Aether Chronicles: Birth Of A Legend-Chapter 344: That’s No Knight, That’s Death

Raegar stepped out of the tunnel into a dark chamber that seemed endless. While looking around, he noticed hundreds of bodies littering the ground around the entrance, thanks to his warriors clearing the way forward. He scanned the new area and was happy the Fusion Army was killing even more, not far from them.

He noticed the two women's faces smile as they gazed at the dead creatures who had been giving them trouble, piling up. ''Looks like we'll be at the end of this place in no time,'' he excitedly said. ''Then we can retrieve the third Fusion Knight.''

Once those words left his lips. Drusilla spun toward him. ''We'll get him, handsome!'' she exclaimed.

After those words left his lips, something in the air changed. A wave rolled over the trio like a storm as a being was announcing its presence, allowing them to locate it. He was confused when his stomach folded in on itself, and the air revealed something was waiting for them at the end of the path.

'What is this horrible feeling?' he thought, glancing around.

It was raw power, something ancient surging from an unseen enemy deeper in the realm they found themselves in. In the next minute, the Dark Fairy's body shook as the energy poured into her. A gasp escaped her lips, morphing into a low growl that echoed unnaturally in the charged silence.

The transformation started; her blonde hair turned black, which swallowed the light and absorbed the shadows around her. Drusilla's bright blue eyes, normally full of love and mischief, changed into a deep red, the form she hardly used. Just then, veins of dark energy pulsed beneath her, breaking the ground beneath her feet.

Moments later, the explosion: the Dark Fairy's power detonated in a visible shockwave before it calmed down. Raegar shook his head as the Aether rushed into her body; she trembled thanks to the pain rushing through her, which he could see and sense thanks to their bond.

Growing curious, he asked. ''How did that form come about?''

''The enemy's energy activated it,'' she explained with a big smile, wiping the sweat from her forehead. ''Looks like our next fight will be hard, the knight will give us a good fight, pushing us to the limits.''

''Are you sure you're okay?'' Nivara finally spoke up. ''Why have you got black hair and red eyes?''

Drusilla hooked a thumb at him. ''This one helped me unlock it, it's the other form from my Dark Fairy blood. Makes me stronger but burns through Aether too fast.''

''Let's get going, we don't want to miss out on your new power,'' Raegar commented.

The trio pressed deeper into the darkness, boots crunching over shards of shattered crystal and the brittle husks of what had once been living things. The air here was thick with the smell of blood and scorched stone. Every breath tasted of blood and gore.

Ahead, the Fusion Warriors fought, carving through the chamber's remaining defenders, no mercy, as the red glowing soldiers carved through the humanoids. The Blue Knight was already moving; he blurred while killing dozens of enemies with a single stroke. Raegar watched as he hit the left side at a sprint, boots skimming the blood-slick floor.

A towering humanoid in armor turned, raising an axe. The knight ducked beneath the arc, shoulder rolling, blade leaving a vicious cut that severed the tendons behind the knee. The foe bellowed, toppling; Arthur was atop him before he hit the ground, sword punching through the visor slit and out the back of the helm with a wet crunch.

When Raegar heard this, he cheered for the knight who turned in his direction, kneeling. ''I'm glad you're happy, my lord.''

''It's time to reach Galahad, then we can get out of here,'' he replied to the Blue Knight.

Following that, Raegar led the women down the tunnel where the strange power was coming from, prompting him to take out his daggers, spinning them as they let up with Fire and Lightning Aether. Allowing the trio to see the dead bodies building up as Shadow rushed down the tunnel, killing all the humanoid creatures.

Arthur stayed behind, guarding the rear as some beasts tried to ambush them, but the Blue Knight instantly finished the creepy things off. Their bodies dropped to the ground with a wet thud, forcing the remaining enemies to flee into the darkness, scuttling into holes dotted along the tunnel.

The Fusion Warriors materialized in front of him once more, but with no fresh monsters surging from the shadows, Raegar dismissed them back to their realm. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he pressed onward along the gloom-shrouded path. Drusilla glanced at the crumbling wall where fresh humanoid silhouettes had slunk into view.

''I hope the fight ends fast,'' she muttered. ''I can't wait to escape this horrible place.''

''I couldn't agree more,'' Nivara replied, her crimson eyes tracing a grim row of corpses clad in tattered clothing. ''The air itself reeks of despair; you can almost taste the thousands who perished here.''

Raegar led the way, boots crunching over brittle bones. The tunnel narrowed, then widened, then narrowed again. Drusilla kept one hand ready to cast her magic; Nivara's pointy ears flicked. A breeze washed past them, carrying the iron stink of old blood and the faint, sour note of fear-sweat long dried.

The passage ended without warning. They stepped through a jagged arch, and the floor fell away into a vast circular pit. Tiered stone benches ringed the arena, empty but for drifting dust and the ghosts of cheers. Torches guttered in iron sconces high above, painting the sand crimson and gold.

When coming to a stop, he spotted three gates at different points in the arena. In the center, a single iron post jutted from the ground, its chain rattling though no wind stirred. Drusilla's eyes narrowed. ''An arena. Of course.''

Nivara's gaze swept the seats. ''Feels like the walls are watching.''

Raegar rolled his shoulders, the faint smile gone. ''Then let's give them a show worth remembering.''

Following that, a low, wet scrape echoed across the sand, like steel dragged over bone. One of the bronze gates groaned upward on rusted chains, exhaling a gust of corpse-breath that snuffed half the torches in a single heartbeat. Darkness pooled, then split. He stepped through.

Seven feet tall, covered in green armor that looked corrupted, every seam glowing with sickly light that pulsed like a dying star. The armor was ancient, barnacle-crusted, as though dredged from some poisoned sea. In each gauntlet, he carried a short sword no longer than a man's forearm.

The blades hummed, a sound that crawled inside the skull and nested behind the eyes. No visor. Where a face should have been, only a hollow helm stared out, filled with swirling emerald fog. The aura rolled off him in waves: not heat, not cold, but the memory of every throat he'd ever opened. It pressed against the skin like wet grave-cloth.

Nivara's dagger was half-drawn before she realized her hand had moved. ''Gods below.''

Drusilla readied her magic, muttering. ''That's no knight, that's death.''

The green knight halted not far from them, its twin blades lifted, crossing with a sound like cracking ice. The chain on the central post rattled harder, as if something invisible strained against it. Then the helm tilted and the fog inside churned into the shape of a screaming mouth.

Following that, the knight suddenly moved. Not a step; a fold in space. One heartbeat, he stood ten paces away; the next, the twin blades were already descending in an arc aimed at his throat. Raegar twisted, shoulder dipping, and the swords met only air. Sparks rained across the sand.

Drusilla was already flanking left, dagger reversed for a kidney strike. Nivara went right, claws extended, tail coiling like a whip. The knight pivoted without looking, left blade flicking backward to parry Drusilla's thrust with a clang that numbed her wrist. The right sword spun in a tight circle, catching Nivara's daggers in a shower of sparks.

The impact drove her to one knee, fangs bared in a snarl that tasted of ozone. Raegar cast a dozen Stormfire Bullets that sliced through the air and slammed into the enemy. The knight staggered, armor plating screaming as the green glow flickered. For the first time, the helm tilted downward, as though surprised.

Moments later, the chain on the central post snapped taut. Something huge roared behind the second gate, wood splintering. Dust rained from the ceiling. Drusilla spat blood and flipped backward as the knight's left sword carved a trench where she'd stood. ''Rae! Whatever you've got, use it now!''

Nivara rolled under a horizontal slash that severed three of her braids, crimson eyes blazing. ''Or we die in the first act!''

Raegar's smile returned, thin, feral. ''Then let's skip to the finale and end this.''

Drusilla and Nivara backed off, allowing him to step forward, daggers at the ready.