Elegy from Another World

Tia's rage was like a tangible flame. She recklessly gathered her magic power, and fireballs, wind blades, and ice spikes rained down on the shimmering, invisible barrier, but they could only create ripples on the barrier before dissipating without a trace, unable to shake it in the slightest.

"Tia! Calm down!" I shouted sharply, forcibly pulling her back to my side. "This barrier is abnormally strong. Trying to break through it is just a waste of energy!" I have an immortal body and can bear the consequences of mistakes, but Tia cannot. Every attack she makes could result in injury.

The current situation is extremely unfavorable to us. Our only heavy equipment and most of our firepower are cut off from the outside, and we are trapped in this enclosed cave, facing an unfathomable and well-prepared enemy.

"Selebreit! Can you hear me? We're trapped by a magical barrier. Find a way to break through!" I urgently contacted the outside world through the communication tentacles next to my ear.

[Received! Analyzing the barrier structure... Lady Liscia, the barrier's energy source comes from within, connected to the ley lines of the entire labyrinth. Forcibly breaking through from the outside will take time, or... a massive instantaneous energy shock!] Sellerbreit's voice was filled with urgency.

Time! Time is what we need most right now! I must stall and extract as much information as possible.

I stepped forward, shielding Tia behind me, and stared directly at Aslo, who stood calmly on the altar: "Astro! What exactly are you trying to achieve by going to such lengths to set up this stage? Just to settle things with us?"

Aslo let out a contemptuous sneer, as if admiring the struggle of a caged beast: "I have planned for this day for far too long. Drawing upon the despair of my blood relatives, gathering pure and powerful souls, all of it was for this moment of sublimation." He opened his arms as if to embrace the entire cave.

"Sublimation? I don't understand your nonsense."

"You don't need to understand. A dying man's knowledge only adds to his troubles." Aslo's smile turned cruel and fanatical. "You only need to be the final stepping stone for my ascension to the throne!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the massive magic circle beneath his feet suddenly erupted with a deep, eerie light! From the center of the magic circle, like boiling asphalt, a large amount of viscous, pitch-black liquid surged out! This liquid seemed to possess life, rapidly climbing up Aslo's body and completely enveloping him!

"Ughhhhhh—!" With a low growl mixed with pain and pleasure, the black liquid rapidly solidified and shaped, eventually forming a grotesque, ominous full-body suit of jet-black armor on his body! Even his face was completely obscured by a visor, leaving only two points of crimson light flashing around his eyes. At the same time, a weapon that appeared rough, like twisted steel bars, "grew" from his hand, but the destructive energy flowing through it left no doubt about its terrifying power.

"Ah... this is the 'Demon King's Power'..." Aslo felt the surging power within him with ecstasy, his voice becoming low and distorted through his mask, "Indeed, sacrificing so many 'offers' was completely worth it!"

The power of the Demon King! The word flashed through my mind like lightning. So that's it! The soldiers who self-destructed after being drained of their life force, the vicious curse on Tina, this eerie labyrinth and altar… all these fragments finally came together! Aslo was performing some kind of evil ritual, attempting to steal or fuse with the so-called "Demon King's" power!

"Alright, enough chit-chat." Aslo raised the "steel bar," his scarlet eyes locking onto me. "I'll first make up for my previous regrets, deal with you, the troublemaker, and then properly 'take care' of my dear niece!"

The battle erupted instantly!

Aslo's speed and strength, enhanced by his armor, reached unbelievable levels! The magical barrier around him remained intact, preventing our attacks from reaching him, yet he could freely pass through it to launch attacks against us! That "steel bar" was even more terrifying; not only could it deliver heavy physical blows, but its tip could also instantly unleash scorching green lasers! Wherever the lasers passed, whether rock or metal, they were instantly vaporized!

I withstood most of his attacks thanks to my immortality and fighting instincts. The green lasers left terrible penetrating wounds on my body, but they would quickly heal in the exhilarating sensation of constant burning transformation. Blood and the little red flowers that had been knocked down spread at my feet. But Tia was in danger. She could only rely on her agility and magical shield to dodge awkwardly, narrowly escaping death several times and consuming a huge amount of magic power.

"Selebrecht! How much longer?!" I asked anxiously during a brief moment of dodging.

[No! The outer barrier is too strong; it cannot be breached in a short time! Unless we can find and destroy the core that maintains the barrier! Based on energy flow analysis, the core... is very likely located in the altar area where you are!]

The altar area? This is the dead end! This is a complete dead end!

"Activate Plan C!" I decided immediately. "Contact Zoemem!"

"yes!"

I yelled at Tia, "Tia! Get to the corner and protect yourself with your strongest defensive magic! I've executed the final plan!"

Seeing my determined gaze, Tia, though confused, gritted her teeth and nodded, quickly retreating and gathering all her remaining magic power to construct a thick shield interwoven with flames and whirlwinds.

Aslo clearly noticed the difference in condition between me and Tia. Tia was at her limit; her left side had just been grazed by a laser, instantly removing a large chunk of flesh, leaving her bloodied and deathly pale. While I looked wretched, my aura hadn't weakened, and my wounds were healing rapidly. He decided to concentrate all his power on dealing with me, the biggest variable.

"Hmph, immortality? Let's see how long you can last!" Aslo grinned maliciously, and the magic circle beneath his feet lit up again, this time with an eerie purple light!

The light swept across my body, and I instantly felt a wave of exhaustion! The surging magic within me was forcibly cut off, and I could no longer mobilize it even a little bit!

"Surprised?" Aslo laughed smugly. "This is also a power of the 'Demon King's Power'—the 'Anti-Magic Domain'! Here, I am the rule-maker!"

I was startled and tried using water magic, but as expected, there was no reaction! Strangely, Tia's defensive magic seemed unaffected. "It seems this magic-suppressing effect is targeting me personally?" Is it because my power source is special, or is Aslo doing this intentionally?

"Well then, the game is over! Die!" Aslo flashed and appeared in front of me in an instant, the steel bar hurtling towards me with a shrill whistling sound as it tore through the air!

Unable to use magic, I could only rely on pure physical strength and combat skills to parry and dodge. But without the aid of magic, my speed and reaction time were greatly reduced. Aslo's attacks were like a storm, a series of fierce combos completely suppressing me! Heavy blows rained down on me, the sound of bones shattering was clearly audible, I was knocked to the ground time and time again, but I struggled to my feet again thanks to my immortality. Where my body was splattered with blood, the little red flowers bloomed even more alluringly, as if mocking this cruel battle.

"Interesting, what a tenacious cockroach!" Aslo said, his tone revealing impatience and anger as he saw I remained standing. "But what about this move?"

Another, even fiercer attack! I was practically a sitting duck, desperately trying to protect my vitals, with only one belief in my mind: hold on! Hold on until Plan C succeeds!

Aslo was clearly enraged by my stubbornness. He gathered all his strength, and the eerie light on his black armor surged! "Annihilate me completely!"

He roared, and the steel bar, carrying devastating energy, slammed into my chest! The immense force sent me flying like a cannonball! And in mid-air, Aslo was still casting his spell! Below me, the ground suddenly cracked open, revealing a terrifying machine covered in rotating blades and crushing rollers, reeking of blood—a gigantic shredder!

"Fuck!" I only managed to utter one curse before I was plunged into that vortex of death!

"Lady Liscia!!" Tia screamed in anguish.

In an instant, blood and flesh flew everywhere! My body was completely pulverized by the high-speed spinning blades and the immense pressure, turning into a puddle of paste mixed with bone fragments and minced flesh, splattering everywhere!

"Ha, nothing more." Aslo gazed at the slowly coming to a halt in the shredder, and the carnage scattered on the ground, declaring his victory. He turned, his crimson gaze fixed on Tia, who lay limp in the corner, consumed by terror and despair, and slowly approached her. "Now, it's your turn, my dear niece. Let's enjoy these last moments..."

Tia looked at the "me" scattered all over the ground and almost completely broke down.

However, just as Aslo was about to touch Tia—

"boom!!!!!!!!!"

A deafening roar, beyond description, seemed to echo across the entire planet! It didn't originate from the outside, but exploded directly overhead! The entire underground cavern shook and crumbled violently as if struck by an earthquake! The thick rock layer directly above the altar, before that overwhelming force, vaporized and vanished instantly, like snow under the sun, disappearing without a trace!

A pure, blazing white beam of light, imbued with immense dragon might and destructive energy, poured precisely into the center of the altar through the forcibly opened "skylight" like a spear of judgment hurled by a god!

Plan C – “Divine Punishment” – has been a success!

Even before we realized we might face a defense we couldn't break through head-on, Xiao Pei, Zoimem, and I devised this extreme plan. Zoimem would carry a massive tungsten alloy rod, weighing several tons and specially enchanted to virtually eliminate air resistance, to an altitude of ten thousand meters. Then, she would use her most powerful dragon roar sonic boom to propel the end of the tungsten rod, giving it a terrifying initial acceleration, ultimately causing it to crash into the target at an astonishing speed exceeding Mach 40! The kinetic energy released upon impact would be equivalent to the simultaneous detonation of nearly a hundred tons of TNT!

This is the destructive power of pure physical laws, ignoring the vast majority of magical defenses!

The white light faded, and the dust settled.

The altar and its magic circle had completely vanished, leaving only a bottomless crater with crystalline, molten edges. The core of the labyrinth was utterly destroyed, and the magical barrier enveloping the cave had dissipated like shattered glass.

Aslo's jet-black armor was riddled with cracks, its crimson light dimmed. He collapsed at the edge of the crater, his visor shattered, revealing half of his charred, twisted face, etched with disbelief. He murmured, "No... impossible... my throne..."

Tia was also hit by the shockwave and was seriously injured and unconscious, but fortunately she was not in the center of the explosion and survived.

My scattered pieces of flesh and blood were almost completely purified and vaporized in this destructive energy.

A colossal white dragon descended from the sky. Zoimem landed on the ground and immediately stepped forward, enveloping Tia in his dragon breath, imbued with divine healing power. Nourished by the white dragon's powerful life force, Tia's injuries healed at a visible speed.

Upon recovering, Tia's first sight was of Aslo, who was lying on the verge of death beside her. The flames of hatred reignited in her eyes, but this time, they were tempered with a cold, resolute determination.

She struggled to her feet, staggered to Aslo's side, and picked up the cracked "steel bar" weapon that had fallen to the ground.

Aslo seemed to regain a sliver of consciousness. Looking at Tia approaching, his eyes were filled with disbelief and despair as he murmured, "I am... destiny..."

Tia remained expressionless, raised her weapon, and aimed it at his head.

"Farewell, Uncle."

As soon as he finished speaking, the weapon stabbed down fiercely!

"Pfft!"

Aslo's body twitched a few times before falling completely silent. This ruthless tyrant, who had plotted for years and committed countless crimes, ultimately died from the hatred he himself had created.

Everything seems to have finally come to an end.

Tia released her weapon, slumped to the ground, and gazed at the newly appeared "skylight" in the sky and the moonlight streaming down, tears silently streaming down her face. Was it relief, sorrow, or emptiness? Perhaps even she herself didn't know. This long struggle, which transcended hatred, conspiracy, and power, had finally come to a bloody end.