Chapter 148: Chapter 148 - Red rope
Her cold gaze landed on the creature, frozen mid-snarl, its monstrous body locked between time and space.
The ethereal figure glided toward it, her movements slow and unhurried.
An otherworldly spear materialized in her hand, its tip glowing a pure, holy white, a stark contrast to the darkness that had filled the domain moments ago.
Even in its frozen state, the creature seemed to shudder, sensing something.
Without a word, the ethereal Amelia raised the spear and plunged it into the creature's chest.
The impact was silent, but the power of the strike rippled across the entire domain.
{[Seal]}
As the ethereal figure faded from the frozen world, everything seemed to hold its breath for a brief moment.
The air was still, the silence heavy until,
crack!
A sharp sound pierced the stillness, echoing through the chamber.
It was followed by a violent shattering, like the very fabric of reality breaking apart.
Both domains, the icy, oppressive force of Niflheim and the creature's dark miasmic world crumbled.
The world that had frozen time and space dissolved into nothingness.
The creature's corpse, once held up by dark energy, now fell to the ground with a lifeless thud.
Its twisted form lay lifeless in the center of the chamber, the dark mist that once surrounded it gone.
Bronn, still standing in the aftermath, blinked in confusion.
His large frame swayed slightly as he looked around, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
"What... just happened?" His deep voice rumbled, though he wasn't speaking to anyone in particular.
He stared at the lifeless creature, baffled by how it had collapsed so suddenly. Moments ago, it had been locked in a fierce magical battle with Amelia, and now, it was over.
He turned toward Amelia, noticing her slightly pale face and the faint trickle of blood at the corner of her lips. His brow furrowed with concern.
"Big sister," he called out, his tone filled with worry.
"I'm fine," Amelia replied, her voice steady but quieter than usual.
She wiped the blood from her lips with the back of her hand, as if trying to hide how drained she was. "Just a little backlash."
"Backlash? You sure you're alright?" Bronn asked.
Amelia nodded, exhaling slowly.
"It's nothing serious," she assured, though her voice lacked its usual strength.
Using one of her secret arts; controlling time and space, even for just a moment, had taken a toll on her body.
She rarely used it, as she had not fully mastered it yet. Even with her recent breakthrough, it seemed she still couldn't use it freely without consequence.
The chamber that was once glowing now lay in ruins
Bodies littered the ground, and the last survivors also met their end in that domain clash.
Just then, a violent twitch disrupted the stillness.
Bronn's breath caught in his throat as he watched the creature's massive corpse convulse, dark energy swirling around it like a storm cloud.
Their victorious moment was short-lived.
"Not again," he grumbled.
The creature, thought to be defeated, began to pull itself back together. Its dark aura thickened with every second, radiating malevolent energy.
"This is..." Amelia's voice trailed off, her eyes locked on the creature.
Still recovering from the backlash of her secret technique, she could sense it; this wasn't just healing. The creature was getting stronger.
Bronn clenched his fists, frustration boiling over.
"We killed it, didn't we?" he growled, watching the dark mist swirl around the creature as its body reformed.
Suddenly, a voice cut through the tension.
"Catch this."
Spark's calm voice echoed across the chamber, snapping Bronn's attention toward him.
Bronn turned to see Spark standing near a pile of stone boxes, many of them open with their contents scattered around him.
Something on the ground in front of Spark caught his eye; a glowing, crimson object.
Before Bronn could ask, Spark kicked the object toward him.
Without thinking, Bronn reached out and caught it.
Catching, he quickly examined the item. It was a vine-like rope, about as thick as a human arm.
Its bright red color pulsed faintly, but in his hands, it felt completely ordinary; no magic, no aura.
"What's this, boss? A whip?" Bronn asked, confused.
Spark grinned. "It's something that can stop the creature's immortality. Bind it with that, and it won't come back."
Amelia, who had been quietly watching, narrowed her eyes at the crimson rope in Bronn's hand. She also couldn't sense any magic from it either.
Bronn, still skeptical, glanced down at the rope again. "You serious, boss? This thing doesn't seem special."
"Just bind the creature with it, and you'll see," Spark replied.
With a deep breath, Bronn tightened his grip on the crimson rope.
He had no idea what Spark had given him, but there was no time for doubt.
The creature's body was almost fully reformed, its dark eyes snapping open as dark mist swirled around it, thicker and more menacing than ever.
This wasn't just about fighting anymore; they needed to stop it.
"Alright, Boss. Let's see what this thing can do." Bronn took off toward the still-regenerating creature.
The creature sensed him, its glowing eyes narrowing in warning.
Just as it prepared to strike, Amelia acted faster.
With a swift motion of her hand, the air around the creature shimmered and warped.
Suddenly, the creature froze mid-step, not trapped by her usual icy magic but caught in an invisible barrier.
The space around it shimmered like glass, locking it in place. Fury ignited in its dark eyes as it struggled against the force, its limbs trembling as it gathered strength to break free.
Cracks formed in the space around it and the creature's dark aura flared, ready to shatter its prison.
But Bronn already arrived before it.
He blurred into motion, circling the creature in an instant.
The crimson rope in his hands flared to life, coiling around the creature's body like a serpent.
As soon as the rope made contact, the creature let out a deafening screech, a sound that echoed through the chamber like nails scraping against glass.
The creature thrashed, its limbs flailing wildly as it tried to tear away the binding.
But the more it fought, the tighter the crimson rope became. It pulsed with a faint glow, as if feeding off the creature's dark energy.
The oppressive aura that had once surrounded the creature began to fade.
Bit by bit, the rope absorbed its dark essence, draining away its power.
Another screech escaped the creature, this time filled with pain, as it realized its strength was vanishing.
Amelia stood back, her eyes sharp with focus. She could feel the change in the air; the creature was weakening quickly.
In just a few breaths, the overwhelming presence that had filled the chamber was gone.
The dark mist that had threatened to swallow them evaporated, leaving only the creature's body, now slow and unsteady.
Its dark eyes dimmed, and its furious struggles dwindled until it stopped moving altogether.
What lay before them was a mere husk of its former self.
Bronn stepped back, gazing at the creature with a mix of triumph and relief. "Looks like it worked after all,"
Amelia exhaled softly, her grip on the invisible barrier relaxing as the space around the creature returned to normal.
She knew she had only been able to contain it because it was already weakened; otherwise, it would have shattered her hold.