[BL] Guardians of Fate
Chapter 77 - 20: The Battle’s End [1]

Chapter 77: Chapter 20: The Battle’s End [1]

The sight of the smoke alone was overwhelming.

Evan wasn’t affected at all thanks to his temporary sphere shield. Spirits were invulnerable to such things, of course, but his Guardians — as well as Ardyn — weren’t so lucky.

He had read about this ability before. It was said in the books that the Calamity had several tricks up its sleeve whenever it felt that it was in danger. There were a number of abilities listed, and it included this dangerous thick fog.

This black smoke was said to be a deadly smog that essentially paralyzed and eventually killed those who inhaled it for too long. In some cases, if not death, the victim would experience their worst fears as the smog invaded their head and all of their senses.

Fortunately, Summoners were immune to such things, as their holy light repelled dark magic and evil auras through the intricate sealing process.

However, one’s Guardians were not so lucky, so it was up to the Summoner to counter this ability.

Right now, the deadly smog hung in the air like a tangible fear that clung to people’s bodies. Everyone was frozen in place, as if paralyzed. Even Ardyn stopped resisting, instead covering his nose and mouth while closing his eyes.

The sight of him and his Guardians was a bit blurred thanks to the dense fog, but Evan could make them out just fine through his eyes.

Evan took a deep breath and then stretched his arms forward, palms facing the thick fog. Magical energy accumulated from his fingers, coalescing into two huge balls of holy magic until they exploded and shot forward.

Hang in there, guys.

Almost immediately, a strong gust of wind was unleashed, a sweeping force that cut through the fog like a beacon, carrying with it a purifying aura that dispelled the malevolent effects in the air.

Evan fought back a cough that threatened to escape his lips. He could feel his body slowly breaking down inside, like small cracks forming on pristine glass.

That should do it... he thought.

But it proved to be only a temporary respite.

There was a reason why the Calamity was known as an invulnerable, immortal being. It was because its own body was composed of numerous human souls, including the souls of the Otherworlders that it had consumed for several years. Its life force and resilience were so strong that it was nearly impossible to kill.

The only sense of danger that the demonic entity had was the prospect of being sealed. Therefore, whenever it was about to be sealed, it tended to unleash every powerful ability it had to protect itself.

This is going to be troublesome, Evan thought, gritting his teeth slightly.

Wait... It seems to be preparing for something.

He watched as the Calamity suddenly spewed thick black gore from its gaping jaws, feeling his stomach drop at the sight.

The liquid poured down and surrounded the monster. It smelled foul, and everyone instinctively backed away to prevent the liquid from touching them.

But as the tendrils tightened around Ardyn, all he could do was stare down, startled and frightened at what was happening. He couldn’t understand anything at all, only that he knew that he was in grave danger.

"What... What is that?!" he exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Don’t worry! We’ll find a way to get you out of there!" Elyana shouted, clenching her jaw at how wide the puddle of ichor was. At this rate, they wouldn’t be able to get anywhere near Ardyn.

Blade stretched out his arms and shot flames at the vines, but to their surprise, thorny barbs and smaller vines came out of nowhere, forming a shield and absorbing all the fire instead.

"Tch...!" Blade muttered, his eyes narrowing. He tried to shoot fireballs instead, but several tendrils came up again, like a protective shield.

"It never ends!" Gideon exclaimed, staring down at the corrosive liquid on the ground as if analyzing it. "We should attempt a workaround for this. Ely, can you try casting your crystals on the liquid to see how it reacts?"

Elyana nodded. "I’ll try!"

Meanwhile, Evan watched as the demonic essence of the Calamity slowly seeped into the Final Spirit’s lance, as though an infection was spreading. This caused small fractures to form on the celestial weapon.

This is bad, he thought as he closed his eyes, accumulating more energy within himself.

As a result, millions of energy particles from the surroundings gravitated towards him, like several nails being pulled towards a magnet.

In order to gather more holy energy for attacks, a Summoner needed to gather energy particles from his surroundings. Most of the sacred energy came from nature itself, as well as from the sky. It was one of the training regimens that Summoners had to go through even at a young age, as it required precise control to perform.

As long as the Summoner controlled the amount well, it would be fine and would not cause a magical implosion.

After that, when he opened his eyes, he stretched out his hand to the Final Spirit, as if offering it guidance. The energy particles flew towards the Deiridh in an instant, strengthening the celestial being’s power.

Evan watched as the cracks in the lance slowly filled until it was pristine and glowing again.

The Deiridh broke free of the Calamity’s bonds and conjured another weapon into its hand, a long sword with a thick, broad blade. It drew its arm back before plunging it violently into the other side of the Calamity’s torso, spurting more ichor from the wound.

The monster thrashed wildly in response, causing some of the holy chains to snap in half.

It won’t kill the monster, but with those wounds, it’ll weaken the entity for the time being, he thought, panting heavily. Damn. I need to reconstruct those chains again.

Several more vines broke free thanks to the snapping of the chains, and they instantly shot out towards the Guardians.

Voss stepped forward with his two swords and easily chopped them off.

However, the vines seemed to regenerate faster than before, and soon more tendrils took their place.

"Has it always been this strong?" Voss said, sweat dripping down his brow as he concentrated on defending his fellow Guardians.

"This is why they say that the Calamity grows stronger and stronger with each cycle," Mathias said, clutching the mace in his hand. He was on standby in case Voss’ aim missed one tendril. He also needed to analyze Ardyn’s situation and think of strategies. "Over time, it’ll become too strong for the Summoners to simply seal away."

"Then what should we do when that happens?" Ansel asked, approaching them. He had been hiding behind the rubble this entire time, recovering his magic reserves. "If we can’t seal that away so easily anymore... what happens to all of us, then?"

Blade growled and stopped his fire assault for now. "We’ll find a way. We always do," he said quietly. "If it takes two Summoners to do the sealing in the next cycle, then so be it."

Ansel looked uncertain. "But... what if..."

Clay reached out and clamped a hand on Ansel’s shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. "Don’t worry about it, bud," he said. "The gods will watch over us and guide us. Tell you what, after we finish this up, I’ll treat you to an all-you-can-eat tomorrow, okay? To that favorite restaurant of yours. All of us."

Ansel looked up at Clay, and a small smile finally curled his lips. "Maybe I got a bit too worried there... You’re right, Clay. Thanks."

Clay patted him on the back, though his gaze was fixed on Evan who was hovering in the air, glowing chains protruding from his chest.

"All of us," he repeated softly under his breath.