Chapter 287: The Rising Darkness

Just when Darius, Aric, and Sylph thought they had their enemies on the verge of defeat, something unexpected—something terrifying—began to unfold across their separate battlefields.

The broken bodies of Velkar, Feris, Vorn, and Mirra, as well as their shattered Nether Puppets, began to twitch and stir unnervingly.

Their wounds, deep and mortal, seemed to close on their own. Dark energy surged around them, growing stronger, thicker, until their forms started to regenerate at an alarming rate. The once-ruined Nether Puppets slowly reassembled, glowing with renewed, sinister energy.

Darius, on his battlefield with Velkar and Feris, gripped his hammer tighter, watching in disbelief. "This can't be..." he muttered, his eyes narrowing as he saw the injuries he'd inflicted just moments ago healing right before his eyes.

His chest heaved with exhaustion. He had poured everything into his ultimate attack, yet here they were, standing tall again.

In another part of the battlefield, Sylph stared at Mirra as the same twisted regeneration unfolded. The winds from her Tempest's Wrath still swirled around her, but her eyes were filled with shock. "Impossible," she whispered under her breath, her brow furrowed in disbelief. "How are they recovering so quickly?"

Far from them, Aric's jaw clenched as he watched Vorn rise from the ground, his puppets crackling with dark energy once again. "No way," he growled, his voice low and tense. "What are these monsters?"

The villains, now fully healed, exchanged malicious smirks. Velkar was the first to speak, his voice filled with a cold amusement that sent chills through the air. "Surprised?" he sneered, his lips curling into a wicked grin. "Did you really think that was enough to bring us down?"

Feris, standing beside him, chuckled darkly. "You haven't even seen a fraction of our true power," he added, his eyes gleaming with malice. "This is the power of Nether Devour."

Darius, standing alone on his battlefield, frowned deeply, the realization slowly dawning on him. "Nether Devour?" he echoed, his voice filled with both confusion and concern.

Velkar's smile widened, his eyes glinting with the cruel satisfaction of revealing a dark secret. "By consuming the corpses of our fallen comrades—the Necrovauld disciples who failed to escape..."

He paused, gesturing to the scattered bodies across the battlefield. "And the beasts that litter this land, we're able to absorb their life force, their mana, and restore ourselves to full strength." Searᴄh the NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Darius's face twisted in disgust, his grip on his hammer tightening as anger surged within him. "You're feeding on your own people?" His voice was thick with disbelief and fury.

On her side of the battlefield, Sylph heard Mirra's laughter rise above the winds. "Not just regain our strength, darling," Mirra said, her voice dripping with mockery. "We're more powerful than we were before! You should be honored—you've given us the chance to show our true potential."

Vorn, still smirking in Aric's direction, joined in the taunting. "How does it feel, Celestial dogs? You thought you had us on the ropes, but now you'll be the ones begging for mercy."

Aric's eyes narrowed, fury flickering in his gaze. "We'll see who's begging by the end of this."

Velkar's smirk only deepened as he prepared for the counterattack. "Now," he said coldly, his voice slicing through the air like a blade. "Let's see how you fare when the tables are turned."

Back in her corner, Sylph's sharp eyes scanned the battlefield, noticing how the dark energy from the corpses was fueling their enemies. Her lips tightened into a grim line. "So this is your ace," she muttered to herself. "Feeding on the dead like parasites."

Darius, far from his companions, struggled to catch his breath, his earlier attacks having drained most of his power.

He could feel the weight of exhaustion pressing down on him, but he knew there was no choice but to fight. "No matter how strong they've become," he growled to himself, his hammer still glowing faintly in his hand, "we'll find a way to win."

Sylph, her gaze hard and unyielding, drew her blades close. "We can't give up. Not now," she whispered fiercely, her tone filled with determination.

Aric, on his battlefield, stood firm, glaring at Vorn with fiery resolve. "We've beaten you before. We'll do it again," he snarled, his fists tightening around his weapon. "I don't care how much power you steal. It won't be enough."

Without warning, Velkar and the others launched their attack, their eyes gleaming with dark intent. "You won't escape this time!" Velkar snarled, his voice filled with venom as he commanded his forces forward. Puppet Rend and Soulchain Bind surged toward their opponents like a tidal wave of death, ethereal chains and nether claws ripping through the battlefield with terrifying precision.

The regenerated Nether Puppets, now brimming with newfound strength, moved with lethal efficiency. Their once-clumsy strikes were now swift and calculated, each one aimed to overwhelm and destroy the Celestial elders.

Darius gritted his teeth, feeling the weight of exhaustion settling into his bones. But there was no time for hesitation. "Not today," he growled under his breath, summoning the last reserves of his strength. The molten energy around his hammer flickered to life as he activated Forgemaster's Strike. The intense heat radiated off the weapon, making the air shimmer around him.

"Come on, then!" Darius roared, swinging his hammer with everything he had. The burning weapon clashed with the nether-infused attacks of Velkar and Feris, sending sparks flying in all directions. The sheer force of the impact shook the ground beneath them, but Darius stood firm, his expression hardened with resolve.

"You're getting weaker, Darius," Velkar taunted, his voice cold and mocking. "How long do you think you can keep this up?"

Darius's eyes narrowed, his chest rising and falling heavily. "As long as it takes to finish you," he spat back, though the strain in his voice betrayed just how much strength he had left.

Meanwhile, on another part of the battlefield, Sylph was a blur of motion, her figure nearly invisible as she summoned the power of the wind. With a swift motion, she activated Whirling Blades, sending a torrent of razor-sharp wind-powered strikes toward Mirra and her puppets.

The wind howled as the blades cut through the air with deadly speed, each strike aimed at slicing through Mirra's defenses. But Mirra merely grinned, her eyes glowing with the dark energy she had absorbed. "You'll have to do better than that," she hissed, her voice dripping with arrogance. Stay updated with m-v l|-NovelFire.net

Sylph's gaze sharpened. "You've become more resilient, but that won't last," she said, her voice cool and steady, though there was a flicker of frustration behind her eyes.

The blades tore into the nether puppets, but Mirra's defenses, bolstered by the devoured energy of the fallen, held firm. "You see, little wind witch," Mirra sneered, "I'm not as fragile as you thought. Now, you'll watch as your power becomes meaningless."

Sylph clenched her teeth, refusing to let doubt take root. "We'll see about that," she muttered, her body already shifting, preparing to strike again.

On the far side of the battlefield, Aric locked eyes with Vorn, his gaze blazing with fiery determination. "This ends now," Aric declared, his voice low but filled with raw power. His entire body glowed with an intense aura as he charged forward, every step thundering against the earth.

"Come on, then!" Vorn challenged, his smirk widening as he stood his ground, his Nether Puppets flanking him like looming shadows. "Let's see if your brute strength can match the power I've stolen."

Aric roared, his voice shaking the battlefield as he activated Colossal Strike, his muscles rippling with the force of his attack. He swung his massive fist toward Vorn, aiming to crush him and his puppets in one decisive blow.

But Vorn, his body reinforced by the stolen energy of the dead, was no longer as fragile as before. He met Aric's blow head-on, his nether-infused form glowing with dark power. The impact was like a thunderclap, reverberating through the battlefield.

For a moment, the two forces clashed in a deadlock, neither giving an inch. Vorn's smirk never faltered. "You've got strength, Aric," he taunted, his voice steady despite the intensity of the battle. "But brute force alone won't save you this time."

Aric's jaw clenched, the veins in his arms bulging as he pushed against the overwhelming force of Vorn's counter. "I don't need to save myself," he growled through gritted teeth. "I just need to break you."