Chapter 86: Livid Curses.
Within the writhing mass of black sludge, Vincent continued his relentless assault, refusing to ease the pressure behind his cane for even a single moment.
The enchanted runes remained buried deep within Naomi’s dissolved body, crushing down on her while the corrosive sludge continued hissing against his flesh. Smoke rose from his legs and waist as the sludge slowly ate into him, yet his grip never wavered.
Naomi finally snapped.
A black sludge spike suddenly shot towards Vincent’s head. He released one hand from the cane and twisted his body aside just enough for the spike to graze past his cheek before disappearing into the darkness.
Naomi screamed.
Dozens more spikes erupted from every direction.
They stabbed through the sludge without rhythm, forcing Vincent completely onto the defensive.
One spike eventually tore across his ribs, while several more narrowly missed his heart by mere inches. Blood sprayed into the black sludge, yet Vincent refused to give an inch. Every movement he made revolved around one objective. Keeping the enchanted runes pressed against Naomi’s dissolved body, no matter how violently she struggled.
Then black sludge suddenly convulsed.
For the first time since the battle began, its movements lost all rhythm. The countless spikes that had relentlessly assaulted Vincent slowed one after another before collapsing back into the sludge. Even the corrosive liquid engulfing his body began to weaken, the violent sizzling gradually fading into silence.
Vincent noticed immediately, his pitch-black eyes narrowing, at that very moment, he could see Naomi’s soul beginning to flicker like a firefly.
"You’ve reached your limit."
Naomi didn’t answer, not that she could. She was losing control of her body and ability, she knew just as much as Vincent, that she was at her absolute limit.
The sludge writhed desperately, as though fighting against itself. Then, against her own will, a pale hand slowly emerged from the black liquid.
The trembling hand was followed by an arm. Blood immediately streamed down the exposed flesh before disappearing into the sludge below.
Then came her pristine white shoulder, part of her chest and then the side of her neck. Every inch of her body that resurfaced bled profusely, crimson blood pouring endlessly from beneath the black sludge.
"NO". Naomi protested
The sludge surged once more, desperately trying to swallow the exposed flesh and dissolve it again, but every attempt was weaker than the last. Her ability was no longer obeying her.
Vincent never relaxed.
The muscles along his arms bulged as he continued forcing the cane deeper. The enchanted runes glowed brighter, refusing to release what they had already pinned.
More of Naomi’s body surfaced, until she was completely bare for all to see, blood kept spilling from every part of her as though her body itself was rejecting the transformation.
Naomi slowly lifted her head.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth as her eyes met Vincent’s. The hatred that had carried her through the entire battle was gone. So was the panic of a nameless life.
Only exhaustion remained.
Vincent looked into her eyes for a long moment, then said quietly. "It’s over."
The runes beneath the cane flared with a brilliant white glow, Vincent pushed down one final time and Naomi’s rib cage shattered and the cane punctured her heart.
... ...
Towering sheets of ancient ice leaned in different directions, countless craters scarred the once pristine ground, while enormous fractures stretched for hundreds of metres in every direction.
Several sections had already collapsed entirely, exposing the endless darkness beneath the ice. White mist drifted lazily from the countless cracks, making it seem as though the frozen world itself was coming alive.
Near the centre of the devastation, one fracture dwarfed all the others.
It was less a crack than an abyss.
The opening cut deep into the frozen earth, every so often, another distant collapse echoed from somewhere beneath the surface, reminding anyone nearby that the underground world was still falling apart.
Then without warning, A black cane spun out of the abyss.
It tumbled over before embedding itself into the ice, the impact sending fine cracks spreading beneath it.
Only a few moments later, Vincent’s figure shot out of the crater.
He landed beside the cane before casually pulling it free from the ice. Almost instinctively, he reached for the front of his suit to straighten it, only for his hand to meet bare skin.
Vincent’s gaze slowly travelled downward. His jacket was gone and his shirt had long since dissolved.
Even most of his trousers had suffered the same fate, leaving only torn remnants stubbornly hanging from his waist and thighs. The corrosive sludge had done a far more thorough job than he’d initially realised.
Vincent closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"...Damn."
He let out a long, disappointed sigh.
"What a complete waste."
He brushed a few remaining fragments of ice from his shoulder out of habit, despite there being nothing left worth salvaging.
Then his expression changed.
Far across the frozen landscape, a familiar cloud of black miasma raced towards him with terrifying speed.
Vincent narrowed his pitch-black eyes.
Every few seconds, space folded around the approaching miasma before it vanished, only to reappear much closer than before.
Then the Therizon burst from the miasma.
Its enormous body surfed through distorted space before crashing back into reality, never slowing for even an instant. Atop its back, Damien clung to the two long feathers behind its head, riding the colossal beast straight towards Vincent.
"Son of a..."
Vincent cursed in every way he could possibly think of.
He was certainly astonished, but not because Damien was riding the Therizon. It was because Damien was still alive after doing so.
Vincent had personally experienced the creature’s curse. It wasn’t something the body could simply endure. It seeped directly into the soul, poisoning it in a way that even his own status struggled to resist.
And yet, there was Damien.
Riding the damned creature as though it was his house pet, Vincent was livid.