Chapter 12: Did the Difficulty Just Jump Many Levels?

"..."

"..."

The sudden silence was the most unnerving.

Alex stared silently at the witch before him, while Medusa returned his gaze without a word. After a moment, she sneered.

"So, it's just a little mouse that stumbled into the wrong hole. It seems your luck is really bad."

Damn it!

Cursing inwardly, Alex scanned his surroundings. His situation was dire: his left shoulder burned with pain, his body was covered in injuries, and he was so exhausted he could barely move.

The hall he was in offered no cover. Surrounded by dozens of cultists and with the boss right in front of him, escape seemed impossible.

He was just looking for an item. How did this turn into a boss fight? Did the difficulty just jump three levels?

Alex's face reflected his uncertainty. Before he could think of a way out, the witch hovering in the air suddenly spoke up again.

"I sense a strange power in your possession... So, it's with you. Hand it over!"

Her voice rose sharply, and Alex felt as though a thousand gongs were being struck beside his ears. His head spun, and he could barely see. He collapsed to his knees as if struck by an invisible force.

"Seize him! Take the item he carries and bring it to me!"

Medusa didn't waste words on Alex. To her, he was just a militiaman. She was curious about how he got here, but in the world of Diablo, such insects were beneath her notice.

Her cultists, following her orders, moved toward Alex. To them, a severely injured, barely mobile militiaman posed no threat.

"Ha... Ha..."

Clutching Frostmourne, Alex knelt, panting heavily. His head buzzed, and his vision blurred, making the cultists appear as mere shadows.

Am I going to die here? His lungs burned with each breath, feeling as though flames licked his chest. Alex watched the blurry shapes drawing nearer, knowing he couldn't fight them in his current state.

There's only one option left. Gripping his sword tightly, Alex steeled himself.

As the cultists approached, a chilling wind suddenly swept through the hall.

"———————!!"

The freezing air rushed over the cultists, who didn't seem to notice. They remained frozen in place, like statues. Frost formed on their skin, and the flames in their eyes extinguished.

"What is this?!"

Medusa was stunned. She raised her hands, conjuring a blood-red magic circle around her.

A translucent red barrier formed, but the icy wind blasted her away, extinguishing the torches on the walls.

Darkness engulfed the hall.

"Cough... Cough..."

What is this power? Medusa wiped blood from her mouth, staring ahead in disbelief.

She had thought Alex was just a common militiaman, but the events unfolding before her shattered that belief.

She sensed an overwhelming, deathly cold power descending. Could he be a servant of another demon lord? Why hadn't Belial informed her of this?

Medusa swore that if she had known another demon lord was involved, she wouldn't have been so careless!

But now, it was too late.

"Whoosh."

The torches relit, their flames now a ghostly blue-green.

"So insignificant..."

A deep voice echoed as the temperature plummeted. Despite her barrier, Medusa shivered. She felt the presence of an unbeatable force.

The once blood-stained, corpse-littered hall was now covered in frost. Icicles hung from the ceiling, turning the hall into an icy realm.

A massive figure emerged, its blue eyes devoid of emotion as it stared at Medusa.

"You dare to stand in my way, insignificant insect?"

"I-I am a servant of Lord Belial!!"

Medusa's face turned pale. She didn't know which demon lord had appeared before her, but she was certain that this entity's power rivaled that of Belial, the Lord of Lies, whom she served.

Medusa no longer cared about retrieving the fragment; she was even considering abandoning her mission. After all, facing Belial's punishment was better than dying here without a trace.

"I do not wish to be your enemy, please spare me…"

"Spare you?"

The massive figure looked at her and then raised its sword.

"Your soul is filled with fear… it will make a fine meal for Frostmourne…"

"No——!!"

Medusa couldn't hold back any longer. She didn't know what "Frostmourne" was, but she understood that this being had no intention of letting her go!

Without hesitation, the witch flew backward frantically, waving her hands desperately.

"Guards! Stop him!!"

At Medusa's command, cultists and hellish demons materialized, blocking the path of the Lich King. Seeing this, the Lich King merely let out a cold laugh.

"Come, taste the power of the Scourge!!"

Before the cultists and demons could react, the icy ground shattered with a crack, and countless undead, their eyes burning with blue flames, emerged.

They raised their weapons and charged at the enemies with furious roars.

In an instant, the entire underground hall turned into a scene of chaos and hellish battle.

"Ha... Ha..."

Medusa was terrified. She had never expected to provoke such a formidable existence. Panicked and desperate, she fled, screaming for help.

"Lord Belial, save me!!"

Medusa had no way out of the underground hall. The teleportation array Alex had used was the only exit. Without it, she would have to abandon her carefully cultivated lair.

But no matter how she pleaded, there was no response from Belial.

"Lord Belial!!"

"Swish!!"

Just as Medusa reached the end of the corridor, an ice wall suddenly appeared from the ground, blocking her path. She then heard heavy footsteps behind her.

"Thud... Thud... Thud..."

"No! I don't want to die! I don't want to die here!! Lord Belial, save me!!"

Hearing the approaching footsteps, Medusa was on the verge of collapse. She desperately tried to shatter the ice wall, but her magic couldn't even crack it.

The footsteps grew closer. Medusa turned and saw a dark figure steadily advancing toward her.

"No, stay back! I don't want to die! Please, spare me, I can be your most loyal servant! I swear on my soul...!"

Seeing the figure come closer, Medusa dropped to her knees, pleading. But the figure remained silent, holding a sword that radiated a cold, deadly light.

"...Then I will fight to the death!!"

Realizing her pleas were futile, Medusa finally snapped. She screamed in rage, flying into the air and unleashing a barrage of red beams and fireballs at the figure.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Explosions engulfed the dark figure in flames. But the next moment, a flash of cold light pierced through the fire!

"Swish——!"

The blazing fireballs were instantly split in half. Medusa watched in shock as the cold light tore through her flames, stabbing straight into her chest and pinning her against the ice wall. Her protective barrier shattered.

"I... I..."

Medusa gripped the sword embedded in her body, staring at the young man before her.

She tried to speak, but before she could utter a word, she let out a bloodcurdling scream as a misty, humanoid form was ripped from her body and absorbed into the blue-glowing blade.

Medusa's lifeless body then slumped to the ground.

Alex coldly observed Medusa's corpse for a moment before finally retracting Frostmourne.

"Crash!"

Everything around him shattered into pieces.

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