The Oracle Paths

Once their heads were severed from their necks, these Lifemancers weren't supposed to be able to make a comeback. Even though their lifeforce far exceeded human limits, their genetics were as mundane as it gets. Their heads might survive for a while, drained of blood and deprived of oxygen, but the rest of their body wouldn't regenerate. Following this logic, death was inevitable.

So why was this head taunting him with a sinister smirk instead of glaring at him with bloodshot eyes? Its lips began to move, forming syllables, but no sound came out since its trachea was no longer connected to any lungs.

Intrigued, Hephais paid attention and, by reading his victim's lips, his expression darkened completely.

"Too…late!"

"!!!"

An ineffable sense of danger overwhelmed him, and his survival instincts kicked in immediately. Proactive, the assassin crossed his scimitars, then uncrossed them vertically this time, slicing the head into two, then four, then eight…

Being serious this time, the Egaean had channeled a torrent of Dark Lumyst into his blades, corroding and overwhelming Isdar's flesh and consciousness with all sorts of malicious statuses.

This time, it would take a miracle for the enemy to pull through.

"Aaarrrrrrrgghh!!"

The Saint began to scream in agony as the dark energy spread throughout his brain, now split into eight. Hephais expected to see his severed skull disintegrate and collapse under the force of gravity, but the inert bark wall against which Isdar was propped suddenly came to life, holding his shattered skull in place with its roots.

At the same moment, numerous roots as thick as a hose burst through his back in a horrific manner, forcibly merging him with the vegetal den. Blood and other fluids sprayed everywhere, but the giant's waning Life Lumyst Aura was instantly magnified.

For a brief moment, Hephais thought the Treant had decided to suck him dry to the marrow like the other victims riddled with roots, but he was way off. The Saint's dark wooden plate armor, which had strangely dodged his blade instead of protecting the wearer's neck, began to emit a vast lifeforce, and in the blink of an eye, roots sprouted from Isdar's torso and severed head to reconnect his neck.

As soon as his skull was screwed back on with a distinct 'pop' to the rest of his body, the vegetal armor began to ripple like a liquid and completely covered its master's body, eliminating his last weak points. Simultaneously, the Saint moved his fingers, picking up his broadsword with indifference.

As Hephais witnessed this absurd turn of events with astonishment, his mind, however, was racing. Commanding the shadows he had concealed all around them, dark spikes burst forth from everywhere, lunging at the giant.

CLANG!

But this time, all his attacks were deflected by the armor, despite their superior striking power. With his eyebrows twitching imperceptibly, the assassin didn't falter and concentrated all his Lumyst, Aether, and the little Dark and Shadow Mana he could muster into the tip of the scimitar in his dominant hand and thrust it at his forehead at lightning speed.

The density of dark energy and the penetrating power of this thrust were absolutely prodigious, and when the tip of his blade touched the giant's forehead, or rather his helmet, a terrible screeching noise pierced the silence. A powerful black shockwave then swept through the cave from the point of impact, hitting Crunch's bloated body head-on.

Hephais wasn't immune to its power either, but he melded into his own shadow just in time to avoid being hit by his own attack. Even so, sheltered within it, the residual energy of his attack reverberated into his shadow, making him spit a bit of blood.

His organs had all taken a beating, and right now, he was suffering from a bunch of debilitating debuffs despite his high resistance to his own element.

"That was close." He groaned in pain, promising to apologize to Crunch once the battle was over.

It was over, right? Oddly, his sense of danger was still tingling... To be sure, he scanned the surface of his shadow and…

He teleported into another shadow just in time to avoid being decapitated in turn. When Hephais looked around blankly, however, to assess the situation, his stoic face showed for the first time signs of irritation... and confusion.

The vegetal den was unrecognizable. It had been completely devastated by the dark blast of his attack, its bark and roots damaged, blackened, and corroded in many places. But while the assassin regretted having injured his own ally (aka Crunch), the one he wanted to kill looked more sprightly than ever.

Heck! He even looked more formidable than before!

His opponent, whom he initially saw only as the last mini-boss of the day—a Saint of the Radiant Conclave to end on a high note—had somewhat changed in appearance... and aura.

While his size had changed little, his armor had become black as obsidian, while his Lumyst Aura, blindingly white before, was now tainted with an abominable darkness. The roots that had previously pierced his back were still there, continuously transmitting a staggering flow of Life Lumyst to him.

"This energy..." Jake murmured darkly, stopping to the right of Hephais. "And here I thought we were lucky so far despite all the Oracle System's failures..."

This dark and evil energy might be different, following the rules of Lumyst, but its essence and characteristics were unmistakable.

Destruction Lumyst!

And this malevolent Lumyst wasn't just corrupting their enemy's Light Lumyst, but also his aura... It could be a coincidence, the power of destruction wasn't exclusive to Digestors, but Jake had long lost faith in that possibility.

After all, there wasn't a single Ordeal that had gone well. Directly or indirectly, he seemed doomed to deal with them.

But what removed any last doubt for Jake and Hephais was the pool of silver blood staining the helmet of his armor. The helmet had regenerated, but its wearer hadn't come out completely unscathed.

"Silver blood..." Crunch meowed weakly, licking his wounds infected by Hephais's dark Lumyst.

Ceythie stood, battered but alive, behind him, the cat's elastic body having saved her from death, while the flames of the turkey had incinerated the roots keeping her captive and trying to suck her brain.

The duo had intervened just in time. A second or two more, and her Spirit Lumyst Aura would have been completely consumed. The souls accumulated in it had almost been consumed to the last, leaving her with only her own spiritual presence and default killing intent.

Unfortunately, this meant that the Great General would not reach the pinnacle again for a long time. Her legend was over.

Crunch then trotted on his short legs to his master's feet, while the turkey stayed back to cover Ceythie. Both seemed to have realized that being large wasn't always an advantage, as they had both reverted to their pet-size to dodge more easily.

This precaution made sense. The Lumyst of both creatures was depleted, and their wounds were healing at an unnaturally slow pace despite their immense vitality. They had seen better days.

As for Hephais, he had already purged the corrosive energy from his body. At the end of the day, wielding dark magic was his forte.

On the other hand, their opponent, Isdar, displayed a rumbling rage threatening to erupt and a... smidgen of fear? Even after merging with Corvac and gaining access to the Treant's nearly inexhaustible energy source, which amplified his physical capabilities and the power of his Lumyst, he still didn't feel at ease.

On the contrary, the stronger he became, the more aware he was of the strength of the four foreigners. The Destruction Lumyst that had so easily defeated Ceythie had been so effortlessly defended by this assassin... His blades hadn't broken either!

"I understand now why Anthace takes the threat of the foreigners so seriously," Isdar finally spoke, his true expression hidden beneath his helmet. "Compared to us, the natives of this world, your talent undoubtedly surpasses us. If only you hadn't shown up... We could have taken control of this world in less than a year. But because of you, many innocents will die."

"You're talking about the Soulmancer King?" Jake inquired.

"The Soulmancer King? We couldn't care less about that guy or the Chalice of Nethershade, even though it's also important for our plans. That's Valandar's messianic delusion. My kind and I serve a greater cause. To devour Twyluxia!"

Ah, finally! The word was out!

Without a big villain, something was missing from their Ordeal...