~ Chapter 81: Tears ~

[Illsyore’s point of view]

The battle with Zoreya had begun, and I could not help but worry about her. In my mind, I prayed and urged her to run away, to hide from this abomination created by my own hands, but this one was a crusader and an Apostle of Melkuth, the God of War. Running away from an opponent would have been considered cowardly, maybe even disrespectful towards the one she prayed to.

Then again, fighting a hopeless battle was worse than retreating and gathering your strength for a better chance at winning. A true warrior was supposed to know when to fight and when to run. There was nothing shameful in a strategic retreat.

Yet, she wasn’t running away... She stood there... challenging the monster known as The Darkness.

“Illsyore! I’ve come to help you!” she suddenly shouted.

What? Are you mad? I thought as I looked into her eyes.

Determined, unwavering, proud and strong, this was how I saw this woman. But then... it happened.

The Darkness changed his sight towards the nearby city and unleashed a merciless attack.

NO! DON’T!!! I shouted in my mind, but only the rustle of my chains could be heard as I struggled to stop him.

It was hopeless... useless... All those innocents were gone in the blink of an eye. Thanks to my body’s magic sense, I was able to identify the life force of everyone there. One by one, they all perished until none was left behind. No one was spared... neither child, adult, nor elderly. It didn’t matter their species. It didn’t matter their sins... they were all wiped out in the blink of an eye.

From this sight, I could only feel despair and anger. Yes, I felt angry, but not at The Darkness... No, I felt angry at myself for being unable to do anything to stop The Darkness. I was angry that I let it control me, and yet, I was fully aware of the fact that I couldn’t do anything about it.

The Darkness then asked Zoreya who was powerful enough to stop him, but her answer... was absurd...

“Illsyore.” was her reply.

It shook me to my very core.

How could I stop this thing?! I tried! I shouted back in my mind, but again, only the rustle of my chains could be heard.

It was painful, but if Zoreya came here believing that I could do something about it, then it was already a lost cause. Her mission had failed from the start. Who would dare put their hopes in a loser like me? Even my wives hated me now! Even my wives...

I took a peek at them...

“I hate you!” Shanteya said, but it was weird... that gaze of hers... those eyes... they didn’t match her words.

“Monster!” said Nanya, but again... her eyes didn’t match her words.

Closing my eyes, I looked away.

No... don’t get your hopes up... This is nothing but a lie... a curse to make you suffer! I told myself such words, but were they truth?

“When I traveled with you, Illsyore, I never saw you as a weakling... but instead as someone with monstrous strength. You acted like a monster during that time I was with you, didn’t you? In the village, in the forest, in the city, everywhere we went, you acted like a monster, didn’t you?” she asked, but her words confused me.

Why would she say such things when her desire is to save me? Why is the meaning hidden behind her words so clear to me? Is it a lie? Is it the truth? What is it? Why? Why? Why did she make me remember those moments when I... when I... when I didn’t act like a dungeon but a human? I kept asking myself as the thick mist of confusion surrounded me.

I shook my head, rattling the chains around me, and tried to understand, but I couldn’t... or didn’t want to.

The Darkness is right... she’s just mocking me. Zoreya is just mocking me. I let out a weak, defeated smile as I looked up at the window and over at the Apostle.

“I’m mocking you Illsy because I care for you...” she said.

What?

I blinked surprised.

Through that strange window floating in front of me and showing me the outside world, I saw a cute and shy Zoreya, who was... blushing.

Why would she blush? I wondered.

Nothing made sense anymore... but when did it?

Is she mocking me? No, that can’t be... but if she isn’t then... is she... is she... as I tried to get my thoughts in order and make sense of this, I heard her next words.

“You asked me to kill you, but I didn’t... That was only because I was selfish and wanted you.”

Wanted me? I blinked surprised.

With my mind confused and going left to right, the only thing I could have thought to make sense of this whole mess was the fact that she might truly love me. She wanted me in the sense of being my lover... as one of my wives...

Wait! Wasn’t she the one who was against the whole polygamy thing? I thought, but then things were about to take a turn for the worse.

“What foolishness do you speak off? Ah~ It matters not... I’ll just kill you.” The Darkness said and pointed his left palm at her.

I felt my Magic Energy charging the Power Crystals, and I knew what was going to happen. The tragedy, the death... the horror I experienced with Nanya, Shanteya, and Ayuseya before was going to happen again.

Zoreya was about to be killed. The Darkness wanted to kill Zoreya! It was going to kill her in front of me!

“NOOO!!!” I shouted at the top of my lungs just when the beam was about to fire.

The chains rattled loudly and tried to pull me back, but I couldn’t let The Darkness do it, I didn’t want to... To kill her... would be the same as killing Nanya, Shanteya, Ayuseya, and Tamara...

I pulled on those chains as hard as I tried and reached out for her. A crack echoed in the space behind me, and a wave of light spread from my body, causing The Darkness to shiver as though it was in pain.

There was no way I could tell what was going to happen, but at the very least, I was able to shift its palm just a little bit to the side. The beam of light missed the crusader, and I let out a sigh of relief.

However, in that exact moment, shadow tentacles sprung forward from the darkness around me and tried to grab a hold of me, but they sizzled away at the touch of my skin. Even so, that little bit of contact made me scream in pain.

It hurt... It really hurt...

I felt like a criminal being whipped for a crime he had not committed, yet besides my screams of anguish and pain, I could do nothing... Even my wives seemed to be overjoyed with hearing me suffer like this...

For a moment, I thought this was going to be it, that I was going to let myself get drown in this misery and suffering for the rest of eternity, but then... it happened again.

“ILLSY!”

The shout echoed throughout the darkness loud enough to wake up from their deep slumber even the fabled dragons from Earth’ fantasies. It was loud enough to make even the whips of shadow stop in their tracks, and the window to the outside world opened again.

I was staring directly into Zoreya’s beautiful blue eyes. In them, I saw an unyielding determination and courage to push through and help me. Despite her job supposedly being that of ending my life, this woman, courageous and pious in her faith, she struggled to save me, the target of her god.

It was an impossible situation when thinking about it from many points of view, yet here she was, trying her best to make me not surrender to The Darkness... No, struggling to save me from its grasp in which I had let myself get plunged into...

“Fight.” she told me in tone of voice that could only reflect the kindness and care she had for me, her enemy.

I was left without words...

I couldn’t understand. No, I refused to understand why she was doing this, why she was struggling to no end to reach out to me, an idiot human soul trapped inside this darkness. There was nothing to explain this situation, especially since if I looked back, I would see my three wives and slave cursing at me, regretting to have ever met me.

Their words were harsh and stung my heart, yet they seemed to lack the true emotion behind them. Even so, I ignored this fact and kept on believing the hate cast upon me. That was why I believed I would hear the same words from her... from Zoreya.

If even in this situation she was unwilling to give up and let me succumb to my fate, I could only wonder if maybe she was mad?

Yet, while I was pondering such things and had my heart and mind tossed around inside this dark world, the battle outside grew more and more intense. It had even reached the point where it wouldn’t have been odd if one of us died by accident...

I know this is wrong... I know I shouldn’t give up... but this emotion inside of me... this feeling of hopelessness... I can’t get rid of it... I’m not a hero, Zoreya... I’m not someone who can put up a smile and move forward. I’m not someone who can fight to the bitter end... or am I? No... I’m not... I’m a coward, a weakling, a maggot... I’m someone who doesn’t belong in this world... I’m someone who is hated by all even my wives! I’m a loser... that’s what I am. Besides, what can I even do when they all hate me?! It’s just me... against the whole world, no... the whole Universe. After all, look... The Darkness is winning, isn’t it? I’m surrounded by it... I can’t move... I can’t dare to fight... So why? Why are you... still fighting for me, Zoreya? I thought as I felt myself get consumed by the darkness, slowly vanishing from this world.

“Illsy...” I heard her soft words one last time and raised my eyes to the small window before me.

On the other side, I saw... tears...

[Zoreya’s point of view]

The beam of light shot by The Darkness didn’t hold even a single drop of Magic Energy. This I could easily tell and confirm, but its strength and power was not to be underestimated. Every time The Darkness shot it at me, I had to duck and cover behind my shield. If not for this divine item, I would have perished a long time ago.

Still, his body was severely weakened. The Darkness could not fly anymore or cast any sort of magic at me. Even its attacks had lost their strength. His body was strengthened by Magic Energy, but it was from the inside. The [Barrier of Annulment] could not cancel or remove the energy inside a living body or gathered in an enchanted item. It canceled only what was released on the outside. Thus, I could feel Magic Energy inside of me, but without forming a Magic Armor or casting it in the form of a spell, it was useless.

Even the spell category of Buffs and Debuffs was mostly useless seeing as they worked by applying a thin layer of programmed Magic Energy outside the body. The [Boost] was the only thing that would work, but it required Magic Armor in order to maintain and keep the Magic Energy focused on the body. When using it, normally one would also release a part into their Magic Armor in order to make it powerful enough to sustain the sudden growth in strength and speed.

Without a doubt, my [Barrier of Annulment] was a spell that could force even the strongest of Supremes to basic combat. As far as I knew, only other Apostles with their divine items could stand a chance against me inside this barrier, but apparently, Dungeon Lords in humanoid form could do so as well... or to be more precise those with a body similar to Illsyore’s. Then again, who could have guessed that at one point in time, I was going to do battle against an opponent who had inbuilt weapons?

“You are as pesky as an insect!” shouted The Darkness as he attacked me with his punch.

I blocked his attack with my shield and countered with my sword. He dodged and jumped back.

In this sort of situation, I would have believed that he was going to use one of the swords built by Illsyore, but apparently his ability to Absorb and take out stuff from inside his body was canceled out by my [Barrier of Annulment].

It made sense, seeing as one couldn’t use Crystals inside this place. As such, this was also the perfect Supreme Spell to use against other Supremes. It was the perfect trap designed to hunt them down.

Even so, despite The Darkness being empty handed, he was unexpectedly good at fighting like that. As I rushed at him, I took aim with my sword and blocked his attack with my shield, but he dodged, causing me to miss. Grabbing my hand, he attempted to throw me over his shoulder, but I shield bashed him and pushed him back.

The movement was awkward, and I nearly lost my footing, but I avoided a potentially fatal throw. Unyielding to my attack, he rushed at me and launched a series of fast punches aimed at my shield, but I hid behind it and pushed against it with all my might. Even so, I was the one being pushed back by his tremendous strength.

“Persistent little wench!” he cussed and kicked my shield.

I resisted the blow, and he jumped back.

“Maybe this will do something.” The Darkness said from afar.

When I looked at him, I saw him picking up a boulder as big as a house. With a smirk, he tossed at me. I jumped out of the way immediately, but taking this moment, he aimed his palm at me and shot his beam of light.

Unable to raise my shield in time, I took the blow to my right shoulder. The armor melted a little, but the beam didn’t go through. It was enough to cause a terrible burn in that area, and not even a moment later, a surge of pain rushed through my body. My grip in my right hand weakened, and in that moment, The Darkness rushed at me.

He bumped into me at full speed, causing me to lose my balance and be tossed back several meters, sliding with my back on the ground before I came to a stop. With my right hand weakened from the previous attack, I was unable to hold onto my sword properly, and it slipped out of my grasp.

Struggling to get back up, I noticed that I was missing my weapon.

“Are you looking for this?” The Darkness smirked as he made a slash with my own sword at me.

I barely dodged it.

“Normally, I would never have used this piece of garbage, but considering the circumstances... I find it... necessary.” he expressed his displease and took up a stance in front of me.

The posture was that of a fencer using a sabre. Normally, I wouldn’t have found it odd if the said opponent was a noble of a prestigious house, but the one I was facing was a Dungeon Lord who used a long sword instead of a sabre.

“En guarde!” he shouted, and I reflexively raised my shield up.

Immediately, I heard the echo of metal hitting metal.

Such speed... I thought.

“Tch!” he clicked his tongue and tried to attack again, but once more, I blocked his attack.

I found myself to be in a complete defensive position with no means of retaliating. My right shoulder was injured, and my right arm was numb because of the pain. I was sweating too, and my breath was rough. To add to it all... I was low on Magic Energy, making me excessively sluggish too.

Even so, I couldn’t afford to give up. Using the Divine Energy from my god, Melkuth, I strengthened myself and my shield, then rushed at the Dungeon Lord. The sword was blocked, pushed to the side, then I punched him in the face.

A crusader and Apostle such as me punching someone was an unusual sight, but who was to say I wasn’t allowed to.

“Guh!” The Darkness groaned as he was tossed to the side.

If I was a normal woman, my punch wouldn’t have even grazed him, but with the strength of a Supreme, it was no laughing matter.

Stopping himself from falling, The Darkness took a stance against me once more. I rushed at him before he had the chance to recover and slammed into him with my shield.

“Foolish woman.” he smirked as a drop of blood flew out of his mouth.

I didn’t understand why he would say that, but once I looked down, I realized that he had used his light beam to attack me around the shield. My left side was burning and hurting, but the degree was no different from the injury on my shoulder. Still, with the metal plates fusing in that position, I suddenly found my freedom of movement suddenly restricted.

With a grin on his face, The Darkness got up and wiped the blood off his lips. He glared at me and then prepared to attack with his sword. I raised my shield up to block him, but he aimed at my feet with his beam of light. My right ankle was struck.

“Agh!” I groaned in pain.

“So, you do know how to scream! Lovely!” he laughed.

It was a mistake to let my voice slip, but it hurt...

How can I fight against him when he has that beam of light and my sword? I thought as I struggled through the pain.

Once more, he attacked, but this time, he left the sword behind and came at me with his punches. I was forced to rely on my shield once more to block his attacks from reaching me. Without my Magic Armor, I was an easy prey.

It was a shame, but the defensive ability I used before when I first met Illsyore couldn’t be used here. That skill infused my existing defenses with Divine Energy, and I already had done that to both my armor and shield. Thank to it, the beam of light was unable to cut straight through me, but when compared to the time I used Magic Energy as well, it was terribly weak.

Melkuth’s Divine Energy was slowly depleted within me, some going to heal my wounds as well, but most of it was spent keeping the shield intact. Without being an Apostle, there was no way for me to replenish it. A single prayer would have granted me a little boost, but as I was right now... it was impossible. Besides, it was hard to focus on something like that. It took far more concentration than it did chanting a spell.

Despite all of this, in the place where any other Supreme would have met his or her doom, The Darkness was doing surprisingly well, but I could tell that he was also struggling to reach me despite his mocking attitude.

Knowing that he was going all out against me, made me feel relieved in a way. If I could somehow defeat him now, it was going to be my win.

After his punching barrage, he jumped back and picked up the sword again.

“You know, you are starting to bore me. Illsyore is no more, so why are you even trying to fight against me?” he asked as he looked at me.

“No more?” I reflexively asked.

“Yes, can’t you see? The assimilation is almost over. Soon, there won’t be a single scrap of him left!” he laughed.

When I looked at him, I saw that the jade-green eye was slowly starting to fade away. Illsyore was going away...

Does this mean that he was defeated? I asked myself.

Indeed, that seemed to be the case. Inside his Inner Mind, Illsyore was losing the battle against The Darkness, but unlike before, I felt like this time it really was going to end here.

Was it the will of the heavens for me to lose here?

Was I wrong to have hesitated and not killed Illsyore when I had the chance?

Was this defeat the result of my lack of faith?

Question after question disturbed my focus, and using this to his advantage, The Darkness attacked me once more, slamming his whole body into my shield.

The force was so terrible that it sent me flying towards the barrier. I slammed into it and then I was tossed to the ground by the recoil. My shield nearly flew out of my hand, but the straps tying it to me made sure it didn’t leave my side.

When I landed on the ground, I heard a crack and spat blood. It hurt to breath, and my head was dizzy. Even so, I couldn’t afford to give up now. I couldn’t afford to let myself be defeated.

Praying to Melkuth, I pushed myself off the ground... or tried to. A wave of pain rushed through me from my left hand. It felt like my wrist was broken.

What luck... I thought, but I tried again, only this time, I used my right hand more.

Despite all of my pain, I got up and lifted my shield, taking my stance once more against my overwhelming foe.

Those two attacks... and me losing the grip on my own sword... That was what brought me to this state. I thought as I remembered where it all went wrong.

I never expected him to launch his light beam attack around my shield just like I never expected him to take my sword. If this was just bad luck or fate, I had no idea, but while I thought about it, while I fought to my last breath with The Darkness, Illsyore was slowly fading away.

What else can I do to help him? What? I struggle to think of a solution, of a way out, but all of my cards were in his hands.

If there was no will from Illsyore, there was no way to get him back.

Strange enough, that may have been the much sought-after key to solving this mess. That was what I needed to be able to pull Illsy out of his depression... a way to ignite his will again.

How can I do it... he’s a human on the inside, but not one from this world. I don’t know his former life. I don’t know his true self that well... So, what can I do? I thought as I saw The Darkness slowly approaching me.

He was taking his time because on the inside, he was struggling to destroy Illsyore. This offered me a few seconds to think of something.

As such, I began to remember the many battlefields I was on, maybe in those warriors who fought against me or beside me, I could find something with which to spark Illsyore’s dying will.

In the first place, why does he have no will to fight against The Darkness? Does he hate us? No... Does he hate our world? No... Did something happen to him? No, or I don’t think so... Maybe it was something that was said to him? But by whom? Nanya? No, she was always happy and eager to be by his side. Was it Shanteya? No, that woman probably loves him more than all of us put together. Was it Ayuseya? No, she owes her very life to him, so she would never to anything to put him in harm’s way. Was it little Tamara? Even if she is a nekatar, her intellect isn’t one to brag about. She should have no reason to harm the man who did so much for her... Then, was it something I said? Hm... not that I can think of. Then maybe... was it The Darkness? But why would Illsy even believe him? I thought and clenched my teeth, cringing since couldn’t find an answer.

“Do you really think you still have a chance to defeat me?” The Darkness asked.

“Who knows?” I replied and furrowed my brow.

Come on, Zoreya, think... think... I tried to do my best.

Letting out a sigh, The Darkness looked up. “You aren’t part of his wives or one of his slaves, so I might as well tell you that I WILL kill you. As a woman and an organic, I can literally see no reason in keeping you alive, you know?” he then looked into my eyes and smirked.

Yes, I’m neither his wife nor slave... what am I then? A friend? No... That... I’m more than that... or I want to be... What do I want to be? I thought as I looked at him, but then... as if all the dots connected, I smiled.

“Hm?” The Darkness looked at me and tilted his head in confusion.

A way out... yet not... A way to save him, yet... not. My own fear blocked the truth... I sighed as I remembered once more that as Melkuth’s Apostle, former or not, I was supposed to be ready to give my life for my god at any given time.

That didn’t mean that I wasn’t afraid though...

At the same time, it all made sense. What I wanted to be for Illsy. What I told him, or rather, what I didn’t tell him. What I could do to defeat him, but more importantly, what it meant to defeat The Darkness inside soul of a man.

Neither fire nor sword can heal a broken soul... only love can... I thought as I remembered the one thing that usually makes a warrior both weak and insanely powerful at the same time.

It was the same reason why some enemies on the battlefield continued to fight no matter what, making them into the most feared opponents out of them all. It was simple, yet complex at the same time.

Thus, I lifted my shield up and said “Mighty Darkness, yet so weak it can’t even defeat an injured woman. The legends they are going to sing about you... fufufu!” I tried to laugh despite the blood in my mouth and pain in my chest.

“You dare mock me?!” The Darkness asked surprised.

“Are you worth of anything else?” I smirked.

“You blasted woman!” he laughed and rushed at me.

Yes... now... I thought.

It was time for my gamble... a moment of stupidity or a moment of brilliance. If I lived through it, I was going to find out... After all, the one thing every human without exception had the strongest reaction to was the shock of losing someone close to their hearts. If I was one of those people... this stupid gamble of mine would work, and the man I loved was going to be saved. That in itself was enough for the stupid old me...

Thus, I let go of my shield and spread my arms open. The tip of the sword pushed through my stomach and exited through the other side. I spat blood and using the last bits of strength, I embraced The Darkness, holding him there.

“What the... why?” he asked confused.

“Illsy...” I smiled and looked in that one green eye holding those last bits of Illsy’s presence.

My voice was soft, but I was a bit afraid of dying and not being able to save him, of losing everything... so unknowingly, I cried.

“Illsy... I love you... So don’t ever lose hope... Fight!... You can win... Only you can... because, Illsy, the one we love is only you... the human hiding inside this Dungeon’s body.”

As I spoke these words, I felt my strength leaving me, and my vision turning black... This was it for me... I did all I could... I said the words I never thought I would ever do in my entire life...