Chapter 136: Chapter 136
Felicia has only explained it briefly, between breathless strikes and surging bursts of swords and magic.
That Morvena… for some reason, is sealed here.
She is the heart of this dungeon.
Years ago, her corruption became too much. It spread, wild and uncontrollable, until Felicia had no choice but to stop her.
Thus she sealed Morvena right here, on the very grounds of Luminaris Academy using the Academy existing magical leylines infrastructures and her own magic. Not to kill her, no—but to contain her, to keep her from spiraling into madness and hurting anyone else ever again.
Since then, the princess has returned every so often, silently, secretly, alone… to reinforce the seal, to keep the darkness buried, and most importantly, to see her wife's face again…
But then… something happened.
And the years passed.
The seal, without her, began to wither.
And Morvena… changed.
Her demonic corruption festered. It grew, becoming more and more hungrier, crueler, darker than before. Until one day, it began to slip through the cracks, cracks that were never meant to exist.
And that… was how this place came to be.
An S-rank anomaly formed from her leaking power, her twisted, cursed mana. So cold it burns. So heavy it crushes. The very air reeking of death and sorrow.
Zombies, skeletons, abominations, not summoned, not born, but formed. They are all crafted from this ambient death, their bones and flesh infused with her foul energy, their movements sustained by her rage, their existence nourished by the same wicked force.
Now that another sword has been drawn— another layer of the seal has been broken.
That power surges again.
The undead… rise faster.
And they grow… stronger.
Felicia slips just beneath the swing of the giant's greatsword—its edge tearing through the ground like paper. She dashes forward, her own blade carving a crimson arc through the air as she slashes at its leg.
The strike detonates against its thick, frost-bitten flesh. A deep wound rips open, dark ichor splattering across the ground.
The giant roars—raw, guttural, filled with fury.
And then it moves. Faster than before.
Another swing. Another dodge.
Felicia doesn't hesitate. She slashes again, at the same spot.
The wound widens. Bone cracks.
The rhythm becomes brutal, methodical.
Dodge. Retaliate. Slash.
Always at the leg. Always with purpose.
All while that sword of hers hums louder, brimming with power.
Growing stronger by the seconds as the battle goes on.
The red glow grows stronger. Crimson veins of energy dance along the blade.
Felicia lets out a cry and sweeps her sword in a wide horizontal arc.
The golem's left leg is finally severed, blasted clean off. It crashes down with a seismic THUD, knee-first into the earth.
And with that, Felicia leaps skyward again!
And this time—another spin!
The energy stored inside the sword is stronger than ever.
The blade is glowing so red now, crackling with arcs of dark red lightning.
The handle isn't just hot—it's sizzling against her palms.
SLAAAAAASSSHHHHHH!!!!
VRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!
A titanic, blinding arc of crimson light erupts from her blade—ripping through the sky, howling like a banshee.
The golem raises its greatsword in a desperate attempt to block—
Please… please cleave through…
The golem's sword is split in two, the top half spinning away into the shadows.
The crimson arc crashes full-force into its chest.
WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!
Panic punches through me like a fist to the gut.
But Felicia doesn't flinch.
"NOT YET!!" she roars, teeth clenched. Her fingers tighten around the scorched hilt. She spins again.
The pressure is unbearable.
Our muscles scream. Our joints feel like they're shattering.
This might be the one.
Felicia screams the name into the sky:
VRRRRRRROOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!
Another arc—but this one…
It howls through the air like a banshee born of rage. It's bigger than Annihilation. More violent. More corrupted.
When it collides with the golem—
The beast's upper body is torn in half, clean down the middle. Ribcage shattered. Spine exposed.
Its arm is still twitching.
Its legs are still planted.
Its eyes are still glowing.
How is this thing not dead?!
"NOT YET!!!" Felicia howls again, defiant and wild.
The greatsword in her hands starts fracturing, hairline splits crawling across its surface like spiderwebs. The sheer amount of energy inside it—it's too much. It's tearing itself apart.
"No! Come on, Greatsword-san!" I shout, desperate. "You can do it! Just one more swing!"
And then, like greatsword-san is answering to me plea…
The lightning zapping around us turns back
Felcia's aura turn pitch black too.
There's no sound effect.
Just a pitch-black slash arc, traveling in the air, eating all the color of the world as it rips through space itself.
And it cuts, cleaving into the giant's body…
Felicia lands. Her sword is now gone, shattered into dust before her feet.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!!
The final explosion hits like a divine retribution!
It's not just loud. It's soul-shattering!
My ears ring. My head spins.
Felicia's hands fly to her ears. Her eyes shut tight.
The ringing is killing me!!!
I brace myself, feeling my mind turns into madness too.
And then, as the explosion sounds die down, my head feels dizzy
Felicia stumbles, dizzy.
She lifts a trembling hand to her mouth…
That should be it, right?
There's no way it survived that.
Not after the 52nd swing.
Not after Armageddon.
"F–fuck…" Felicia mutters, her voice barely a breath. She's shaking, her shoulders trembling under the weight of exhaustion. "Just… a little more…"
But from pure, paralyzing terror.
Because… even though the giant corpse golem is split in half, ripped clean apart, its torso blasted into ruin, its limbs scattered.
And yet… there's one part that still matters.
That deep, dark red sphere embedded in its chest—
Now exposed, cracked, fractured.
But still intact, still whole.
"Just… one more… attack…" Felicia gasps, trying to force herself forward. Her boots drag across the ground.
We hit the ground, hard.
There's nothing left.
No more strength to stand.
No more mana to burn.
Even breathing hurts now.
And in front of us, the core begins to glow again. The cracks, they're healing.
Like time itself is trying to rewind.
Is this really how it ends?
After that goddamn sword broke in her hands—
The dungeon still wins?
Felicia doesn't speak anymore.
She just stares at the core, slumped, unmoving.
Well, it's still a good battle though. Felicia tried her best.
If there's anything, any regrets, any final wishes… I just wish I can see her one last time…
A flash of black lightning tears across the sky above, slicing through the stormclouds like a wrathful god's judgment.
Before I can even process what it is—
The golem's core shatters!
A crack like glass, followed by a deep, guttural scream.
Its final death cry, distorted and monstrous, echoes across the dungeon like the roar of a dying titan.
The giant's massive body collapses.
A tsunami of blood, bones, and rotting flesh erupts outward, exploding from the golem's ruined corpse.
And now, a crimson wave of gore is rushing straight for us!!!
It's going to crush us.
We'll be buried. Broken. Smeared across the dungeon floor.
Felicia tries to move, but her body won't respond. She can't even lift a hand, not even to protect herself.
A figure drops down in front of us, landing with the grace of a falling star.
Black shields of mana spin around her, dozens of them, whirling like wings of void.
In the blink of an eye, they converge—
Fusing, expanding, forming…
And finally, a dark dome blossoms around us!
The wave of gore slams into the barrier, a monstrous splat, echoing like a landslide of organs and death.
But it doesn't break through.
And then, the figure turns.
As the light catches her face, I see her, and my vision blurs instantly.
Tears spill from my eyes.
Not from pain, but from the sheer relief.
Even though I'm not the one in control of this body right now—
Even though I shouldn't be able to cry—
"Felicia… what is going on? Are you okay?" Eris asks softly, eyes wide with worry, voice trembling as she kneels down beside me.
A weak, broken smile.