116 Heartbea

"If only there was a dagger in that weapons store." Allen landed a glimpse on the organ then back at Dorothy, "I could have sent many dagger flashes to scrape that heart off."

Looking back at Allen, Dorothy asked, "How are you sure it is a heart?"

Records of the Visergoroth Eater on the outside world was scarce; there were little to no information even in the libraries of Alchem Town and Ikkleshan when she had been researching about the said monster, making Dorothy wonder where did he get such knowledge.

***

A few years ago, somewhere in the southwest edge of the Monarch Forest...

Inside a fairly lit up cave by magical gemstones, the young Allen viewed a squiggling sprout restrained by the sole of his boot, "Visergoroth Chompers are very rare, it should be one in a million chance to find one in this era."

Visergoroth Chompers were the youngsters of Visergoroth Eaters. Although differing in power and possibly external looks, both had nearly the same internal body structures as per the records written.

Holding the curved sword on one hand and the Erchian Dagger on the other; the latter dematerialized from his grasp and he aimed the tip of the former to the resisting sprout.

Meanwhile, around them were obvious signs of a recent battle. From the huge chomp marks to the long rifts left behind by flashes and slashes nearly everywhere on the walls.

"Turn back to your monster form." He took out a glowing knife from his satchel and returned the curved sword inside it.

Crouching down, he then stabbed the knife a needle's breadth away from the bigger part of the sprout and continued, "If you don't, a pill made from a Visergoroth Chomper's essence and a salad can be good alternatives."

The sprout paused on all of its movements then began whimpering like a dog's cries of mercy.

***

Back at the present...

Allen only kept looking back to Dorothy without replying anything.

It was an utter silence between the two.

"Don't want to explain it? I can live with that." Dorothy set her gaze away from him and focused back up to the heart.

"I have my ways." Finally, Allen answered back, albeit it was an implicit rejection of the question.

-rumble-

Tremors appeared all around them, starting from the heart above, to the walls then to the platforms, then to the surging water below that were coming from the large vents on the walls that resulted into bigger waves.

As everything shook violently, Allen's and Dorothy's feet were still firmly planted on the platform.

When the trembling stopped, green veins then stretched out of the heart towards the ends of the room.

Realizing something, Dorothy pointed out, "The monster's aura became more powerful!"

She noticed something of their auras, prompting her to check them, "This is not good, we also became even weaker than before!"

Then from above, the veins originating from the heart were torn apart from the inside and numerous five-legged monsters rained down again from above.

In response, Allen and Dorothy took out a few red pills from their jars and threw it to the incoming monsters above them.

-boom-

Simultaneous explosions broke out and a ball of fire was formed over the central platform, incinerating all the coming beasts.

No monster was capable enough to pierce through the fire, only their ashes were able to come down to the platform, however, the ashes didn't last long on the floor as the wind carried them away.

Meanwhile, the beasts that weren't aiming to land on the central platform descended to the pathways and the other minor platforms.

"Dorothy, I have an idea on how to kill that heart." Allen suddenly said.

Dorothy: "What is it?"

"Can you keep me protected?" Allen asked, "I only need time."

"I can." She nodded.

"Here's my jar of explosive pills, you need it more than I do." Allen closed and tossed over the jar, which Dorothy got hold of.

Afterwards, hordes of the five-legged beast charged towards the central platform from all the connected bridges to it.

Showing an unmoved countenance, as the monsters stepped on the central platform, she pulled out a variety of pills from the jars, and threw them simultaneously.

First, three red pills were thrown to one side of the platform.

-boom-

A deafening explosion erupted which decimated the monsters on that side, leaving behind a large fire that blocked the way of the monsters from that direction.

Not wasting any time, she threw more pills to the other incoming beasts.

Each time the pills made contact with solid surface, either a blast of fire or burning acid or ice or a tranquilizing aroma would emerge from them, wreaking havoc amongst the ranks of the incoming beasts.

With just those pills, Dorothy was able to keep the monsters near the corner of the circular platform!

"Are you done with what you are doing?" Dorothy asked.

"No, I need a few more seconds." Allen replied.

On the other hand, the five-legged monsters broke through the obstacles created by the pills and swarmed forward once again, making vibrations all over the platform.

"I will have to use the last Species Obliterating Potion then." Dorothy pulled out a vial from her belt and stared closely at the incoming monsters getting closer to them.

When the monsters finally reached a certain distance, she threw the potion to the nearest beast!

The potion shot towards the monster, however, it hopped and dodged it then continued charging forward!

Nevertheless, its companion from behind hit the vial and broke it!

With a crisp sound of glass shattering, the liquid from inside the fragile container soaked the monster all over its body.

Without warning, just like the first six-legged gray lizards earlier on, bubbles formed all-over its body!

It shrieked as it tried to get it off, but in just a few seconds, it turned into green smoke, and as one of the monsters touched the green smoke, it also howled and not a long time passed it also turned into smoke then another one until to the last one in the vicinity.

Meanwhile, there was still one survivor, which was the one that dodged the vial by hopping!

Before it reached about 10 meters away from Dorothy, she flicked a red pill at it and it pierced through its body.

-boom-

From the inside, the monster was swiftly obliterated.

"I'm done." Allen said as he suddenly went to one knee with the support of his sword.

"Are you alright?" Dorothy asked.

"I am, I just used nearly used up all my internal energy into this sword." Allen picked out a replenishing pill from one of his jars and consumed it. "Took me two turns to fill it."

He stood straightly up again, "I'm going into position. I can sense this sword has a ranged ability."

He and Dorothy were already in the centermost part of the platform, directly under the giant heart.

Allen aimed his sword up to the heart, then he pulled it down.

Afterwards, the sword began to glow faintly. From the weak faint glow, it became more and more intense until to the point it was a blinding golden light.

A golden line emerged from the middle of the weapon and branched out from it to the ends of its blade like growing branches of trees.

Dorothy was forced to step back because of the striking light.

Then the aura of the sword became more powerful, from Minor-Inferior graded it shot up to Superb-Inferior graded.

But it didn't just stop there, it crawled up to the point the aura of a Peak-Inferior graded weapon could be sensed!

Dorothy turned her back on Allen and shadowed her eyes with her arm, for the first time, her countenance changed greatly and she thought, 'Isn't this… a suicide-type weapon!'

Finally, its aura reached a Peak-Inferior graded weapon could have!

"It's a suicide-type weapon, huh." Like what Dorothy realized, Allen also recognized what kind of weapon was it.

Allen: "It doesn't matter, this is just an illusion. Even a cursed weapon can be useful."

Dorothy walked away farther, reaching the edge and turned around again.

"Hm?" Noticing something, she cupped one of her hands and placed it on her right ear.

She focused all her senses on her hearing, even allocating a huge portion of internal energy towards it.

Despite the stormy-like surges of the waves on the surface; under it was a quiet, calm, and peaceful water. As if it was barren of life.

-swish-

There was a movement that caused swishing underneath.

-swish- -swish- -swish-

With sudden air-piercing sounds, numerous vines shot towards central platform from water below!

-boom- -boom- -boom-

Loud and powerful shaking could be felt on the central platform, then in an instant, the platform started to creak sideways!

Dorothy hastily normalized her senses and kept herself steady. Not even thinking of it, she ran to and hopped onto the connected stabler pathway from the central platform, however, Allen was still in the middle, unable to move because he was still controlling the sword!

"Allen!" She shouted, "Don't continue the attack!"

Another rumble occurred, but this time, it took place at the heart!

More veins stretched out from the heart and embedded themselves onto the ceiling and started vibrating!

The vibrations spread throughout the chamber, shaking every single nook and cranny of the chamber.

Dorothy held tightly onto the steel railings on the pathway and looked down below.

The waves down below were so chaotic that the walls of the chamber it would hit obtained very small cracks!

"I can feel like we are on the brink of becoming low-stage mages!" Dorothy sensed that she and Allen were becoming weaker, while the monster, including the vines became stronger than before once again!

Allen: "If I should destroy that heart, that moment is now."

-boom-

As more vines shot towards the central platform! The vines began tearing the platform apart, until it started to fall down altogether!

After which, Allen jumped up with all his current strength could give towards the heart!

Meanwhile, because the central platform has already been destroyed, the vines continued to shot forward towards Allen!

A vine overtook Allen and attempted to block his way!

However, in a blink of an eye Allen disappeared and the vine blocked nothing!

Allen reappeared somewhere a considerable distance away underneath the heart.

"This distance should be enough." He said.

The sword glowed blindly. If the glow could be heard, its sound could be heard across the whole Ryon City!

Allen lifted the sword up!

A loud echo of some sort sounded out, not because the heart was slashed, but because it released a more powerful aura!

Dorothy was already at the walls of the chamber when it happened, she narrowed her eyes and muttered, "The heart became more powerful and we became weaker again. The protection orb is on the verge collapse already."

The said organ began shrinking rapidly, then in a second...

-boom-

It enlarged once again! Like a very powerful heartbeat, it sent a more destructive soundwave throughout the chamber, with most of the force concentrated towards the middle!

The metal pathways in the middle and on its periphery split apart into smithereens by the intensified vibrations.

Dorothy tightly held onto what she could hold just to prevent herself being taken away by the vibrations. The walls all around cracked by the sheer strength of the vibrations. Some parts of it fell and almost hit her unknowingly!

The vines trying to catch up onto Allen withered into dust, while Allen himself was flung down furiously from above and into the water below, splashing it everywhere!

"Allen!" She shouted and looked at the spot where Allen crashed down. An expanding blood puddle was now on the spot he had crashed into!