Realm Lord
Chapter 66: The Reaper of the Roses (5)

Chapter 66: The Reaper of the Roses (5)

Arthur was having a hard time controlling his nervous breathing as he spun around frantically, searching for Aziel amidst the chaos. His chest heaved with each labored breath, lungs burning as if he’d inhaled fire instead of air. The rain continued to fall in sheets around him, each droplet feeling like needles against his already abused skin.

When he finally located him, he saw Aziel standing amidst the bodies of the dead grimhounds, their corrupted forms scattered like broken toys around his feet. Steam rose from the ground where his lightning-charged body had evaporated the rain, creating an eerie mist that swirled around his ankles. He was staring at the Reaper just as Arthur was, both of them transfixed by the hooded harbinger of death preparing its attack.

The lightning coating Aziel’s eyes was making it hard to tell what he was thinking—the normal windows to his soul now obscured by crackling blue electricity that danced across his irises. His face was an unreadable mask.

But soon Aziel’s gaze turned and met Arthur’s across the battlefield. Their eyes locked for a heartbeat, a moment of connection amidst the storm’s fury. And a split second later, he disappeared in a trail of lighting—leaving behind only the lingering afterimage of his form—and reappeared next to Arthur with a thunderclap that made the air itself shudder.

Arthur jumped back, momentarily caught off guard by his friend’s sudden appearance. The hair on his arms stood on end from the proximity to so much electrical energy, and the air around them smelled sharp with ozone—the scent of lightning strikes and brewing storms.

Aziel leaned in, close enough that Arthur could see the electricity arcing between individual strands of his hair. His expression was frantic, eyes wide with an almost manic energy as he spoke.

"Dude!! I feel like I’m on fucking fire!!" A smile cracked his lips, spreading across his face like wildfire. His teeth seemed to glow with the same blue light that emanated from his eyes. "This is awesome!"

Arthur sighed, a small sound nearly lost in the rumble of thunder overhead. ’Even in dire circumstances like this, he doesn’t change a bit,’ he thought, finding a strange comfort in his consistent nature despite his transformed appearance.

Aziel’s smile suddenly dimmed as he looked past Arthur, his attention drawn to the looming figure behind them. The Reaper stood silhouetted against the stormy sky, its massive scythe raised high above its hooded head, poised to unleash destruction.

"Alright, I’ve had my fun," Aziel said, his voice taking on a more serious tone that matched the gravity of their situation, "but now we gotta get the hell out of here."

Arthur looked from the Reaper to Aziel, weighing their limited options with the rapid calculation. Blood from his numerous wounds mingled with rainwater as it trickled down his body, a reminder of how little time they had left.

"I don’t know if you noticed," Arthur said, gesturing to the lightning coursing over Aziel’s skin, "but you’re a bit overcharged right now and it’s still raining... you’ll kill me." The words came out matter-of-factly, without accusation—simply stating what seemed like an obvious problem with their only escape route.

Arthur couldn’t see Aziel’s pupils beyond the lightning, but he could almost feel the eye roll that followed his statement. The familiar gesture, so human and normal, was strangely discordant with his transformed state.

"Might... I might kill you," Aziel corrected, emphasizing the distinction with raised eyebrows. "But if we stay here, that thing over there will definitely kill you." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward the Reaper without looking back. "If I were you, I’d take your chances with me. Plus, it’s night time—aren’t you a bit more resilient right now?"

Arthur didn’t have much time to think through his options—each second they hesitated brought the Reaper’s attack closer to completion. But he could tell that Aziel was right. While there might be a bigger chance than he’d like that he dies if he goes with Aziel, there was a hundred percent chance he dies if he stays here to face the Reaper alone.

And like Aziel said, if he can keep his consciousness while they run, he can concentrate on using the darkness to strengthen him... to toughen him... to prepare his body for the electrical assault it was about to endure.

But the key word was if. If he could maintain focus through the pain. If the electricity didn’t stop his heart immediately. If Aziel’s newfound power didn’t burn him to ash before they reached safety.

Arthur sighed and looked at Aziel before nodding reluctantly, decision made. "Let’s hurry."

Aziel smiled, the expression both reassuring and unsettling with his glowing eyes, and soon Arthur was situated on his shoulder once again.

Aziel was facing the opposite way of the Reaper, preparing to run, while Arthur got a full view of the horror behind them. The Reaper was ready... its attack was coming down, the massive scythe beginning its deadly arc through the rain-soaked air. The blade seemed to gather darkness around it, pulling in shadows like a black hole consumes light.

’I don’t know what use an attack like that will be from this distance,’ Arthur thought with growing dread, ’but I sure as hell don’t want to find out.’

"GO!" Arthur yelled out, the command ripping from his throat with desperate urgency. It was almost like pulling a trigger—Aziel was off in an instant, a blur of motion and crackling energy.

At the same time, the Reaper brought his scythe to the ground with terrible finality. Upon contact with the muddy dirt below, the earth rose and split... like the world was tearing in two. The destruction wasn’t contained to the immediate area but instead surged forward, a wave of annihilation faster than seemed possible, coming right for them.

It was like the swing of the scythe had sent out an invisible knife that was cutting through the world itself—the very ground opened up in a jagged line of devastation that chased them with relentless purpose. If that were to reach them, they would surely die, their bodies torn apart just like the earth beneath their feet.

Arthur was grunting against the immense pain of contact with Aziel’s electrically charged body. Each point where they touched felt like a branding iron against his skin, but he endured it with gritted teeth. He tried his best to use the darkness around them to limit the pain, to create a buffer between his flesh and the lightning that threatened to consume him.

It was harder than normal with all the lightning dispersing the dark as they ran, Aziel’s very presence pushing away the shadows that Arthur called upon for protection. Each burst of speed from his friend came with a fresh surge of electricity that made Arthur’s muscles spasm and his vision blur at the edges.

Even so, Arthur was hanging on, if just barely. Through watering eyes, he saw the invisible force slicing through everything in their wake as it gained on them fast.

"H-Hu-HURRY!" Arthur managed to spit out through clenched teeth that seemed like they might shatter at any moment from the pressure. The words came out strangled and desperate, barely audible over the cacophony of destruction following them.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.