Two more weeks passed, and now everything had become more complicated.
The creatures began coming from different fronts, and while before they only came in pairs, now they were coming from all four directions and with greater frequency.
This posed a very big problem.
They could only fight three creatures simultaneously. Four was already extremely difficult, and it inevitably caused a great deal of damage to the city.
So much so that right now, it wasn't so different from one of the villages at the beginning of the zone.
Buildings that had once been in perfect condition now lay collapsed upon themselves or with debris scattered throughout the city. Houses you could look at and spend minutes admiring the architecture were now completely destroyed beyond recognition. Plazas with trees and recreational areas no longer existed.
All of this had happened in the last two weeks. It seemed the most powerful creature controlling the rest was growing bored with their existence and had started sending more soldiers until they were exterminated.
Though that wasn't the worst part.
During this time, they also began to notice something that made their blood run cold.
The main creature was also moving. Slower than the rest, but definitely approaching them.
According to their estimates, the creature must obviously be of the Tyrant class, and in terms of rank… Corrupted.
This was definitely insane.
When they reached that conclusion, Arthur remembered the time he had ventured to the outskirts of the labyrinth on his Winter Solstice.
In that area, there had also been a Corrupted Tyrant—or so he believed.
So he concluded that in approximately a year and a half—Arthur calculated—he had encountered two creatures of equal magnitude…
He didn't know what to do with that information, but it was strange that it had happened twice.
Returning to reality, Arthur released another [Tempest Shafts] toward the direction of the creature.
The arrow traveled several kilometers before reaching the tornado and, from one moment to the next, vanished into it, leaving a simple hole in the current.
Seconds later, he waited for the Spell to speak to him, but it remained completely silent.
Still standing on top of the building, he stared fixedly at the creature. He definitely hadn't missed the shot, but somehow, he hadn't managed to kill it.
He let out a long sigh and raised [Drowned Oath] again.
This was another thing that had changed during this time. The creatures had started using building debris as shields, making long-range arrows nearly useless—or requiring more attempts.
Breathing deeply, Arthur released another arrow.
It traveled the same path as the previous one and pierced the current in the same way, yielding the same result: the Spell completely silent.
However, he paid it no mind, because in the next moment, he already had another [Tempest Shafts] loaded and ready.
In the end, it took him nearly a dozen attempts for the Spell to finally speak to him, and when it did, a smile spread across his lips.
[You have slain a Fallen Terror: Obscured Tempest] (I changed the class)
[Your aether grows stronger]
[You have received an Echo: Obscured Tempest.]
Arthur's eyes widened.
Had he heard correctly? An Echo? Had he finally received an Echo?!
'My first Echo! And from a Fallen Terror, no less!'
But he couldn't celebrate or look at the runes, because in the distance, another tornado began to form, and as if that weren't enough, Sunny was having trouble eliminating his own.
Even though it wasn't his responsibility, he decided to move toward his friend.
Sunny was to the North, fighting one of the creatures on his own. To the East, Saint was fighting another. And to the West, Serpent was in the form of the human he had used to damage the Fallen Tyrant in the Dark City.
Definitely, the latter and the former were the ones in trouble.
Just as he finished thinking about moving, Saint killed hers and headed West to help Serpent.
Arthur placed his five augmentations on his body and headed North—despite the threat of the new creature in the South.
Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, he arrived relatively quickly—there were few structures still standing.
Sunny was using his new sword, cutting through the tornado's air with one of its enchantments. Noticing that Arthur was approaching through his shadow, he took a step to the side, and just at that moment, an arrow passed right through where he had been standing.
The arrow didn't kill the creature, but it opened a small hole in its air current, and Sunny took advantage of it.
Using his new sword as a spear, he launched it toward the creature's center, augmenting it with his four shadows. Thanks to the sword's enchantments and the augmentations, it traveled in a straight line and embedded itself in the creature.
Moments later, the Spell spoke to him, telling him he had gotten the kill. But the tornado was still active…
Sunny lowered his brows and noticed that the kill had come from Saint and Serpent killing the other creature. The one in front of him was still alive.
He moved to summon Midnight Shard but immediately felt another arrow fly past, and it embedded itself a few millimeters above where his sword was.
Instantly, the tornado vanished, and beside him appeared Arthur with a smile on his face.
He approached Sunny and, after giving him a pat on the shoulder, said in a provocative tone, "I saw you needed help, so I came to lend a hand."
"I had it under control," Sunny replied quickly, walking toward the creature's body.
Arthur laughed. "Sure you did."
Sunny didn't respond and grabbed the sword. He tried to extract the shards but stopped at the last moment.
"I forgot that when you kill a creature, you don't leave shards," he commented, pulling the sword from the corpse.
Arthur simply shrugged. "I'm built different."
Sunny rolled his eyes and said, "We're going to have to do something different." Then he turned around and looked at him. "We've gone two days without sleep. I know it doesn't bother you, but I can't take another one."
Arthur abandoned his confident posture and, after a few seconds, said, "You're right." He looked at the rest of the city. All the peripheral buildings were already destroyed, and nothing was left. Then he said, "We're going to have to move toward the portal."
"And face a Corrupted Tyrant as Sleepers?" He let out a breath. "Don't get me wrong. I know the creature is probably protecting the portal, but couldn't we distract it?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "I see you have a plan."
Sunny nodded and, with a confident smile, commented, "Actually, I do." Then the smile became a little more forced. "My plan is for Serpent to take the form of a flying creature and, with Saint's help, distract them. Then, when we're close to the portal, I'll unsummon them and escape."
Arthur brought a hand to his chin and began to think. After a few moments, he said, "But what makes you think it couldn't target all four of us?"
"I don't know."
Then Arthur added, "Actually, I just got something that could help us with that plan…"
His friend raised an eyebrow but didn't speak. Seconds later, Arthur summoned his new Echo.
At first, it seemed like he hadn't done anything, but he immediately sent the signal to form a tornado beside him, and it obeyed.
From one moment to the next, a tornado of the same magnitude as those they had been constantly fighting for the past month and a half formed a few meters away. Obviously, Arthur hadn't asked it to go at full power, so they were quite safe.
Sunny's eyes widened, and then a smile began to form on his face. Finally, he turned around and looked at Arthur.
"You got an Echo from the creatures? That's so cool!" Turning back to look at the tornado's form, he added, "With its help, we can make the plan work."
Arthur nodded his head, and both headed toward their houses, which were still standing, to discuss the plan.
Approximately an hour later, four figures were moving through the remains of the city's streets.
Two of them had confident expressions, while the next had an expressionless face. Finally, the last figure ceased to have an expression at all because it transformed into a Flesh Reaver—an Awakened Beast—and both of them climbed onto its back.
Then Sunny unsummoned Saint, and Serpent in its new form began to fly East.
The first few meters were calm, but from one moment to the next, a tornado began to form to the South, and then another to the West.
Arthur took [Drowned Oath] off his shoulder and began firing [Tempest Shafts] toward the creature in the South. Then Sunny summoned Saint again, and she shot off toward the West.
By the fifth arrow, the tornado in the South had vanished.
[You have slain a Fallen Terror: Obscured Tempest]
And seconds later, the creature in the West succumbed to the same fate.
However, immediately, two creatures took their place, and the central creature began to draw even closer.
With a furrowed brow, Arthur resumed firing arrow after arrow, and Saint headed toward the new creature.
By the third round of creatures, Serpent changed direction and began to fly Southeast.
The forces of the tornados grew stronger as they got closer to the central creature.
It stood as an impossible obstacle. Its air current stretched kilometers to the sides, but the worst part was its height. Its height was so great that it seemed to touch the skies and go even beyond. Completely absorbing every trace of the world around it.
As impossible as it sounded, their current objective was to try to go around it while defending themselves from the rest of the creatures.
It was impossible to know how long they had been in that state, but from one moment to the next, Arthur's arm began to tire, and moments later, Sunny turned to look at him with a completely worried face.
"We won't make it at this rate," Sunny warned.
Arthur fired another arrow and looked at him. Then he shifted his gaze to the Corrupted Tyrant and clenched his teeth.
'I really hate this.'
He let out a sigh and said, "Sunny, tell Serpent to go down and dismiss it."
"What? Why?"
"This isn't going to work. We're going to have to change the plan."
Sunny furrowed his brow. "Don't give me that bullshit. I know what you're thinking of doing!" He was about to add something else, but Arthur interrupted him.
"If you know what I'm going to do, then shut up and do as I say!" After firing another arrow, he added, "We don't have time to argue about this, Sunny, and you know that between the two of us, I'm the one for this."
Sunny clenched his teeth and finally complied. Serpent began to descend while Arthur and Saint continued killing every creature they could.
When the shadow touched the ground, Sunny immediately dismissed it, and it returned to its tattoo form—helping him circulate essence.
At that moment, Arthur summoned his Echo and commanded it to form its tornado at full power. In the same motion, the Echo formed around Sunny, protecting him from the rest of the creatures, while Arthur and Saint remained outside, fighting them.
The Obscured Tempest Echo, being of a higher rank and class than Serpent, moved much faster, so it didn't take long for Sunny to break free and, for the first time since they had arrived at the Relictombs, see the exit portal.
It had the same form as the one in the Dark City. A rectangle made of completely dark material that emitted no energy—but which both knew that once they crossed it, they would return to the Dream Realm.
The moment Sunny managed to see the portal, he sent a signal to Arthur through the Memory they shared.
When Arthur felt it, he unsummoned [Drowned Oath] and [Tempest Shafts] immediately for the first time in a month and a half. Then he looked at Saint, and the shadow returned his gaze.
While the Echo moved along the edges of the Tyrant, repelling the rest of the creatures, Arthur placed his five augmentations on his body and began to run in Saint's direction.
The shadow released her sword and positioned herself with her shield. At the same time, four shadows adhered to her body, making her even darker and causing her to emanate a sense of immense power.
Arthur jumped toward the shield, tucking his knees, and then launched himself with brutal force. Simultaneously, Saint put all her strength behind the throw, and Arthur shot off at a completely ridiculous speed.
He was going so fast that his ears began to hurt from the noise the wind made at that speed. At the same time, the storm currents tried to pull him toward them.
But all of them failed against the momentum a Corrupted Demon could generate.
Moments later, Arthur began to approach the Echo and commanded it to lower the tornado's intensity. Obeying his order, the Echo did so, and when Arthur entered the current, it managed to cushion him.
Even so, he didn't stop there. In the same moment, Arthur summoned his oldest Memory. The Memory that had saved him countless times.
[Infinite Lash] began to materialize in his hand.
Ordering the Echo to drop him at the edge of the current, he managed to see the portal, and at that moment, he threw the whip toward it.
Shifting his augmentations to the whip and with the Echo's help, he managed to tie it to the top of the portal. Leaving it completely secure, he focused on Sunny.
Fortunately, Sunny immediately understood what he had to do and was already moving in his direction—Sunny had also already dismissed Saint, and Serpent was in its tattoo form.
Moments later, Sunny's body collided with Arthur's, and he moved to hug him, but instead of returning the embrace, Arthur decided to tie the end of the rope around his waist.
Without understanding anything, Sunny wanted to ask what the hell he was doing, but in the next movement, the rope began to shorten, and Sunny was shot toward the portal with the help of the Echo's current.
Arthur swallowed and waited, watching his friend's figure cross through the portal on his own while he, once again, had to stay behind.
Even so, in the next moment, the portal's figure disappeared completely, and in its place, a tornado generated by a Corrupted Tyrant took its place…
Arthur let out a sigh and thought, 'Motherfucker…'
Immediately, as the Tyrant's figure settled into that place, he realized that escaping was not going to be easy at all.
It was him—a mere Sleeper—against a Corrupted Tyrant and its countless minions of the Fallen Terror rank.
And the same strategy wasn't going to work twice.
He was going to have to sacrifice something.
'I just got my first Echo, and now I'm going to have to destroy it.'
He closed his eyes, extending his Aether sense to its maximum.
Immediately, all the information from his surroundings overloaded his mind, nearly making it explode. Fortunately… he has two minds.
[Former King] activated immediately.
Instantly, any possible expression abandoned his face. His mind split into two perfectly differentiated layers. All his humanity was set aside, leaving only the cold calculations of a Sacred-rank being in the body of a Sleeper.
When Arthur opened his eyes again, his entire vision was added to the flow of information that [Former King] was absorbing.
His eyes narrowed slightly and took on a calculating, murderous aspect.
His posture changed completely from tense to precise, with the freedom to move and perform any action.
At that moment, one of his Attributes activated. Runes began to appear along his arms and beneath his eyes.
[Realmheart] began to feed more information to [Former King].
The five augmentations once again coursed through his body while [Dawn's Ballad] began to materialize in his right hand.
Finally, the blade of the sword began to take on a purple hue.
Arthur had never used it since he obtained it, but at that moment, it wasn't Arthur who was going to wield it.
[Destruction] began to manifest on the sword's blade.
Even though this was not an Attribute like Static Void or Realmheart, and he had only completed the first step, somehow the mental state of Former King allowed him to use it.
The next instant, Arthur moved for the first time after remaining motionless all this time.
The minions had continued moving in his direction while he was immobile. The Tyrant was also slowly approaching.
However, none of them could foresee Arthur's next move.
He simply took a step and then… vanished. Leaving no trace behind.
The only indication of where he was came from the purple flames that began to consume one of the nearest Fallen Terrors.
The flames grew and grew until the tornado was nothing more than a mass of purple flames. Then, from one moment to the next, the flames began to move more violently, reaching toward the nearest creature in all directions.
However, they didn't succeed due to the pressure exerted by the Tyrant upon noticing what had happened.
When the flames extinguished where the Terror's body should have been, there was nothing left but Arthur's figure.
In the end… the flames had also consumed the corpse until nothing remained… But the flames were still hungry, and there was plenty to feed on.
A smile, completely full of madness, found its place on Arthur's face. Even with the use of Former King.
When the flames finished consuming the Terror and Arthur's figure was exposed, he vanished again.
The next moment, another Fallen Terror was consumed by the flames. And moments later, another succumbed to the same fate.
The Corrupted Tyrant, seeing its minions being consumed in such a manner, had no choice but to intervene. Its air current grew stronger, its pressure became more unbearable. Even its size nearly doubled.
Then something strange began to happen.
The Fallen Terrors surrounding the Tyrant began to be drawn toward it. First, one entered the range of its tornado and was completely annihilated. The next met no better fate.
Noticing this, Arthur stopped after the flames consumed another creature. And with a voice completely full of madness yet devoid of any human trace, he said,
"All of this for a mere Sleeper?" He spat on the ground. "In my days, Corrupted Tyrants were scarier…"
The next instant, his figure vanished again, and the flames claimed another victim.
The Tyrant not only began absorbing its minions but also intelligently positioned itself directly in Arthur's path to the portal.
Even so, that was also part of Arthur's plan.
The Tyrant thought that by absorbing the rest and becoming stronger, it would be enough to leave Arthur with no escape, not realizing that the fewer enemies he had, the better it would be for him.
Strangely, it opted for this option—absorbing its minions—instead of attacking him directly. Though that wouldn't have helped either.
Because the moment Arthur had managed to pass through one of the minion's tornados as if it were completely nonexistent, the seed of doubt had taken root in the Tyrant's mind.
Yes, it was stronger. Its rank was far higher than Arthur's. Its class was the same, but it had existed for much longer. Its winds were faster and more lethal than those of its minions.
However, the Tyrant also remembered. It remembered the presence Arthur emitted. It remembered the pressure he exerted.
But mainly… it remembered the method Arthur was using. Not only remembered it—it recognized it.
Even so, this knowledge would not help it. Because the next instant, its last minion was devoured by the flames, and only him remained.
In this situation, Arthur's smile grew wider, more full of madness. The flames began to escape from the sword, starting to consume his own body. The flames were hungry.
His arms began to be consumed, his armor began to succumb, and in the next instant, a new tornado appeared between the Tyrant and him.
The flames, however, did not begin to consume this new participant in the fight. They became more controlled, and then another figure appeared on the battlefield.
But this one simply analyzed the situation and somehow passed through Arthur's body, integrating itself into his core.
The next instant, the Echo launched a completely suicidal assault on the Tyrant. It took maximum speed and, with its greatest power, crashed against the Tyrant's air current.
The Tyrant was not even bothered by this assault and immediately increased the wind's flow. Not even two seconds passed from the first impact to the moment the Spell informed Arthur of the Echo's destruction.
Not that he was inside the Echo anyway.
The moment the impact happened, he simply vanished again while a Memory formed in his left hand.
Using the impact and the turbulent air currents, he let himself be launched at great speed. Then, extending his hand, [Infinite Lash] finished forming in it, and with surgical precision, the rope closed around the top of the portal.
Using the momentum, he sent his five augmentations to the Memory and commanded it to shorten as quickly as possible.
Even so, the Tyrant was far from defeated.
Increasing its wind flow even further, it began to pull Arthur with even greater force. But it no longer mattered.
The moment Arthur saw the path, he took it.
From one moment to the next, he found himself on his knees before the portal, and with the little strength he had left, he finally crossed it.
And his entire world shattered, disintegrating until nothing remained but absolute darkness.
In that darkness, he remained conscious with what little he had left. Gradually, his Attributes began to shut down.
First [Destruction], then [Realmheart].
An eternity—or seconds—later, he felt something again.
First, a sensation of warmth ignited in his body. Then an incandescent light appeared in his eyes, and finally, his body hit hard ground.
Arthur tried to move, but his body wouldn't respond. He tried to take in his surroundings, but his mind was completely shattered. He attempted to perceive something with his Aether sense, and the only things he managed to identify were sand, a tree with two weathered skeletons nailed to its bark, and a small lake beside it.
Opening his eyes slowly, he managed to see the skeletons. They were cruelly nailed to the white bark.
Blinking several times, he would swear he noticed them moving of their own volition. And there was something extremely familiar about these two skeletons.
It was as if… as if he knew them from somewhere…
After a while, one of the skeletons said:
"My, oh my. Am I that pleasant to look at?"
Arthur furrowed his brow because he recognized the expression, the way of speaking.
Then the other skeleton said, "Hey, Eurys, you remember that joke about… mmmhh… how did it go?" After a few seconds, he added, "Ah, yes! Now I remember!"
"A Djinn walks into a bar…"
But Arthur didn't manage to hear anything else, because the next instant, his body could no longer hold on, and [Former King] deactivated abruptly. It was like pulling the plug on an appliance.
Arthur's consciousness completely shut off, and he lay unconscious under the shadow of the only existing tree in the Nightmare Desert…