~ Chapter 39: Heatbeat ~

[Shanteya’s point of view]

 Dankyun’s sword pierced my guts and went out through the other side. I felt the cold blade as it cut deep into me, hurting me, making me bleed, making me tremble. Fear grasped my heart in its deadly claws, reminding me of my weakness and uselessness. This time, it was different though. This weakness in front of Dankyun was a proof of my inability to protect my Master, my lack of strength and skill, my lack of determination to obtain the power I needed and desired in order to repay my Master for all the kindness he offered me ever since that fated night.

Still, despite these feelings and emotions, there was another type of fear swirling in the depth of my heart, making me shiver like a helpless little child. In all of my life, I had never experienced the embrace of a lover or even allowed myself to feel the touch of one. I was the Broken Doll no one would desire to be with, to protect and help, no one except for the Dungeon Lord who freed me, who healed me of my injuries and curses, who embraced and kissed me without fear or disgust of who I was and what other men had done with me.

Because of this fear of losing the one I loved, my last words towards my Master were: “I-I’m sorry… Illsy. I failed you…”

Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes as blood spilled around my lips and out of my open wound. I was dying together with him. Instead of being able to save him, I allowed him to be killed by this draconian, and it hurt, it hurt so much to know that I wasn’t able to keep the one I loved from being harmed by his enemy. That pain was far greater than the physical one caused by the sword impaled in my abdomen.

“You stupid shikak!” cursed Dankyun as he pulled back his blade.

“Ugh…” I groaned and fell on my knees.

My body was weak and trembling from both pain and fear, but even so, I still glared at him. I didn’t want to offer this monster the joy of having defeated us, of having struck us down with such a great ease. Those like him usually relished the moments when their enemies begged for their lives or screamed out in pain. I knew his kind all too well, and the one thing they all hated was to see their victims still glaring back at them when hope had long since vanished from their battle, yet not their hearts.

“What a persistent little woman.” he spat and grabbed me by the neck.

With great ease, he lifted me off the ground and showed me his victorious grin. I tried to struggle in his grasp, to free myself of his hold, but the wound in my gut sapped away my strength, reducing it to nearly nothing.

“Maybe I should torture you as well before I kill you? Rape you until you can’t think anymore?” he threatened me.

“Sorry, but I prefer men in bed, not virgin ladies…” I grinned.

My words definitely angered him for he mercilessly tossed me to the side. I landed on the ground, breaking my left arm and rolling a few times until I came to a stop not far from where Nanya was leaning with her back on a piece of crumbled wall. I spat blood and coughed. I couldn’t move, and it hurt everywhere.

Is this it? I asked myself before my vision faded, and I lost consciousness…

[Nanya’s point of view]

 Things weren’t looking too good for us. Illsy just got stabbed by Dankyun and probably died as a result. Shanteya was cut down and tossed off like a useless rag. Ayuseya was unconscious and loosing blood fast. Did she even have another minute left? I doubted it. As for the monster who brought us to our knees like this, the monster draconian who played around with us like we were nothing but a useless existence to him, he was standing right there, laughing and enjoying the sight of this destruction around us.

As for me, my body was numb, in pain, and I didn’t have much blood left in my veins to keep the cold away. It spread already to my lower limbs and tail. My jaw and eyelids felt like they were being pulled down by mountains. I couldn’t keep them up. I could barely think anymore, and it was so hard to focus. Honestly, I didn’t even notice when Shanteya ended up at my feet.

This is it… Well, I could use that [Teleportation] crystal, but what use is it? Without a healer’s help, I’m going to die anyway. Dankyun finally did it… he killed us all and won the battle. I thought as I looked over at him.

One last strike was all he needed to kill us. A single punch in the right place or a direct stab to the heart. Decapitation was an option too since none of us had the strength to oppose him anymore. Still, I had the feeling he wasn’t going to do any of that. Dankyun was going to let us bleed out while bragging about his might as a Supreme.

Just thinking about the fact that I was finished off by this pathetic excuse for a living being sickened me.

If only I was stronger…

As for Illsy, this poor Dungeon Lord had only been alive for just a few weeks. To die like this, especially when he showed such a huge difference between himself and most other Dungeons was such a shame.

I guess I will never get to know if he really did love us or not… I thought.

Deep inside, I found myself regretting it a bit.

“Ah! Such a wonderful day!” laughed Dankyun, but then something strange happened.

A wave of force pushed the dust away from Illsy’s body, while sparks of energy flowed around it.

“What’s happening?” questioned Dankyun as he took a step back and looked at the strange things that happened to the green Crystal Core.

BADUMP!

A loud heart beat was heard coming from it, sending a shock wave around it.

BADUMP!

Another one was heard.

Looking at the way the dirt and dust were pushed away from him, how shock waves of pressure were released with each heartbeat, I felt like I was about to witness the awakening of a monster. A shiver came running down my back as crackles of lightning emanated from his body and quickly intensified, striking the stones and ground around him. The pressure was intense.

Dankyun also watched this moment, but he didn’t feel like waiting until the end of whatever was happening to Illsy. Clenching the hilt of his sword, he raised it up and dashed towards him with a clear intent of destroying him.

“N-No…” I managed to say with a rough and out of breath voice.

I could hardly make a noise anymore.

I could only watch helplessly as the draconian used the sword my father built to protect me struck down the one I wished to protect. Strangling tendrils of worry and fear tightened their grip around my heart and breath as I watched the black blade fall down upon the Crystal Body. There was no way to protect him or even move myself in front of the sword like Shanteya did. I could barely breath and keep my eyes open, let alone walk or dash all the way over there.

Illsy… I said in my mind as I waited to hear the shattering noises of his body, but they were late to arrive.

Because Dankyun was with his back at me, I couldn’t see what happened to the Crystal Core.

Did Illsy do something? I wondered.

BADUMP! another loud heartbeat was heard.

“GAH!” the draconian was sent flying back, crashing into the rubble of the school building that once stood here.

He was pushed back by the shock wave coming from the Dungeon’s body. Somehow, Illsy defended himself against the Supreme’s strike, but was it him that did it or was something bad happening to his body? I couldn’t tell, and I felt like I was about to faint as well.

“You rotten Dungeon Lord!” screamed Dankyun as he got out of the rubble.

BADUMP!

Another heartbeat was heard, and another pulse was sent from it.

In the following moment, something strange happened. Illsy’s Dungeon Territory felt like it was suddenly pulled away from right under my feet, retreating into his Crystal Body. The sensation didn’t seem to have been noticed by Dankyun at all, so maybe only those who were bound to the Dungeon Lord in one way or another, were able to feel it.

After that happened, all the light around the big green crystal was focused inside it, and the lightning stopped forming. The pulse and shock waves stopped, but it didn’t appear as though Illsy was dead. The way I saw him was as if he was ready to burst into pieces from the incredible amount of energy stored inside him, like a powerful [Fireball] ready to explode.

I gulped and waited for what was going to happen next.

Another moment passed by without the Crystal Body showing any change.

Is it over? I asked myself.

Dankyun wasn’t letting his guard down.

“Ugh.” I groaned and looked down.

Hardened blood stained my armor and limbs, but I couldn’t feel its metallic scent. My legs and arms were numb as well. Even if I tried to make a fist or move a finger, I couldn’t anymore. The order for it to move didn’t go through, or rather the muscles didn’t answer to my commands.

I won’t be alive for much longer… I thought as I tried to stop any sort of fear and horror from speeding up the rhythm of my heart.

If I didn’t do that, I would have lost even more blood, but if one were to look at myself from an outside point of view, I would say I looked like some emotionless monster who didn’t care what was going to happen next. The truth was that I was very scared and didn’t want to die yet, but all of my experience and knowledge told me to stand still and calm. That was my only chance left. I was hanging on a thin thread above the hungry jaws of death.

Suddenly, Illsy’s crystal cracked like someone struck it with a huge hammer.

I gulped.

A staggering presence was emanated from within the cracked crystal. It came out like a shock wave, pushing back anyone too close to it. The ground around it began to tremble, rocks and dust to be lifted up in the air as lightning zapped the nearest ones. An incredible quantity of Magic Energy could be felt around it.

BADUMP!

The heartbeat was heard again.

BADUMP! BADUMP! BADUMP!

The pulse intensified as more lightning crackled in the air.

The light emanating from the body began to shine brightly as more Magic Energy was focused inside of it. Then, suddenly, a pulse of strong light was released together with the strongest shock wave of them all. I closed my eyes, but I could still hear the ground rumbling like an enraged monster. Dust, dirt, and small rocks were pushed away, some even hit me, but then everything stopped.

I struggled to open my eyes again, although, the pleasurable thought of giving in and letting my last breath go tempted me. The desire to know what happened to Illsy was stronger though, so I pushed and forced those tiny muscles to pull my eyelids up, so I could see him.

There was a perfectly round crater where his green Crystal Body once stood, and in the middle of it was... a man.

The Dungeon Core had completely vanished, and what took its place was a humanoid being standing at around 194 cm tall, with pale white skin and a big green crystal in the middle of its chest. Judging by the parts below the belt, that entity was a male. He had short cut jade-green hair, deep emerald-green eyes, a handsome face, and a fit body to show a bit of muscle. Besides the big crystal in the middle of his chest, there were five smaller ones on each arm and leg. All of them looked identical in size and shape, glowing with a soft green tone. From my point of view, he was rather attractive.

In my entire life, I had never seen or heard of a being quite like him before, but what I knew for certain was that he was none other than Illsyore, my husband. Somehow, someway, he gained a humanoid body, but was it going to be powerful enough to defeat Dankyun?

Illsy… I thought and prayed for him to win.