Drip… Drip…..
Molten lava dripped from Zombie Leon’s back, sizzling as it hit the ground. His hollow, burning eyes glared at Victor, who held his grotesque tail with bare hands, unfazed by the searing heat.
Victor tossed the disfigured tail aside, his gaze shifting to Raven and Thalia.
Their clothes were slightly singed, revealing patches of skin where small drops of molten lava had burned through. Both women clutched their stomachs, where the lava had left its scorching mark.
Victor himself bore similar wounds from the tail’s attack, but a black mist quickly enveloped his injuries, healing and purifying before he healed and purified them too.
“Looks like we don’t have to worry about getting cursed after all,” Thalia remarked with a smirk, cracking her knuckles in anticipation.
With a fierce stomp, she propelled herself forward, appearing before Zombie Leon in a blur. Her fist connected with his face, sending his head snapping back.
“Take that, you shitty bastard!” she shouted, her voice filled with fury as she landed another powerful punch, then swiftly followed it with a kick to his midsection.
BOOM!
Zombie Leon was hurled through the air, Before he could even land on the ground, Raven materialized beside him, her thin swords gleaming in the dim light as they sliced through his limbs with surgical precision.
With brutal force, she slammed his dismembered body into the ground, causing molten lava to splash and spread across the floor. The searing heat penetrated her skin, but Raven didn’t flinch; the pain was insignificant compared to the anguish she’d felt at almost losing Thalia.
‘Looks like they’re going all out,’ Victor thought, an amused expression playing on his lips as he watched them mercilessly pummel Zombie Leon.
He couldn’t help but smirk, “You guys never give him a break, do you?” he muttered under his breath before joining in the fray.
Victor appeared beside the limbless Zombie Leon, grabbing him by the neck and lifting him off the ground with ease,
“Ha! Leon? It’s me… your BFF… Victor!” he taunted, his voice dripping with mockery.
Zombie Leon, struggling to move, flinched at the sound of his name. His empty eye sockets locked onto Victor, a spark of recognition flickering in their depths,
“Vicccorrrr?” he rasped, his voice broken and distorted.
Victor smirked, leaning in closer. “Yes, the one and only!” he sneered before slapping the bony face, “Disgusting… I wonder how disgusted Selene would be if she saw you like this.”
Zombie Leon’s body trembled,
Splash, Splash….
Molten lava poured out from the stumps of his limbs and the holes in his face as if trying to cover and protect itself.
Victor watched with a mix of pity and disdain.
With a casual shrug, Victor tightened his grip and,
Snap
with a quick snap, broke Zombie Leon’s neck. Everything seemed to halt at that moment.
‘Is that it…?’ Victor thought, his face contorted in a mix of pity and confusion. In the end, Leon had died by his hand… a truly pitiful end.
But something felt off—Victor noticed that his Umbra (Dark) domain wasn’t reacting as it should.
‘Is it because he’s already dead and his soul has left his body?’ Victor pondered, staring at the lifeless corpse in deep thought.
Just as he was about to turn away, Zombie Leon’s small, pale horn suddenly began to glow with an eerie brightness. His body twitched violently before,
“KKKYYYYYYRRRRR!!!”
A horrific scream tore through the air, forcing both Thalia and Raven to clutch their ears in agony.
“Shut up!” Victor growled, his irritation boiling over as he punched Zombie Leon square in the mouth, silencing the ghastly noise. But just as he thought it was over—
BOOOMM!!
Victor’s reflexes kicked in as he caught Thalia’s powerful fist mid-strike.
He looked at her, confusion etched on his face. Thalia’s eyes were blank, devoid of emotion, and filled with an unsettling killing intent as she stared him down.
‘What the hell is going on?’ Victor thought, his heart pounding as he glanced at Raven, who was clutching her head in visible pain. She looked up at him, her voice strained as she muttered, “V-Victor… W-We need to break the horn…”
Before Victor could ask for clarification, Zombie Leon’s body was suddenly yanked backwards by an unseen force.
Victor blinked, turning around just in time to see…. a Wyvern monster appear.
More of them emerged, surrounding the narrow path, their socket eyes fixed on the scene before them. The lead Wyvern grabbed Zombie Leon’s body as if it were a prized treasure.
“Vicccooorrrrr!!” Zombie Leon’s distorted voice echoed through the air, filled with desperation.
BOOMM!!
Thalia lashed out, kicking Victor and forcing him to back off.
He quickly moved to stand beside Raven, his expression twisted with confusion. “What’s happening?”
Raven gritted her teeth, fighting through the pain that was clawing at her mind, “S-Since Leon is directly descended from the Dragon Emperor… ouch… Arrhh… He has the ability to control other dragons and their sub-races…”
Victor raised his eyebrows and nodded, understanding dawning on him, “What should we do now?” he asked, his eyes scanning the horde of Wyverns that surrounded them.
Thalia cracked her knuckles, her gaze steely as she stared at Victor.
“The only way to stop this is… to break the horn,” Raven said, her voice firm.
“…That’s it?” Victor asked.
“H-Huh? No! It’s not like anyone would tou—” Raven began, her voice tinged with panic, but she was abruptly cut off.
“Take care of the Wyverns,” Victor commanded.
With a powerful stomp on the ground, he launched himself at Thalia, kicking her away as she was hurtling toward him.
He then leapt toward the Wyvern holding Zombie Leon. A wave of purification magic enveloped the creature, covering its body in a thick, black mist. The Wyvern let out a tortured scream as it released Zombie Leon, the pain unbearable.
Victor caught Leon’s limp body again, his face etched with irritation. He grabbed the small, glowing horn on Leon’s head, his grip tightening.
“WAIT!!” Raven’s voice rang out, desperate and full of alarm, but she was immediately surrounded by the Wyverns, their molten breath closing in on her.
“Get out of my way!!” Raven roared, slashing through the monsters with relentless fury. The molten lava splashed around her, searing her skin, but she pushed through the pain, driven by sheer determination.
“H-Ha… Ha…” Raven’s breath came in ragged gasps, her body feeling heavy and unbearably hot. Her knees buckled, and she fell to the ground, her vision darkening at the edges. Just as another Wyvern lunged at her from behind, jaws wide open, ready to tear into her—
BOOMM!!
Raven flinched, she turned to see Thalia smashing the creature into the ground with brutal force.
Thalia’s entire body was covered in molten lava, yet she stood firm, the heat seemingly unable to touch her spirit.
“Tsk, I can’t believe I was so easily controlled by a low-class bastard!” Thalia spat, her voice thick with disgust as she extended a hand to help Raven to her feet.
“Y-You’re okay?” Raven asked, her surprise evident.
“Well, his kick really snapped me out of it…” Thalia admitted awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck.
Raven managed a small smile, a brief moment of relief washing over her. But then—
SSSNNNGGGGGGGG!!
A blinding light suddenly erupted from where Victor stood, causing both women to shield their eyes.
However, Raven, with her sunglasses on, caught a glimpse of what was happening. Her heart skipped a beat.
“What the hell!!!” Raven shouted, her voice filled with disbelief.
“What’s happening?” Thalia asked, squinting against the light, trying to make sense of the situation.
“He… He’s touching the horn with his bare hands…” Raven mumbled, her voice tinged with shock as she momentarily forgot the searing pain burning through her body.
Thalia’s eyes widened in horror, “T-That’s impossible… No one can touch the horn of a Dragon Emperor or his descendants with their bare hands… That’s ridiculous! Those horns contain the power of the entire empire—touching them should turn anyone into ash!” She paused, her mind racing as realization dawned on her, “O-Origin Emperor’s another descendent?”
Raven’s voice trembled, “I… I don’t know anymore…” They both stood in awe, their pain and exhaustion forgotten as they witnessed the impossible.
Meanwhile, Victor struggled to pull the horn free, his muscles straining against the resistance.
“Why isn’t it coming out?” he muttered, frustration creeping into his voice. Despite using all his strength, the horn remained firmly in place, as if something deep within it was anchoring it to Leon’s skull. And now, a strange, pulsating light was emanating from the horn, growing brighter with each passing second.
“Whatever!” Victor shrugged off his doubts, as he increased the Level…
!~Ding~!
[You have Levelled up!!]
[Level: 43↑]
Crack!
The horn finally began to crack under the pressure. Victor’s lips curled into a triumphant smile as he gave it one last, powerful yank.
“Hm?” Victor suddenly felt an intense heat spreading through his chest, the sensation growing rapidly until—
BOOMMMMM!!!!
An explosion of energy blasted Victor backwards, sending him crashing into the ground.
Thud!
“Ouch!”
Victor groaned, the pain radiating through his body as he struggled to regain his bearings. Slowly, he looked down at his hand, where he saw the small, pale blue horn.
Victor smirked, watching as Zombie Leon’s form disintegrated into…. ashes!!
Find adventures on empire
“Finally…” he murmured, feeling a sense of finality wash over him.
But then, a sharp, burning sensation flared in his chest. He glanced down to find his chest bare, the ring on his neck searing with an intense heat.
‘It’s… it’s burning,’ he thought, his hand instinctively reaching for the ring. But before he could comprehend what was happening, he noticed two shadows looming over him.
Lifting his head, he saw Raven and Thalia staring at him with utter shock, their faces pale as if they couldn’t believe what they had just witnessed.
Victor’s expression shifted to one of amused bewilderment, “What? Shocked to see my otherworldly powers?” he teased.
However,
“”A-Aether?”” they both gasped in unison, their voices trembling.
Victor frowned, confusion flickering in his eyes before his hand shot up to his face. His heart sank as he realized… the mask was gone. Only the charred remnants remained, burned away in the blast.
“Fuck!”