The Villain's Apocalypse-Chapter 34: Trial V

Chapter 34: Trial V

Canopy.

Beneath Uravis’s feet, small saplings spurted up from the ground and turned into luscious forest in a matter of seconds, spreading everywhere like wildfire.

Flowers bloomed, and grasses blossomed wherever the domain passed through, ultimately clashing with the crimson aura.

One side was a desolate land filled with death and decaying energy, while the other was a luscious forest filled with vitality and natural energy. The contrast between them was massive, to say the least.

[Mad Heaven Art – Third Form: Rain of Desolation]

Valegrith slowly lifted his halberd and pointed it toward the sky, unleashing an enormous amount of mana from his body. The entire sky above the battlefield turned blood-red, crimson clouds looming over the soldiers’ head.

The soldiers, whether they were from Vrahan or Zherath, both stared at the clouds with a single emotion flashing within their eyes–despair.

"L-Lord C-Crimson, we are on the same side!"

"Why are you attacking us too?!"

"I-I’m b-begging you, please don’t kill me."

"R-Run!! The Lord has gone completely mad!!"

Some desperately pleaded for their lives, unwilling to die a worthless death, while others gave up their pride and rushed forward, approaching Uravis’s canopy.

"FOOLS–! It’s your honor to die on the battlefield. Embrace death and be liberated beyond." He remarked, his face grinning with excitement. He stared at the sky and dropped a single word.

Descend.

The ground shook violently as immense pressure poured from the skies. Rays of crimson light shone within the clouds, mirroring the starry sky, but unlike the beautiful starlight, these crimson lights remained malevolent.

From within the clouds, millions of blood-red spears rained down, piercing anything and everything under their range. The tip of those spears shrieked with intense bloodlust, devouring even the tiniest amount of life.

sigh~

"You never learn, do you?" Uravis shook his head, familiar with the ways of the madman before him. He had battled with him countless times in the past and one thing remained unchanged–the desire for strength. Valegrith never ceased to embrace chaos, to revel in destruction.

Uravis couldn’t help but feel a sense of both disdain and pity for the man he once called his rival.

The battlefield, now a warzone of contrasting energies, seemed to pulse with each strike of destruction Valegrith unleashed. As the crimson spears continued to rain down, Uravis stood firm beneath his vibrant canopy. The lush forest expanded faster than ever, its branches sweeping upward to intercept the blood-red projectiles.

The canopy grew more vibrant, its roots sinking into the earth like an impenetrable fortress. Each spear that landed against the trees shattered like glass, sending ripples of energy through the forest before the earth healed itself, re-rooting and spreading new life to replace what was lost.

The war that had started with greed and lust for power was turning into something else, something evil.

Countless lives were being lost with each passing second–the horror of war was relentless and never-ending.

"W-what have we done to deserve this, my lord?"

"O God, save us from this hell..."

Even the battle-hardened soldiers, veterans of the wars were terrified from witnessing the sheer amount of death count piling up. The entire battlefield was painted red–a bloody river trailed down mixed with the blood, sweat, and tears of the soldiers and citizens alike.

Uravis, watching such a disturbing scene remained silent, his head bowed down as sparks of light flared through his eyes, reflecting the deep anger he felt from his inability to save everyone.

"I was never a sage...not now...not ever." He solemnly gazed at the corpses, "I was just a wanderer searching for the purpose of my life. You were the one who named me sage, believing that I was a kind and caring human. I wasn’t. But,"

Valegrith felt a sudden chill run down his spine.

An overwhelming gaze bore down on him, piercing his body and staring right at his soul. He shivered, feeling an emotion that he’d only felt once throughout his life–Fear.

"Impossible." He vehemently shook his head, clutching his hand to stop it from shaking. Gritting his teeth, he lifted his gaze and stared at Uravis, flinching from the sharpness emitting from his eyes.

"People change, and so does their heart." He lifted his staff and gently stroked it, a deep saddened smile casting its shadow over his face. "Partner, it’s time."

ziing–!

The staff sensing its owner’s emotional turmoil, released a beautiful green light, attempting to calm him down.

"I’m fine." He smiled, continuing, "Let’s end this, once and for all."

As if following the command, the staff released a binding rainbow light, illuminating the entire battlefield with its brilliance.

Valegrith clenched his halberd tightly, his knuckles whitening from the grip. His senses tingled, warning him of the imminent danger, something massive...something life-threatening.

woosh–!

His eyes turned left sharply, sensing a breach in his domain. Someone had entered inside his domain.

"URAVIS–!" He roared, instinctively raising his halberd above his head.

pang–!

His face slowly morphed from a grin into one filled with horror as he felt an overwhelming strength from the strike, surpassing the limit of what he could bear.

Astronification.

An invisible cloak donned itself around Uravis’s body, boosting his stats immensely. He took a single step, teleporting right beside Valegrith, surpassing even the speed of light.

Stop.

His words caused the entire space around them to be frozen, halting any sense of movement.

He swung his staff straight at his opponent’s head, attempting to finish him off in a single hit.

Sadly, Valegrith was a warrior who had faced countless life-and-death battles throughout his life, and his instincts were impeccable.

The staff and Halberd clashed producing a muffled noise, and in a split-second, Valegrith’s body shot down like a missile and slammed itself on the ground, creating a massive crater.

[Mad Heaven Art – First Form: Fangs of Deception]

He rose from the ground and launched his halberd toward Uravis, creating the visage of an enormous crimson snake, barring its fangs. The snake was lifelike, with crimson-red scales and ruby-like eyes, intimidating at a single glance. It slithered its way around him, attempting to swallow him whole.

hmph–!

He snorted, pointing his staff at the halberd.

Burn.

A bright orange flame ignited at the tip of the halberd, burning intensely with extreme heat. The flame, which started with a spark, spread rapidly and covered the entire halberd, proliferating like a virus.

The crimson snake affected by the heat, started turning illusory and the halberd itself slowly melted away, turning into chunks of metal before it could even reach him.

Valegrith clasped his hand, grinning as he glanced at his weapon.

"There is a reason why it’s called fangs of deception."