Chapter 399 Darkness Calls

'It hasn't attacked yet. Why? Is it fighting Excelsior right now? I can't hear any fighting. Is it this darkness? Does it kill any sound from traveling far? All senses?' He questioned.

Though as he questioned the nature of the situation, he came to realize what was beside him, not knowing for how long it had been there, but "something" stood in the shadows. Just as his eyes turned to the right in reflex of what had moved by him–

"Ngh!"

Removed from his shoulder without any perceived attack, his artificial arm was flung from his body, thrown into the overbearing darkness.

'What was that...? What is this?!' He thought.

The sounds he heard from the entity that lurked in the darkness around him were perplexing, unable to be identified or deciphered; the light breaths of a woman, the rugged grunts of a man, the growling of a beast, the hissing of a serpent, and even the light croaks of an amphibian.

Unable to perceive the maddening presence of that which embodied Darkness, sweat poured from his body as the gravity of the being's existence weighed on him.

'Get it together...! Steel yourself!' He thought.

He fell to a knee through the overwhelming existence of what stood before him, unable to see it yet as he was forced to look down. It was the plague flooding his mind through the absolute enigma; a doubt that caused him to buckle beneath the weight of the horrifying truth.

It went beyond the simple scope of strength; this was the will of a Primordial aspect.

'...I need it. I know why it hasn't been responding, but I didn't want to admit it. I'm afraid. I'm scared of what my system is capable of. It took my mother. I've lost control multiple times. But, I can control it–I can do it. In this moment, I can...!' He thought.

BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP.

Once more, that flame ignited itself within his body like the guidance of life through his veins; that heat resonated through him, allowing scales to stretch over his body into an armor. The arm flung from his shoulder reattached itself, tethered to him through a seal of mana.

[Dragonheart System Activated]

[Current Stage: 5/10 | Dragon Sentinel]

With the strength of his system reawakened, he picked himself up, finally able to look up at the otherworldly entity that loomed over him now. Just looking at it made his heart race and the hotness of his blood to be tested by the chills running over his body.

It was darkness itself; a tall stranger, wearing a cape of shadows that blended with the darkness itself, possessing a head that was three skulls melded together, looking in three different directions: the skull of a man, one of a cow, and one of a demon.

'This is...Darkness?' He realized.

Looking directly at it, images flooded through his mind–ones not native to his memory; flashes of perpetually black-and-white woods, desolate homes, cramped basements filled with bones, and even the faces of uncanny beings. What he stared at wasn't simply the embodiment of "Darkness", but what darkness itself came from–the "unknown".

Caught in these obscure visions, he was unable to properly react to the attack that came–only signified through a single, bony finger pointing at him from beneath the entity's cloak. That simple gesture caused eviscerations to cut through his armor, slicing into him.

"Ngugh...!"

Stumbling back as his own blood dripped from the dozen of cuts lashed into his body, he began to heal, though not before the obscure entity made more, confusing noises; the human grunts, the chirps of a bird, the growls of a beast–invoking once more those unseen slashes.

He swept his hand up just in time, invoking a barrier of reinforced stone around himself, though it was easily cut apart by the being's gesture.

'I can't see its attacks...!' He thought.

"Chimera!"

"Fine. Let's kick this thing's ass, then–together," he said.

"Now you're speaking my language!" Excelsior readied herself.

The confidence shared between them needed to be either both of them, or it would be none; in the face of an enemy that transcended the normal conventions of strength, a false bravado, even if somewhat of a delusion, was needed.

"Come on!" Emilio took the lead.

"I'm not taking orders, but sure!" Excelsior followed.

[Mytheart System Activated]

[Dragonheart System Activated]

[Scales of The Swift] | [Wings of Pegasus]

While the Dragonheart augmented his speed through the alteration of his scaled boots, allowing him to almost slide across the ground, Excelsior granted herself the aspect of ["Pegasus"], spawning seraphic wings from her back that gave her speed that mimicked soaring through the air.

Together, with the lesser spirits along with the azure flames of the Dragonheart creating a space of light for them, they took the initiative in the battle against Darkness itself. For only a split second, he called upon the authority that laid within his right eye, able to peer into the hidden truth behind the black smoke. In that single moment, he saw it–the looming entity that skulked in the shadows.

"In front!" He called out, cocking his fist back as azure flames spiraled along his arm.

[Strike of The Scaled Emperor]

As he slammed his fist forward with enough force to break the wind apart into a howling storm, the punch manifested itself through a swirl of draconic fire that pushed directly against the entity in the shadows.

The jumbling of bones echoed as the malignant being was revealed, bleeding black blood from the holes in its bones after receiving the blow.

'I hurt it...! Sometimes I forget–I've grown. I'm not the same kid I was who struggled against these aspects. We can win!' He thought.

"Excelsior!"

"Yeah, yeah! I'm on it!" The woman yelled out, leaping up and gliding in with her heavenly wings, "Mjolnir!"

A weapon of myth manifested from sparks of lightning into the woman's hands: a massive, cobalt hammer that coiled with divine electricity before being slammed down from above atop the primordial aspect.

["Smite of Thor"]

Crashing down in the aftermath of the hammer's downfall was a massive strike of lightning, piercing through the abundant darkness that laid in the domain with a radiant shine of cerulean.

A surge of power akin to magecraft of the highest level was witnessed by him before Excelsior jumped back, landing near him with a huff as she winced.

"Are you alright?" He asked, regrouping.

The woman rubbed her right arm which wielded the legendary hammer as it seemed to be strained, "I'm fine...using weapons of this caliber just have a toll of their own."

CRK. CRKL...CRRRK.

Dismaying to their ears were the sounds of bones crunching and rebuilding, bringing their gaze towards the aftermath of sparks and darkness as the cloak of shadows lifted itself as if puppeteered by the unseen.

The tri-skulled skeleton melded of many bodies stood up, spilling blackened blood, though seeming unharmed after the massive attack.

"Tch," Excelsior clicked her tongue, "...Looks like the worst case scenario came true: the rumors are true, it seems. Darkness is immortal within the shadows."