Chapter-156 "Crystal Eyes" and "My demons" pt-9 (Side-Chapter-9)
I wanted him to know that I wouldn't abandon him!
I...will...keep...my...promise...to...him!
***
(Mikihiko's POV)
I was drowning.
Yes...drowning.
Falling deep inside the dark water as I couldn't even see the surface...not even a speck of light shone around me.
I, of course, struggled...waving my hands in the water, trying to propel myself upwards.
But no matter how much I tried...I still kept drowning.
It was as if someone was holding onto my feet...dragging me deeper into the dark pit so that I could never escape.
I had nearly lost all hope but then I heard a voice!
Someone was calling for me and I could feel myself getting lighter with each passing second.
I could feel the hold on my feet loosening ever so slightly!
And then I remembered!
I remembered all of it!
Their faces appeared in my mind!
The only two people who understood me and cared about me...who willingly put their lives on the line just so that I could have a fighting chance!
Senior Erik and Mizuki-san!
I couldn't give up!
I needed to win!
I "had" to win!
Not for me but...for them!
I had to beat that overgrown lizard's control of their sake!
For my own sake!
"MIKIHIKO WAKE UP!!!" (Mizuki)
"Mizuki...I am coming!"
I opened my mouth and howled at the top of my lungs!
The dark water gushed inside my mouth...trying to suffocate me to death!
Unfortunately for the spirit, I wasn't the scared little boy anymore!
"Ahhhh!"
My pushions burst around me...forming a protective sphere that repelled the dark water!
I could finally breathe!
I started to travel upwards...towards the surface.
Towards Mizuki...
"Your defeat is certain you overgrown lizard!"
---
*boom!*
*zoom*
*bam!*
Erik flew across space at breakneck speed!
Multiple golden beams following closely behind him!
He easily maneuvered around the beams...avoiding every one of them as he changed his direction ever so often.
He was surrounded by a white light that seemed to be growing dimmer by the second.
Half of his clothes and body were charred and bleeding, he had lost two of his left-hand fingers while fighting against the ancient spirit.
The nature of his [Time-Magic] was essentially "steal" and "store".
In the fight, he had already used more than 4/5th of his entire "store" time to harm the spirit!
He didn't have much "store" left to prolong the battle!
Fortunately, the spirit wasn't in a good condition either.
The huge dragon had lost his tail, his legs, and one of his eyes in the battle!
His scales were half-destroyed with lash gashes on his body...due to the nature of [Time-Magic], he couldn't even recover from the damage he had been dealt with.
In the past 50,000 years, this was the first time he had come so close to losing in a battle!
His opponent was smart, well-disciplined, powerful, and cunning...if not for a fact that he was an ancient spirit with a millennium of experience...he could have very well lost!
"Unfortunately, this is as far as you will go..." (Dragon)
The spirit tiredly yet pridefully looked at the zooming figure of the only mortal who would push his so far in a battle.
Erik glanced back at the golden beams following behind him and gathered some of his "store" time to negate them.
"[Time:-Chrono Stasis]" (Erik)
Multiple ringed-spheres appeared mid-air, trapping the beams inside them to nullify the attack but unfortunately, one of the golden beams avoided the sudden sphere and exploded unto Erik's back.
*boom!*
"Arghh!" (Erik)
Erik groaned in pain as he lost control over his "time" and started free falling towards the ground at an increasingly high speed!
The attack from the spirit had burned his clothes along with the [Spider Tattoo] on his back...sending searing pain through his body.
He started revolving mid-air as he closed the distance to the ground.
"Haaa!" (Erik)
Crimson aura burst forth his body as he tried to stabilize his body right before he hit the ground.
Fortunately for him, he was able to slow down his descend by a lot thus only sustaining some minor injuries.
*huff!*
*huff!*
Sweat and blood dripped on the ground as Erik forced himself to get back on his feet and stare at the tired dragon in front of him.
"An individual can reach his limit after much training." (Dragon)
"You are a rare example of one who has transcended that limit!" (Dragon)
"Bravo!" (Dragon)
"You have earned my praise." (Dragon)
"You truly are the strongest foe I have faced in the past 50,000 years!" (Dragon)
"You are the most skilled mortal I have ever seen!" (Dragon)
"If not for my life-long experience and power, I wouldn't have come out victorious out of our battle!" (Dragon)
"Unfortunately for you...you have depleted your [Time-Magic], the only thing that could have defeated me within this mindscape!" (Dragon)
"It's over! Rejoice! I will honor you by killing you with my last attack!" (Dragon)
The dragon looked at Erik with pride as he concluded his speech...observing the latter's expressions to know his thoughts.
"You have won, you say? Who decided that?" (Erik)
"I have depleted my [Time-Magic]? Who decided that?" (Erik)
"I can't defeat you? Who decided that?" (Erik)
As Erik spoke to the ancient spirit, the latter had no time to consider it...as he watched the young man who was supposed to be surrendering.
'What is this?' (Dragon)
"Dragon, divine ancient spirit..." (Erik)
"you understand nothing...of humanity's infinite potential for malice!" (Erik)
It was the first time the Dragon had felt "fear"!
The personification of pride was feeling fear!
One look at the face of this beaten young man, who should have been waiting for death, made it clear that his seemingly vain words were no mere boast.
"This is the end..." (Erik)
"[Hollow's Seal]" (Erik)
A strange aura surrounded the whole mindscape!
"I see now..." (Dragon)
"Yes... I see..." (Dragon)
"You had me in checkmate" (Dragon)
"from the start..." (Dragon)
The whole world seemed to have come to a stop!
In that dead silence, the sound of glass creaking and breaking resounded throughout the place!
The space around Dragon twisted and broke, revealing a ghastly figure who held a black lantern by the metal curve within his left palm.
[The Outer God] was here!
The cosmic entity looked towards Dragon and raised his lantern towards it.
A ghostly fire emerged around Dragon, it soon turned into chains and wrapped around its body, instead of burning its body...the chains turned into characters which etched themselves onto Dragon, who was in a soul form; effectively sealing its power!
"The dream will become the reality!...."
The ghastly entity entered the broken space as space started mending itself back to its original condition.
The time resumed, Erik and the Dragon regained their ability to perceive the world.
"What have you done!?" (Dragon)
The Dragon demanded an explanation, feeling the loss of his power he roared helplessly at the slowly approaching figure of Erik.
"What have I done, you ask?" (Erik)
"Well...in all this madness, I didn't forget that you are just a part of Mikihiko." (Erik)
"Something...which can be considered as one of his ability traits." (Erik)
"The [Hollow's Seal] allows me to seal any of ability of physical parameters up to three individual slots." (Erik)
"You!...you mean!?" (Dragon)
"Yes...you never had a chance." (Erik)
"Then why!? Why did you risk your life, fighting me!?" (Dragon)
"I wanted....no, rather I needed to release all of these suppressed emotions inside of me!" (Erik)
"Only then I could move forward in the future!" (Erik)
"Without an ounce of hesitation!" (Erik)
"I must thank you for this opportunity..." (Erik)
"As my gratitude...I am going to [Steal] and turn your millenniums of memories and experience in pure [Time] and fill my [Store]." (Erik)
"Your power will now belong to Mikihiko while you conscious and everything else will be converted into time." (Erik)
"No!!!...." (Dragon)
"A new era is about to begin!" (Erik)
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