Chapter 1538: Chapter 1538
"He's truly a madman."
Carmel neither understood nor cared to understand Alexia. As he spoke, he tossed out a pitch-black object. Instantly, a black mist erupted, shrouding him completely. But this was no mere smoke bomb meant to obscure his location; by the time the mist swiftly dissipated, Carmel, who had looked utterly depleted just moments before, was fully restored.
But this restoration came at a steep price. Though the power of the black mist had returned his body and soul to their peak, had Jenkins been there, he would have instantly seen the dense, black spiritual aura that now clung to Carmel's entire being.
Alexia couldn't see the aura, but she did notice the fine black markings that had appeared on the surface of Carmel's skin. The markings writhed like maggots; they weren't static tattoos but looked more like insects squirming just beneath his flesh. Drawing on her knowledge of ancient runes, Alexia deciphered their meaning: an irreversible collapse of body and soul in exchange for accelerated regeneration.
"Between the two of us, you're the real madman."
Alexia remarked, the cube held aloft in her right hand radiating a soft luminescence against the night sky. The light began to seep into the surrounding space, causing a network of blue lines to spread out from her, like cracks forming on the very fabric of reality.
She was reshaping the very space around her, terraforming the battlefield to her advantage. This was, in fact, an idea inspired by Jenkins's [Destiny's Stage]—an attempt to create her own personal domain. An endeavor couldn't possibly succeed overnight, of course, but Alexia was at least on the right track.
The two resumed their battle in the air. Surging tides of spirit and colliding energies warped the night sky with strange optical distortions. The extraordinary abilities of Enchanters were showcased one after another beneath the moon as two of the most powerful clashed, and ritualistic arrays of various colors, each with a different purpose, materialized beneath their feet.
Compared to Jenkins's monotonous fighting style, this battle was far more spectacular. Unfortunately, in the city below, no one who happened to glance up noticed the celestial anomalies. The final outcome was, as expected, a victory for Alexia. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn novel[f]ire.net
The recent battle seemed to have had little effect on Alexia. In the space centered around the petite woman, the chains of blue runes had grown even denser than when the fight began. Behind her, within a vast and dynamic geometric pattern, spectral runes intertwined and fused, many of them incorporating some of Jenkins's own 'brilliant insights'.
Across from her, Carmel could barely stay afloat. He was missing an arm, and his remaining right one was entwined with a flaming black chain. His blood trickled down the chain, only to be vaporized by the flames before it could fall.
"You rely too heavily on your alchemical trinkets and numbered items. As I see it, your power is at the very bottom tier for an eighth-level demigod."
Alexia delivered the taunt without a shred of mercy.
"What does it matter if you've defeated me? I'm immortal. You can beat me, but you can't kill me."
Carmel shot back with a grin, but then he saw the woman opposite him clench her left fist. A long spear condensed from blue spirit materialized, and she hurled it high into the night sky. Before he could even look up, the energy weapon split into dozens of smaller lances above his head, then rained down, striking him with unerring accuracy.
As the aftershocks of spirit energy dissipated, Carmel's body regenerated in moments. He didn't take the opportunity to hide in the city below, reappearing in almost the exact same spot where he had just been obliterated.
"I've sealed the surrounding space. Your body may be destroyed, but your soul cannot escape."
This was similar to the spatial lock the Church had deployed yesterday, both designed to prevent Carmel from using his regeneration to escape. Yesterday, he had managed to summon a creature from the void to kill himself, allowing him to flee, but that wouldn't work today. The Church had witnessed him summon the creature's massive claw, and to prevent him from bringing another horror down upon Bel Diran, a ritual centered on the Sage's Church had reinforced the spatial barrier around the entire region.
"So what if I can't escape? You still can't kill me. You can weaken me time after time, kill me a thousand times over, and I'll still be here. After all, you can fold a piece of paper as many times as you like, but it will never truly disappear."
Carmel sneered, then added:
"You're not the first difficult opponent I've faced. Ever since I inherited my ancestors' blood oath—swearing vengeance upon the descendants of those who murdered them—I have faced countless hardships and died countless times. Yet here I stand. And I'm confident that when I face my next opponent, I'll be able to say the exact same thing."
"Jenkins told me your story. After all these years, you still haven't killed all the descendants of Black Town?"
Alexia held her attack for the moment, questioning him. Countless epochs had passed since the events of 'The Traveler's End.' The targets of the vengeance ritual were numerous, yes, but it surely shouldn't have taken this long to complete.
"If all the descendants of Black Town were killed, the blood oath would end. When it's over, the power passed down through my family line will vanish. The demigod Carmel would cease to exist. So... why do you think my ancestors or I would ever want to complete that vengeance?"
Alexia nodded in understanding, fully grasping the logic:
"I admit, I once felt a measure of admiration and pity for you and your ancestors, trapped by an ancient quest for vengeance yet persevering. But now I see you're all just common men blinded by greed. Strip away the pretense of revenge, and you're nothing but a mortal obsessed with power, grasping greedily at what you hold. Even as a demigod, you're no different from some selfish, disgusting little shopkeeper."
"Say whatever you want. You can't kill me anyway."
Carmel declared, sidestepping another of Alexia's attacks. Then, laughing wildly, he raised both hands and launched a counterattack.
He wasn't wrong. Against a monster who could regenerate from the complete destruction of both body and soul, Alexia had no way to permanently erase him. She could kill him dozens of times in a row, yet each time he would resurrect, ready to fight back and await his next death.
It was a war of attrition. Carmel would grow weaker with each resurrection, but Alexia would also be exhausted by the relentless fighting. Eventually, she would be unable to maintain the spatial lock, and he would escape.