Chapter 21

[You are now facing 'The First Fallen'.]

The way the System's tone went low made Theodore shiver, he didn't think that the boss would have a 'second phase', but then again, bosses usually have them so he couldn't be that surprised either.

The problem was: How to beat Lucifer in this form?

'He's even stronger now…'

The fallen angel opened his palm and a fiery sword appeared, it burned brighter than the last one that he'd summoned and its blade was longer too. "I'll end this quickly."

Lucifer drew his sword in a straight line and a slash of fire shot towards Theodore, he quickly slithered out of its trajectory and as soon as the attack struck the floor, a large explosion erupted, the gale wind created from the force even managed to make him stumble when it hit his side. 'That was a single stroke?'

Lucifer's brows furrowed in annoyance, he prepared to cut the air again but this time Theodore didn't let him get off the movement. He activated his skills and shot bolts of lightning towards the angel and the velocity of the bolts didn't give him time to react.

[The Personal Attribute 'Scales of the Serpent' has been activated!]

[The Skill 'Wild Thunder' has been activated!]

Theodore didn't stop there though, he opened his mouth and let a column of holy fire rise from his mouth and struck Lucifer while he was still down, the electricity combined with the flames caused a minute explosion to occur, covering the battlefield with smoke again.

A soft 'whoosh' of wings could be heard coming from the fog and a figure shot straight into the sky, it was Lucifer, and he didn't seem to be harmed from Theodore's attacks at all apart from the previous wound on his side, which was still dripping blood. "Your resistance is futile."

When Lucifer raised his sword above his head, the fire that made up the structure of the weapon changed color, instead of its regular dark red, it began to turn a shade of purple as dark magic radiated from its blade.

Theodore didn't need anyone to tell him that this attack was going to be strong, he readied himself and activated a skill that he hadn't gotten to use in a while.

[The Personal Attribute 'Agility' has been activated! Your speed will increase tremendously!]

<<Speed: 425 —> 1275 (5 minutes)>>

The level three 'Agility' was doing wonders for him, even though the time limit was only five minutes, it should be enough for him to last until he could think of a counterattack.

Lucifer brought down his sword and a thunderous 'boom' accompanied its powerful strike, Theodore's increased speed allowed him to dash across the room in a single second, when he turned around, he saw that the wall and floor had been split in half, revealing darkness behind them.

Theodore didn't want to know what would happen if he fell into the pit, he suspected that it might be similar to falling off of a game map and you would die instantly. He didn't have the time to be afraid and he immediately mustered up the strength to cast another spell.

However, pain would strike his body as soon as the magic circle was drawn in the air, when he'd come to his senses, he noticed that his spell had been broken instantly before anything could even come out of it. He could only watch in horror as small light blue shards of what was left of his magic circle vanished.

"I told you," Lucifer lowered himself from the air, still hovering a few centimeters off the ground. "No magic can stand on equal grounds with mine."

'F*ck, that's just unfair.'

[All the more reason to get it, no?]

Ouroboros' voice slightly startled him. 'Only if I could beat him…I can't fight him with raw strength and I can't use magic either, my other skills are too weak to do enough damage too. I'll be dead if I try anything reckless.'

[Oh, Theodore, you have overlooked one thing. You still have a chance if you—]

[No.] Asclepius interrupted. [Doing 'that' might kill him. Didn't you say he's your favorite? How could you suggest something like that?]

[But if he doesn't take this risk, Lucifer will kill him, can you stop him with your healing powers? I do not think so.] Ouroboros usually spoke in a gentle tone, like he was born in a noble family that taught good adequates, this was the first time Theodore had heard him use a rage-filled voice.

'…What do I need to do?'

[Theodore!]

Ouroboros ignored Asclepius' protests. [Release it all, everything you have, both Order and Chaos, it will hurt but you must endure.]

'My body will break down, right?'

[Super Regeneration can prolong such fate, but by then if Lucifer is still alive—]

Their conversation was cut short when the fallen angel suddenly began manifesting black chains from the ground and they slithered through the air at a frightening speed. "What? Feeling hopeless already?"

This boss was smart, he wasn't going to let his enemy finish their thoughts before making their move.

Theodore wasn't sure if Wild Thunder or Flames of Pride could break those chains, so he needed to make his decision fast. 'You promised not to let me die.'

[Unfortunately, there's only so much that I could control for you.]

It would be too much of a cheat if the mysterious god lets a master manipulate his skills for him, Theodore didn't complain about it though as he took a deep breath and used his increased speed to weave through the barrage of chains looking to capture his movements.

Meanwhile, he mentally prepared himself to use his Bloodline Skill.

[The Fragment of the Original had released all his control over the Bloodline Skill 'Embodiment of Chaos'.]

[Your body is undergoing changes.]

Pain coursed through his body and slightly reduced his mobility, but Theodore pushed on and continued avoiding the chains.

[Warning! The Chaos energy is breaking your body apart!]

['Super Regeneration' has automatically activated!]

It was almost unbearable, he could barely think of anything because of the intense pain, it felt like his muscles and organs were being torn apart from the inside.

[The immense amount of energy has caused your Bloodline Skills relating to 'Embodiment of Chaos' to upgrade!]

<<Coldest Death (Lvl.2) —> Coldest Death (Lvl.5)>>

<<Super Regeneration (Lvl.MAX) —-> Immortality (Lvl.1)>>

<<The Great Cycle (Lvl.1) —-> The Great Cycle (Lvl.4)>>

[The restriction on 'Corrupting Touch' has been lifted!]

<<Corrupting Touch [50%] (Lvl.3) —> Corrupting Touch (Lvl.3)>>

'Upgrade?' There was still hope for him, although Theodore didn't have time to read what those level ups had done to the skills, he just needed to use what he could at that moment.

Unfortunately, the pain became too much for him and he was forced to stop moving, allowing the chains to finally catch up and they violently started wrapping themselves around his body before dragging him closer to their master.

Lucifer's mouth curled up into a satisfied smile. "You can never outrun my Chains of Sin."

The sword in his hand swiftly made its way through the air, the temperature around the blade was hot enough to ionize the air around it, crackling the air, it would definitely kill Theodore in a single hit.

'F*ck! I risked everything and I'm still dead? No! I can't die yet!!!'

[The Personal Attribute 'Will to Live' has awakened its hidden power!]

<<Will to Live (Lvl.2) —> Final Desperation (Lvl.MAX)>>

['Final Desperation' activated 'Forced Spell'!]

['Coldest Death' and 'Corrupting Touch' are responding to your wishes!]

Much to both of their surprises, the chains around Theodore suddenly shattered like glass, the flaming sword was pushed back by a mysterious force and Lucifer's body was flung with it, although the fallen angel had managed to stand his ground and held onto his weapon. "What did you do?"

Lucifer's red eyes were fixated on his sword, the fire was dimming and it seemed to be losing its purplish color, the temperature around it had also been lowered significantly, now it's only a little hotter than normal fire.

Theodore was still aching all over his body, but he was rational enough to use this opportunity to widen his distance, while his speed buff was still active, he abused it all the way through and dashed backwards until he was standing by the gates.

'Corrupting Touch…I've been using it this whole time but now it's actually effective?' Theodore always enhanced his spells with it through 'Embodiment of Chaos', the effects were simply too good to pass up on, however, it didn't show any good results until now.

'Did the fifty percent debuff matter that much?' Theodore still has his eyes locked on his target, although it seemed that Lucifer had become wary of him now that he'd managed to escape certain death twice in a row.

He needed this moment to gather his thoughts.

Theodore was still in great pain, he couldn't even feel himself touching the ground at the moment, so it took him longer than it should to realize that something was off with his body.

To confirm his suspicion, he opened his attribute window and glanced at a line below his mana points.

<<Status Condition: Decay. Bleeding. Frost.>>

The 'Frost' effect caught his eyes, it'd only appeared when he first used ice magic, back then he didn't have the fire abilities to cancel the cold for him and his snake body couldn't handle its power. 'It's here again?'

There wasn't much he could think of that might have caused this.

But then he noticed that something behind the panel was slightly flickering: They were system windows. He must've been too preoccupied since he'd missed a dozen notifications entirely.

['Coldest Death' and 'Corrupting Touch' are responding to your wishes!]

['Ice Magic' has undergone evolution!]

[Your desire for destruction fuels this magic…]

<<Ice Magic (Lvl.5) —> Frozen Disaster (Lvl.1)>>

[The existence of a 'Unique Magic' has formed a new section in the attribute window!]

[Congratulations! You have completed the Hidden Quest: 'Arcane Creator'!]

'What hidden quest?'

<<Hidden Quest: Arcane Creator

With 13th's Knowledge, you have unlocked the potential to learn Magic of the Gods and, on rare occasions, awaken your own arcane arts. There are many ways someone could create an entirely new set of spells, however, the most common way is to push your body to its utmost limit! The technique humans refer to as 'Force Spell' will also increase the chance of your awakening. But only those blessed with natural talent and luck could obtain this power without risks. You? This path is dangerous and deadly, and your greed for power might become your downfall. Although, if you do decide to complete this quest, you'll be given great rewards.

-Awake a Unique Magic (1/1)

Rewards: [Rewards had been changed to fit your awakened magic] —> Double mana capacity. A new magic of your choosing (stems from 13th's Knowledge).>>

Theodore wanted to know what the options were, but he didn't want to risk taking his attention off of Lucifer, who was still hesitant about attacking him as he held his gaze. 'Ouroboros, can you pick for me?'

[But what if you didn't like my choice?]

'It's not about like or dislike, just tell me what you think is the most useful.' He opened the list but kept the panel away from his view before clearing the other screens as well, right now he needed to focus on the matter at hand.

Theodore looked at his newly evolved magic, 'Frozen Disaster', and knew it would be effective since it'd managed to dispel Lucifer's so-called inescapable chains and even the flaming sword was heavily affected.

'Is it like my ice magic?' When he thought of using the skill, something sparked within his subconscious and he suddenly knew what he had to do. He took in a deep breath and activated the ability, a large magic circle appeared on the ground below him and instantly the diminishing effects of 'Devouring Winter' sprung back to life—It came back stronger even.

The floor had been completely submerged in a thick layer of snow, the wind howled as a storm brewed within the room, sending frost and ice all over the battlefield, ice spikes rose taller than before and the temperature had gone sub-zero.

The once hell-like chamber had suddenly been turned into a winter wasteland.

[Serpent Bearer's Domain: Devouring Winter]

Lucifer looked visibly upset, the grip on his sword tightened as he spread his wings, seemingly unfazed by the cold. "How dare you open a domain on top of mine! You shameless beast!"

The fiery blade disappeared from the fallen angel's hand as demonic energy surrounded his palms once again, a blast of dark power shot forward before splitting into multiple smaller bullets heading straight towards Theodore.

He had a few minutes of 'Agility' left so he'd managed to weave through them all, now he was standing in the middle of the room, unscathed from the barrage of attacks.

However, he would soon feel pain as he took many hits from behind, a curse escaped his lips as he turned around and noticed that the magical bullets were homing in on him.

Theodore took this as an opportunity to further test out the capabilities of his new magic. After surrounding himself with 'Scales of the Serpent' for extra caution, he summoned five magic circles and blast the rest of the attacks down with his own icicle rocks, each time the two skills made contact with each other, a small explosion would occur.

He quickly turned his head around once all of Lucifer's bullets had been dealt with and his magic circles followed, frozen spike-like projectiles rained onto the angel, leaving him very little room to react.

Lucifer wasn't going to go down that easily either, with a wave of his hand, dark mist manifested from his fingers and swept in front of him like a protective screen, taking all the incoming attacks.

Theodore became annoyed that the ice bullets were still being easily blocked despite the upgrades to his magic, the snow storm around him grew stronger, as if responding to his emotions.

[Warning! The 'Freeze' status condition is causing malfunctions in your body!]

[Overusing 'Frozen Disaster' any longer will endanger your life!]

'Ouroboros?'

[I—I'm still thinking…!]

'A fire spell, anything! I need to balance out this cold!'

[Ah! Okay!]

[The Fragment of the Original had suggested the option: "Immortal Flames"]

[Would you like to accept?]

'Yes!'

[The Skill 'Flames of Pride' will be consumed to fuel this awakening.]

…

[The Unique Magic 'Immortal Flames' has been added.]

Theodore felt something heat up inside of his body for a moment before the sensation disappeared, glancing at his status condition, he realized that the 'Frost' effect was no longer there too.

Now that he could freely use his magic, Theodore had nothing else to fear, he began conjuring up multiple magic circles and more ice spikes rained down onto the dark curtain.

Using his barrage of spells at the front as a cover, he secretly drew a magic circle at the bottom of Lucifer's feet and activated it the instant it was finished.

By the time that the angel had reacted, ice constructs had already started building up around him until frozen chains emerged from the floor and immediately found themselves around the wings, dragging the demon king towards the ground.

[Ice Cage: Stage III]

"F*ck! How dare you!" Lucifer screamed as he tried struggling out of his bindings, but this only caused more chains to wrap around him, further immobilizing his movements. "Fight me head on you cowardly serpent! I will show you true power!"

Theodore cringed at Lucifer's speech, the ice had finished constructing itself into a large cage and magic circles hovered around the box, they seemed to be strengthening the durability of the box.

Ice Cage: Stage III, a spell similar to the effects of 'Devouring Winter' but on a smaller, more compacted scale, since the latter spell had already become something of a support ability that sets up the ideal battlefield for his ice magic, the Ice Cage's three stages became his trapping and killing spell.

"It's over." Theodore spoke in a low tone as he slithered closer to Lucifer.

[The Bloodline Skill 'Corrupting Touch' is weakening the First Fallen.]

[The Bloodline Skill 'Embodiment of Chaos' has gained a level due to increased mastery.]

"Over…?" Lucifer narrowed his eyes. "It's never over for me, I will always return no matter what, I survived falling from heaven so what could possibly end my existence?" The demon king spoke with a boastful tone.

Theodore was unfazed by his comments and created another magic circle in front of him, this time it appeared to be more complex than the others he'd made so far, so it wasn't finished in an instant. "You said this was your purgatory right? Think of this as me freeing you."

"Freeing me?" Lucifer's eyes were fixated on the magic circle that was still slowly drawing itself, nervousness hidden in his gaze. "The only way I escape this place is through death, but I'll never be killed by the likes of you!"

"Oh yeah?" When the last few lines of the arcana were drawn, the circle flashed brightly as its colors began shifting from its usual light blue to a shiny gold, like watching paint rolling over a canvas. "I don't think you'll live through this one."

[The Bloodline Skill 'Divine Blaze' has found its true purpose!]

<<Divine Blaze (Lvl.2) —> Divine Blaze (Lvl.MAX)>>

[The Skill '13th's Knowledge' is assisting you!]

[A new spell has been invented!]

[Immortal Flames: Evil Vanquish]