Lieutenant Dante watched with trembling eyes as the creature's body shattered into a burst of frozen blood essence, the shards dissolving into nothingness.
If there was one thing that couldn't be denied, it was that Northern's ability had a striking resemblance to Ryan's.
Of course, both the breadth of application and appearance were strange and offsetting in a way he couldn't quite figure out.
In fact, he felt that if he continued to probe that part of his suspicion, a strange and evil darkness would consume him.
There was also this peculiar forgetfulness that lingered in his mind.
He couldn't tell exactly what was happening to him, but he was sure Northern was either an influence or perhaps the mastermind behind it.
'He is dangerous, very dangerous. I was wrong the whole time; this is not someone to be trifled with. Killing him would be reckless-the best I can do is ensure we never cross blades.'
The Lieutenant's eyes stayed fixed on Northern.
Northern exhaled, frost swirling around him like an aura of death. He glanced at the Lieutenant, catching the man's lingering gaze.
Then he gave a thumbs down.
"Not tagging in yet. Looks like you'll have to take a backseat on this one, Lieutenant."
He turned away, bringing his attention to the Blood Guardian, the only remaining foe in the chamber.
The Guardian still sat upon its throne, unmoving.
But the scepter it held began to pulse with a violent, almost desperate energy.
Crimson light spilled from the orb atop it, casting grotesque shadows across the walls.
"Still hiding behind your power?" Northern taunted, his voice echoing with a mix of amusement and challenge. "Let's see how far that gets you."
The Guardian didn't respond. Instead, the crimson light condensed into a blinding beam that shot toward Northern with the force of a collapsing star.
Northern didn't flinch.
The crimson beam pierced the air right in front of his eyes but never reached him. He remained unscathed as the beam vanished completely.
The chamber fell silent as all traces of the beam disappeared.
Northern raised his hands and washed them over his face. When his hands came away, Chaos Eyes blazed with intensity as he took a step forward.
The Guardian shifted for the first time, rising slowly from its throne. Its massive frame loomed over Northern, the scepter clutched tightly in its clawed hand.
The energy it had poured into the attack returned to the scepter tenfold, the orb now pulsating like a second heart.
The Guardian slammed the scepter into the ground, and the entire chamber quaked.
Crimson veins spread from the scepter, weaving across the floor and walls, feeding the room with raw power.
Northern stopped, his grin widening. "Ah... so you do have some fight left in you."
The frost around him surged as he raised one hand. A single, massive spear of void ice formed above him, its jagged edges emitting dark mists that seemed to fall, obscuring even the crimson ground.
This spear was different.
Larger, darker, more alive.
It pulsed with the power of the void, an entity in its own right, as if the frost had taken Northern's will and amplified it into a weapon of absolute destruction.
Northern stared at it with azure stars glittering in his eyes.
'This is what Diy caused? It really is magnificent. And this ice manipulation, maybe because it has been amplified by the power of void and chaos, feels stronger and unlimited in any form. Its only limitation is my mind, and fortunately, I happen to be a creative engineer.'
Northern's face radiated with dangerous glee.
The Guardian raised its scepter, the crimson orb glowing brighter than ever, readying another attack.
Northern's voice cut through the tension, calm and absolute. "Void consumes all."
With a flick of his fingers, the spear launched forward, its sheer force tearing through the air with a deafening roar.
The moment it struck the Guardian's scepter, Northern added, "Echo."
Several additional, earth-shattering impacts pummeled the orb, resounding throughout the entire hall.
The chamber erupted in a cacophony of destruction as the spear's multiplied force surged through the scepter, the crimson orb atop it shattering like fragile glass.
The impact reverberated outward, each echo amplifying the destruction tenfold.
The Guardian staggered, its colossal frame trembling as waves of essence rippled through its body.
Crimson veins crawling along the walls and floor shattered like brittle vines, bleeding light before fading into oblivion.
The Guardian let out an unearthly roar, its voice a blend of agony and fury.
"Yeah, judging by your reaction, I guess I did hit a nerve. That orb has been giving me an unsettling feeling, so I had to do away with it first before dealing with you."
Northern smiled. "Now, shall we end this?"
The darkness in the creature's eyes deepened and roiled with primal fury.
Northern advanced slowly, each step precise and unrelenting, his presence dominating the
The frost clung to his form like a living extension of his will.
He raised his hand, fingers curling into a fist as the remnants of the shattered void spear reassembled, forming an array of jagged weapons suspended in mid-air.
"I see you now," Northern said, his voice low, his Chaos Eyes blazing with an almost celestial
He could see it clearly-the tether that connected the Guardian to the heart of the rift.
The scepter had not been its weapon; it had been its anchor, a lifeline to the overwhelming power that sustained its existence.
Now severed, the Guardian was vulnerable, and his eyes could now see where the core of the
The creature, as it beheld Northern's eyes, widened its own, losing its composure in flippant
It lunged forward, its massive hands swinging in a desperate attempt to crush Northern. But Northern was no longer standing where he had been.
A flicker of motion, and he was at the Guardian's side, the void weapons striking like a swarm
Each blade pierced the Guardian's silk, shattering its once-impenetrable carapace of blood.
Crimson ichor sprayed into the air, only to freeze and evaporate in the void's cold embrace.
The Guardian twisted, swinging its massive arm in a wide arc.
Northern ducked low with ease, the attack missing him by a hair.
"Look at how unsightly and desperate a supposedly Apex Belial like you has become."
Grengar appeared in his hand.
He retaliated with a swift upward slash of the staff, the black blade cutting through the Guardian's arm like paper.
The severed limb crashed to the floor, disintegrating into shards of blood essence.
As the severed limb fell to the ground, blood curled out of the creature's amputated arm and
Northern tilted his head with glee in his eyes.
"This makes it all the more enjoyable."