The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 307

Chapter 307

I watched in awe as Regis dragged himself out from the depths of my shadow, rather than my body . Aside from the fact that I only came up to his chest when he stood on all fours, his front limbs now longer and more muscular than his hind legs, the shadow wolf’s appearance had drastically changed .

Regis’s fur jutted out in hard spikes, gleaming like obsidian beneath the sharp-edged blades of purple flames that danced over him . His horns were sweeping spears that grew out from his temple and thrust forward like a bull’s, while rows of serrated daggers protruded out to form his fangs .

A powerful roar ripped out from the throat of my shadowy companion, carrying a palpable pressure akin to the aetheric version of King’s Force that I had learned from Kordri . Sensing the danger, the three giant golems’ attention turned to Regis .

My head snapped back to Caera . “Change of plans . Support Regis!”

Caera, despite her fatigued state, gave me a firm nod and channeled soulfire into her scarlet blade as Regis rushed forward, kicking up a cloud of snow behind him .

My companion’s movements blurred as he ripped a chunk out of one of the golems with his claws before spinning and lashing out at another with his spiked tail . Where his claws moved, a streak of violet trailed behind, carrying with it the aspect of Destruction .

While not nearly as potent as the violet flames I was able to produce utilizing the godrune, his attacks were able to inhibit the golems’ ability to regenerate, unlike Caera’s soulfire .

Consuming the information being fed to me through the aether trails, I God Stepped near the giant golem still trying to regenerate part of its torso and leaped on top of its shoulder before plunging my hands into its body .

As I began absorbing the aetheric nebula that made up its actual form, the third golem retaliated by conjuring an icicle spear in its clawed hand and throwing it at me .

Before I even decided to react, a sphere of soulfire crashed into the giant icicle, consuming the golem’s attack before billowing out .

My expression must’ve given away my surprise at the sight of her new spell because Caera shot me a smirk and said, “You’re not the only one that’s been training, Grey!”

With my reserves nearly full, I began to coalesce aether into my palm in preparation for another aether blast when the golem I was standing on lurched, throwing me off .

“Watch it!” I growled at Regis, who had rammed his head against the golem I was on top of, skewering it with his horns .

Twisting my body to reorient myself, I launched the condensed blast of aether at the golem’s head . A muted explosion reverberated as my spell hit, but even decapitated, the golem was still able to wrap all of its six limbs around Regis .

The other two golems quickly took advantage of Regis’s limited mobility and began pummeling him with a barrage of fists, claws, and icicles . Despite the onslaught that he faced, however, his thick coat of spiked fur and jagged flames mitigated most of the damage he took, giving me and Caera another opening .

Channeling more aether into my right hand, I condensed it as much as possible before flashing toward the cluster of giant golems and releasing my attack point blank .

While the close range attack greatly reduced the amount of aether it leaked while traveling mid-air, the rebound from the impact made by the spell was strong enough to blow me backwards, hurling me several yards into the air .

I God Stepped to the ground, absorbing the momentum of the recoil, then ignited the godrune once more to avoid a giant icicle the size of a carriage that had been hurled at me, despite my aetheric blast burning away two of my attacker’s arms .

Caera let loose another cluster of smaller soulfire bombs that expanded upon impact, destroying chunks of the giant golems’ limbs and bodies, now thoroughly misshapen, and freeing Regis .

Letting out another roar that sounded more like a dragon than a wolf, Regis became a whirlwind of jagged flames, fangs, and claws, mincing the trio of golems like they were in a thresher .

“I don’t even think we’re needed at this point,” Caera said with a weary chuckle, the black flames dancing around her fingers dimming .

As if the golems took her words as a challenge, the physical constructs of snow and ice that made up their bodies suddenly collapsed to the ground .

The purple mist that made up their true forms began to coalesce, becoming thicker and clearer while also condensing into a smaller form .

A dome of kinetic force erupted from where the aetheric being gathered, sending Regis soaring over the snow . Caera was barely able to anchor herself by stabbing her blade into the ground, while I opted to clad myself in a thicker layer of aether and dig my heels into the ground .

From the epicenter of the explosion appeared an ethereal humanoid being with four translucent purple arms and a pair of wings that spanned twice its seven-foot height . Covering its limbs were plates of armor made of ice . But the most surprising feature was the white portal shard covering half of its faceless head like a decorative mask .

Caera took a step forward . “Is that...”

A smile formed on the edge of my lips . “The portal piece . ”

~

My body was tinged with a violet hue as aether clung tightly around me . As I prepared to confront the four-armed humanoid, however, a sharp burst of malicious thoughts broke my concentration .

‘This thing is mine!’ Regis snarled in a voice that didn’t sound quite like his own .

My shadowy companion rushed forward in a blur, his Destruction-infused jaws snapping rabidly . However, the snow beneath Regis caved in and hardened so that his limbs were frozen to the ground .

Letting out a frustrated growl, the shadow wolf began jerking his body, trying to free himself, but even with the aspect of Destruction coating his body, the ice held firm .

With a beat of its translucent purple wings, the being shot up high above the ground and began raining down a shower of icicles tinged in aether .

Caera flashed ahead of me, putting herself between Regis and the flurry of aether-clad icicles without hesitation, and conjured a wall of soulfire .

Meanwhile, I ignited God Step, teleporting in the air above our opponent to stop its attack . Shrouding myself in a nimbus of violet energy, I oriented myself as I fell straight on top of the humanoid’s shoulders .

Grabbing hold of the being’s neck, its wings beating frantically to either side as our bodies bobbed up and down in the air, I wrapped my legs around its waist and tried to rip the portal piece from its head . However, the white slab of stone wouldn’t budge and the plates of frozen armor began to gnaw away at the protective layer of aether surrounding me .

Seeing that Caera had managed to block most of the attack with her black flames and free Regis, I changed my tactics .

Rather than trying to tear off the portal piece, I gripped the humanoid being’s head with both hands . As I tried to absorb the aether that made up its purple flesh, however, I was overwhelmed by a torrent of energy .

It was like trying to drink water from the bottom of a lake . At the risk of drowning, I released my grip around its head and focused on the humanoid’s wings instead .

The being began to writhe in pain, trying to pull me off its back with its arms, or batter me with its wings, but I clung on firmly even as my foe’s icy chill emanated through my protective shroud, causing my flesh to ache and burn as crystalline patterns of frost bloomed from every point where we contacted one another .

Amassing a condensed sphere of aether around my right hand, which threatened to explode at the tiniest break in my concentration, I began molding it, much like I had practiced using the dried-fruit toy that Three Steps had given me .

Flares of purple energy leaked out as I tried to change the aether’s form, but I persisted until I was able to make something akin to a misshapen disk .

I sipped from the humanoid form’s aether, carefully not to let it submerge me as I continued to try and make the disk thinner, but a sharp crack resounded across the snowy plain and a mind numbing pain radiated from my left leg .

Almost losing concentration enough to explode the aetheric disk I held in the palm of my hand, I chose to fire the spell immediately instead, aiming at the base of the creature’s right wing .

The translucent purple disk shot out from my hand, dissipating into the air in mere moments, but not before it managed to sever cleanly through one aetheric wing .

A grating sound akin to a hum and a screech issued from the being as we both began plummeting down to the snowy ground .

“Regis!” I roared, both aloud and in my head to grab my shadowy companion’s attention .

Seeing the large, dark blur approaching us on the ground, I released my grip around the humanoid before igniting God Step once more .

With a crackle of violet lightning, I arrived on the ground some distance away, but immediately fell forward as my left leg gave out from under me .

“Grey!”