Just from the seriousness in Nox's voice, they knew they needed to end this now. That was probably what he wanted to do as well.
Nodding their heads, both Eve and Aina prepared their finishing move.
"Thank you," Aina whispered to Eve. "I don't know what you did to him on that vacation, but I really appreciate it... he has become a man."
Eve nodded and then smiled. "You're welcome."
"You should smile more, you know?" Aina teased.
"Come on, let's end this quickly," Eve hurriedly changed the topic.
A larger, more radiant spear that seemed to hum with divine power appeared in Aina's grasp, while a shadowy, ethereal staff materialized in Eve's hands.
Sensing what they were about to do, Nox shouted at the top of his voice, "Now!"
With a synchronized attack, Nox unleashed another pair of bloody energy orbs aimed directly at the beast's face, while Aina hurled her radiant spear straight at its heart. At the same moment, Eve raised her staff high and released a torrent of dark energy, firing it directly at the exposed side of the beast.
The combined attack obliterated the Leviathan's remaining defenses. The radiant spear struck its core, sending a shockwave that illuminated the entire chamber. The beast let out one final painful roar before collapsing into the pool.
The giant chamber fell silent, save for the sound of rocks falling from the ceiling of the cavern and the labored breaths of the group.
But the group didn't outrightly jump up for joy and hug each other; the atmosphere was still very tense.
It wasn't until this message:
[Ding! You've slain Legendary Tier LV2 Hybrid]
...flashed that they finally felt at peace.
"It's... over," Aina exhaled but hid a smile on her face.
Nox wiped sweat from his brow, a faint smirk tugging at his lips as he paused to catch his breath. If he turned his notifications on, he was certain he would see a level-up message.
Nox had exhausted a large amount of mana and stamina firing off the combined attack simultaneously. Condensing two Shadow Oblivion attacks into orbs was already draining enough, but then channeling explosive blood tendrils into it was even more taxing on his reserves.
However, in the end, the gamble had paid off. Though there was still a smile on his face, Nox's body ached with fatigue, his muscles screaming from the effort. Unfortunately, he was in the wrong place for that.
While he rested, though, Nox's gaze flickered around the cavern, and he couldn't help but wonder how the entire thing had not collapsed.
'This place... I need to investigate more of this place... how did the statue even get here in the first place?' Nox felt there was more to this place that didn't meet the eye.
Just then, Aina's voice reached his ears.
"It seems the hybrid dropped a skill." Aina shouted as she jumped into the now-dried pool and picked up a scroll.
Nox's eyes flashed, and for a second, the tiredness vanished from his face. He jumped into the pool as well. This was the first time he was seeing a skill scroll, after all.
All his skills so far had been acquired because of his talent; it was safe to say that Nox had never learned a skill the traditional way.
"What does it say?" Nox asked, glancing at the scroll.
Aina unrolled the scroll carefully, and as soon as she did, the words on it shimmered, glowing with a radiant light. Nox was also looking into the parchment, so the information flowed directly into both of their minds.
Abyssal Armour (Advanced): Coats the user's body in an indestructible layer of abyssal energy, reducing incoming damage by 90%. The armor strengthens over time in battle and reflects a portion of absorbed damage.
Cooldown: Three minutes
[Do you wish to learn this skill?]
"Take." Aina folded the scroll and handed it to Nox. "You did all the work, so you deserve it, right?"
'While Eve and I were just holding back...'
...was what she wanted to say but wisely kept her mouth shut.
Aina glanced at Eve, and she nodded as well.
Seeing their approval, Nox displayed an appreciative smile and took the skill, placing it in his Inventory for later. "Thank you, then."
After placing the skill away, Nox, having regained a bit of stamina, stated, "Alright, then let's leave here befor—"
He was suddenly interrupted by the sound of deliberate footsteps.
Everyone's attention snapped toward the sound, but there was no one there.
This... this left them perplexed, and Nox, Eve, and Aina exchanged wary glances.
'I didn't sense anyone.' Aina thought with a frown on her face.
Just when they thought the person would show up, the footsteps suddenly came to a stop.
"Who is there?" Aina's voice boomed throughout the chamber, her eyes shining with a white light. If she hadn't been serious before, she was now.
It was because this person... she couldn't sense their presence, which only meant one thing—they were a powerful Awakened.
Eve's eyes flashed as well. She shared exactly the same thought.
"Impressive," a voice said. "But I'm not here for you guys. I'm only here for one person."
A towering man with a blindfold stepped out of the darkness.
"You." Everyone present immediately recognized this man as the judge in the tournament.
"What do you want?" Aina inquired in an unfriendly tone as she stepped forward in front of Nox.
"Him." The man lifted an arm and pointed at Nox.
"Why do you want him?" Eve asked, the Harbinger of Death slamming the butt of its scythe to the ground, her cold blue eyes flashing with contempt.
"That's something personal between me and him." Despite seeing the two-meter-tall skeleton, the man remained unfazed and approached the trio, who had immediately heightened their guard, the air almost sizzling around them.
Nox didn't say anything and simply studied the blindfolded man, wondering if he had ever offended this person in the past. Then he asked calmly, without showing any trace of animosity, "What do you want from me?"
"Smart." Zarek smiled, and after getting closer by a few meters, he did something that surprised everyone.
The blindfolded man fell to one knee and slowly brought his hands to take off the blindfold. As he did that, a shift occurred in the atmosphere as though the air itself held its breath. The temperature seemed to drop, and an ominous energy burst forth from the man.
"The humans know me as Zarek Silver... but my real name is..."
The blindfold eventually slipped off, falling to the ground... revealing blood-red eyes.
Yes, Eve's eyes were ruby in color, and so were Aina's, but theirs were lighter and beautiful. However, this man's...
...his were several shades darker—almost unholy to look at.
"...Alucard Tepes," the man declared, revealing a pair of cannon-like fangs. "I'm a faithful servant of Lord Arthur Aegis Cromwell."