Chapter 382: The Final Gamble - Part 1

The hold seemed to have no end. Kael felt like he was falling endlessly into a hole that had no ending point. His heart skipped a beat as he looked down at the abyss with conflicting feelings.

He did not mind keeping falling, but would that truly resolve anything? And even if he did fall to someplace, what would it resolve?

Maybe it would be better to give up—

“Darn it. This magic is messing with my mind. I cannot actively allow it to control me. I need to grab hold of it quickly.”

Kael had the magic of this god inside him, so in theory, he should be able to control this place.

Even if he could not control it fully, he just needed enough control to be able to open a hole and get through to the other side. He knew he could do it.

Kael grabbed the flowing particles, but they resisted. They had a tendency to fall down naturally, and any other path felt unnatural to them.

But if Kael wanted to stop falling, then he needed to divert this force to another part.

“Let’s concentrate. I will be able to find an end to this trail soon.”

Kael whispered as he closed his eyes and concentrated entirely on his surroundings. It instantly made him aware that he was surrounded by the dungeon’s core. Or at least, the same kind of magic as that type.

And he also understood the purpose of this never-ending fall.

“I see. So this is the digestive system of that dead god? It swallowed us all, and now it wants to digest us? I cannot allow that.”

Kael gritted his teeth and made one final push toward opening the god’s stomach. He was getting desperate to save himself now.

Humans were said to surpass even their limits in times of need, and Kael was no different. His magic started to swell up, and the particles around him started to get attracted to him.

He used all this force to burst open from the stomach of the god and noticed that the hole he had made had started to close up. Soon, nothing would be left on the skin, leaving no evidence of what happened here.

Kael watched it for a few seconds before he decided that he needed to hurry up. Once more, he propelled himself toward the head of this body—the brain.

It was time for him to put an end to this situation once and for all.

…

“Hurry up. We need to use even more energy. Iris, you cannot fall back. Hurry up and use more strength.”

Lyra barked loudly as she looked at her struggling companion.

Out of all of them, Iris was the one who had the least magic, so it was a given that she was struggling to maintain the formation.

But as much as Lyra understood her position, she also knew that one person’s failure could bring this whole operation tumbling down.

So, despite her struggles, Iris had to hold on and do her best.

“I…am trying… Don’t worry about me. I will be able to do this.”

Iris assured her, maintaining her steady flow. She was concentrating hard not to be left behind, and it made Lyra proud of her.

But at the same time, the array had not even started to move.

“I will increase my output. Since we are on the same side, the balance should be maintained.”

Seraphina spoke and increased her own power. It caused the scale to move a little and then stabilise. Finally, magic started to fill the array.

Leon watched this from the sidelines, his hands gripping his sword tightly.

He knew that he would be the only one left to protect this world once this ritual was over.

Seraphina, Iris, and Lyra would merge and head toward Goddess Aria, while Elena would be left with no powers.

The burden that he had to carry was heavy, but he did not regret agreeing to this. All he wanted was to concentrate right now, as Kael had, and save this world.

“We connected. I will start the ceremony now.”

Seraphina announced as she closed her eyes and started to chant. The others continued as well, and their bodies started to walk toward the centre.

Elena was the only one who stayed behind, but Leon could see the struggle in her face. The poor girl wanted to join as well.

She took a shaky step forward before she looked at Leon.

“Hey, stop me at all costs.”

Elena told him as her body moved even more, and Leon reached out to grab her arm and keep her in place.

Her magic lashed out, wanting to join the others and complete them. But Leon held her back.

The pain of having to fight her own magic must have been greater than any other, and yet, Elena did not look like she had lost her mind yet.

Leon kept his grip on her tight, even as she struggled to get away from him.

She was fully yelling and crying now, wanting to be left alone. But Leon could not afford to let her go.

“I-I need to go. Don’t stop me! That is my power… my soul…”

The call from the magic finally tipped the scales, and Elena cried out. Her magic realised that Leon was not going to let her go, and it decided to abandon her and head toward the others.

The pain of being stripped of one’s magic was akin to dying slowly. Piece by piece, a part of her was being cut off that she knew could never be gotten back.

Elena knew that this was the end of her life. And yet, Leon refused to let her go. His arms held her tightly, ensuring she would not be able to move a single inch.

“Please, let me go. My magic… my life…”

“I know. It hurts to be stripped of it all. But you chose to do this, and you need to stay back and allow the others to fulfil their mission.”

Leon told Elena, and she let out a sigh before she nodded.