmth, black hair, black eyes. That lonely smile. The precious one she'd always longed for. Smiling at her just like their first meeting.
"Hey, Hayes. Long time no see. Still crying, huh."