Arthur could see the fight between a Seeker of Armor and a Seeker of Darkness — Lusica. A commotion rose as the crowd gathered around the cage. So cheered, others warned — but none could deny that what was about to unfold would be nothing short of entertaining.
"If you defeat ," said the figure in armor, "I will let you go."
He was addressing Lusica — the Abyssal Seeker who had risen from the depths, darkness engulfing his very being. The figure remained silent, but hatred pulsed through the air. The crowd could feel his emotions: a twisted blend of loathing, irritation, and a haunting apathy.
The Seeker of Darkness looked his enemy in the eye and grinned — a malignant, ethereal grin that spoke volus. It told the armored Seeker that this man was ready to die.
"If I defeat you… I defeat you. But I know you won't let go," said the figure of darkness. "There's no need for such lies, Seeker."
The armored figure tensed, struck by the weight of truth. He had been seen through. Then, without warning, he lunged forward — wielding a blade of doom. He swung it toward the darkness —
But there was nothing. Only air.
The figure of darkness had vanished — transford into a swirling mist that danced across the battlefield. He circled the Seeker of Armor like a phantom, and struck. A blade materialized from the mist, and sparks flew as the Seeker staggered.
In the next instant, sigils exploded from the Seeker. They twirled around him, summoning elental power that rushed toward the darkness. Despite its elusive form, the darkness — with the Seeker within it — began shrinking.
"Do more than running, punk!" shouted the Seeker as his sword absorbed the elental power. "This is what happens when you challenge !"
The blade of elentals exploded in an arc of rainbow colors, sweeping through the battlefield. Bystanders scread and ran in panic, avoiding the incoming attack. As for the mist of darkness, it solidified the mont the arc struck.
Lusica sailed through the air before rolling on the ground, his ethereal form flickering and losing his form. He was spilling, like a vase broken and its contents fleeing. His screams echoed as he tried to regain form.
"What happened to him?" asked Ali with confusion.
"The inevitable — soul damage," answered Ruben with a shake of his head. "That lad should've just awaited his judgnt instead of picking a fight. At least, it would end quicker."
"No," Arthur squinted his eyes at the Abyssal Seeker. "The fight isn't over. Sothing worse is coming."
Ruben and the others were confused as they turned toward the battlefield. Despite what Arthur said, the armor-wearing Seeker strode forward in triumph while the Abyssal Seeker howled in agony.
"You lost that earlier confidence, huh?" asked the Seeker as he kicked Lusica, making him roll on the ground as his form grew more unstable. "This pain is the beginning of your retribution, for all the sins you have—"
Darkness exploded.
Lusica lost his form.
A darker creature erged, carrying the demonic face of death. It wore a cloak of darkness with black bony hands oozing with dark mist. The Seeker was alard and sought to retreat, but it was too late. The creature lunged at the Seeker faster than anyone could react.
"You—" the Seeker spat as he tried to summon his sigils. The creature seized his throat, cutting his sentence short. The Seeker let out muffled cries as he clawed at the dark creature, but his hands passed through.
"My retribution?" asked Lusica as he rose from the ground. "I killed the people who tried to kill . I was treated as a monster the mont I arrived, and sohow, I beca the sinner?"
Lusica no longer had his humanoid figure. He looked like darkness given shape, with long swirling arms and scattering legs. His face took a faint shape, showing the crowd a single emotion: hatred.
"If the world wants evil, then evil I shall be."
The creature of darkness was more monstrous than Lusica, but they shared several similarities. As Lusica raised his hand, the creature tightened his grasp on the man's throat, almost crushing it.
The act itself carried no physical damage, but it distorted the shape of the man's soul and sought to break its vessel. The crowd snapped out of their daze as screams echoed and many Seekers fled.
A few Seekers who also belonged to the Moonlight Guild rushed forward to save their comrade. Lusica waved his hand, sending a wave of darkness that sent his enemies hurling through the air.
The armored Seeker, whose feet were now kicking empty air to escape the creature's grasp, was beginning to morph as well. Darkness seeped into his semi-corporeal outline, disintegrating his very soul.
"You… won't… survive this…" the Seeker said. He could have been referring to the guild killing Lusica, or the latter killing himself. Either way, it elicited no more than an apathetic laugh.
"If I cared about survival, then I wouldn't be here. But at the very least, my final actions will be my own."
The Seeker scread as the creature opened its mouth, revealing sharp teeth, and bit into his shoulder. Darkness exploded as Lusica began scattering like sand in the wind. He closed his eyes, accepting his final monts.
But then, a voice ca.
"These actions aren't yours, Lusica," said the voice. The uttered na slamd the Abyssal Seeker like a sledgehamr. He shook, and turned toward the source. He saw a semi-corporeal golden man approaching him. "This is what this cruel world has brought out of you."
Lusica was silent. He stared at the figure, refusing to believe his eyes. "Is it you?"
"Who else but ?" Arthur asked as he stood between the creature of darkness and Lusica. His golden form illuminated the dark surrounding. "Let him go, Lusica."
"Don't call that na!" the Abyssal Seeker shouted. "How dare you command after abandoning us?"
"This isn't a command, but a request," Arthur said. "I abandoned you, but that doesn't an our bond has been broken."
"There is no bond, Seika," Lusica said with a laugh. "You robbed us of fate, but showed us what could have been. I lived without sleep, while carrying mories of blissful heavens I couldn't reach."
Hatred blood from the Seeker like a poisonous vine, coiling around him. It fueled the darkness and the creature grew hungrier to devour. The Seeker scread, while his companions arrived.
Mora and Aquan arrived at the sa mont. They attacked without hesitation, aiming to end Lusica before he ended their comrade. Before their attacks could land, a brilliant golden light exploded.
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