The Chain Throne (3)
Not long ago, when Dalen’s skill level surpassed a critical threshold, he began to perceive things he had never seen before. These were not just physical phenomena but conceptual forces, directions, and flows that defied the laws of physics. Though invisible to the naked eye, they were a tangled web of lines that he could sense intuitively.
Simply recognizing these forces advanced his ability to manipulate power, allowing him to achieve feats previously impossible. The most notable results were the skills of Flame Manipulation and Stasis. By refining these newly crafted skills through his domain, he created miraculous effects. And when his magical power also crossed a threshold, another transformation occurred.
A low rumble echoed as dark clouds gathered, not in the sky but rising like a mirage from the chain-covered ground.
“D-Dalen! You can’t be serious…” a dwarf stammered in disbelief. But no answer was needed. As Dalen’s fingers wove intricate signs, the ever-shifting dark clouds provided the response.
Thunder rumbled in the heart of the chain-covered forest. The clouds, rising from the earth, began to intertwine and rotate slowly. The spell he intended to cast was singular: “Hegaleus’s Rain of Flames.”
This spell, crafted by a former master of the Ignella Magic Tower, was a pinnacle of flame magic. It was a C-rank skill known for its extensive weather manipulation and dazzling performance, a signature spell of the tower, renowned even outside its walls. Now, Dalen was recreating it in a new form at his fingertips.
With a deafening roar, the spiraling dark clouds solidified into a towering column, over a dozen meters high. In the midst of a chilling hellscape, the black pillar radiated heat, melting the chains that lay scattered around.
“Ignel—Seltydeo Lagreta.”
With the final incantation, the color of the dark cloud column inverted, erupting into a brilliant crimson pillar of fire that illuminated the surroundings.
“Crimson Flame Pillar”
In this world, where magic and superpowers exist, and martial arts akin to those in wuxia novels are taught, the power of domains makes the impossible possible, manifesting through the medium of magic.
If surpassing the skill threshold allowed Dalen to perceive and twist the flow of power, then surpassing the magical threshold granted him the authority to directly manipulate it.
With a slight flick of his finger, Dalen sent dozens of fiery tendrils shooting from the flame pillar toward the distorted space.
With each fiery bombardment, the twisted images began to stabilize, while the hellish backdrop of the trial slowly faded from the horizon.
“To manipulate spells at will… that’s something only a high-level mage could do…” Bjorn, watching from the side, muttered in awe, his mouth agape.
Dalen chuckled. It felt good. Beyond the monitor, he had spent countless attempts raising a character far from the norm, believing that a jack-of-all-trades was the key to conquering the game without resorting to cheat-like purchases. Perhaps his current self was closer to the ideal character he had dreamed of back then. Of course, unlike his past resolve, he had spent a fortune to acquire this body and talent, but what did it matter? This world was no longer a game, and he had only one task: to crush the impending apocalypse and seize the chance to return alive.
The fractures in the space, once shattered into hundreds of pieces, began to mend, like watching a bullet-shattered bulletproof glass being played in reverse slow motion. As the images merged into one, they revealed a battle unfolding in a vast cavern.
Hundreds of thick chains stretched toward a single point, while the witch, with the blurred afterimage of feathers, struggled to fend off the onslaught. Sienna was fighting valiantly, but it seemed her limits were approaching. It was only natural. Despite being weakened after leaving her home in hell, her opponent was a high-ranking demon. It wasn’t that her reclaimed witch’s power was weak; rather, it was remarkable that she had held out this long with newly regained strength.
The barrier was nearly restored, save for a few hairline cracks, while over ninety percent of the hellish scenery had evaporated. This signaled that the end of the second phase was near. Realizing this, Kalkas, who had been focused on capturing the witch, turned his attention toward Dalen and Bjorn.
With a sharp sound, the image fully formed, and the shadow of hell vanished, leaving the two to fall from the air toward the cave floor.
[Warrior of the Holy Sword…!] the demon roared, its eyes flashing. It was an unfortunate timing for it. Just as it was about to topple the witch and seize the power it so desired, things weren’t going as planned. With a fierce grin, Dalen drew his holy sword.
Thunder rumbled as the familiar roar of the holy sword erupted from its tip, accompanied by a flash of light. A massive pillar of light pierced through the thick cave ceiling, aiming for the demon’s head.
Two streaks of lightning cut through the dim cavern.
“Thunder Strike”
The demon, struck directly by the lightning, staggered back. In that moment, Dalen approached Sienna and extended a hand.
“Are you alright?”
“More than ever,” she replied, her lips curling into a smile despite the blood she was losing. The exhilaration of reclaiming her power after so many years was evident. The sense of fulfillment she felt must have surpassed any level-up or corpse retrieval Dalen had experienced.
“Can you keep fighting? The backlash from regaining such long-lost power must be significant.”
“Of course. I’ve waited so long for the day I could shove a spell in that bastard’s face.”
“Then let’s do it.”
Dalen nodded, retrieving his axe. At that moment, the dwarf approached them.
“That thing didn’t die from just one hit, it seems.”
“Did you really think a demon would go down from a single bolt of lightning?” Sienna laughed, spitting blood onto the ground. “This is just the beginning.”
As her eyes, dark as night, flickered with magical light, the sound of countless wings flapping echoed around her like a hallucination. The power of the Feathered Witch, primarily illusionary, was also among the top three in destructive power among all witch bloodlines.
“Haha, a demon in a gloomy cave. It’s the perfect setting for a bomb,” Bjorn said, having overcome the mental trauma from the forest, as he loaded homemade ammunition into his shotgun with a wide grin.
[The power of the domain emanating from the holy sword… impressive.]
By then, Kalkas had shaken off the sparks from the lightning strike, raising his staff to brush off his half-shattered chain robe.
With a loud crack, Dalen’s form vanished, and the stone floor where he had stood split open. The third phase had begun.
Chains shot out in dozens of directions. The icy magic surrounding their tips was as threatening as cannon-fired shells.
With each impact, stone walls and floors shattered, and the debris froze in place before it could even scatter. Amidst the barrage of chains, Dalen ran, his feet not touching the ground but stepping repeatedly on the air.
With a series of light, bouncing steps, he moved as if defying gravity, a testament to the unique skill of Stasis. This three-dimensional maneuvering, encompassing invisible floors, walls, and ceilings, was enough to evade even the demon’s chains.
Of course, chain bombardment wasn’t Kalkas’s only power.
With a growl, fragments of hellish gates opened everywhere, releasing dozens of hunting hounds that lunged at the group with bared fangs.
“I’ll handle these!” the dwarf shouted.
With expert hands, he tossed explosives that detonated at just the right moments, scattering hundreds of shards in the desired directions. These weren’t ordinary fragments; each was inscribed with the dwarf’s rune magic. As they touched the chains surrounding the hounds, the runes emitted a powerful light, dispelling the cold magic within the chains.
With a crackling sound, the massive hounds were roasted alive by the potent magical current flowing through the chains.
[To think human weapons could…!] the demon roared in anger, but it had no time to divert its attention.
As the demon extended its staff toward Bjorn, dozens of magical tendrils shot out, aiming directly at its core.
Whoosh!
The sound of the wind tearing was accompanied by the blurred shapes of feathers flying through the air.
Clang! Crash!
The demon hastily withdrew its staff, wrapping itself in hundreds of chains once more, but it couldn’t block all the feathers coming from every direction.
[Witch!]
“Did you think I’d just sit back and take it forever?”
[You traitor, siding with those stinking humans…]
Boom!
A white bolt of lightning interrupted the demon’s words, crashing through the ceiling once more.
This time, the demon was quicker, forming a barrier of chains above its head.
Crack!
The cold energy within the chains exploded, blocking the lightning.
But Dalen, who had crept up unnoticed, fired a flash of light that pierced the demon’s shoulder.
[Ugh…! The wielder of the holy sword, can you fight without it…]
“You’re talking too much, you fool.”
Dalen scoffed, leaping lightly out of the way. The chains that came flying in too late only shattered the stone floor.
The battle was going well. In fact, it was more than favorable.
A warrior nearing the peak of his power, a witch with inherited strength, and a master craftsman with a knack for combat and modified explosives.
Though they were just a party of three, the newly summoned demon was overwhelmed, unable to do anything but take a beating.
There were many reasons for this.
‘Sienna is adapting to her witch powers faster than expected. Bjorn’s explosives and rune magic are particularly effective against Kalcas’s minions.’
And that wasn’t all. Dalen’s abilities were at a level one would only expect to see at the end of a typical playthrough.
This fight was a culmination of talent, power, the abilities of heroes, and a bit of luck.
Losing under such favorable conditions would be a disgrace to someone who had played through hundreds of times.
[You wretched creatures…]
As time passed, the tide of battle turned even more against the demon.
Kalcas, despite his grand entrance, was being pushed into a corner, accumulating wounds.
His lips twisted in a grimace, blue blood dripping, his eyes filled with a venomous glare rather than arrogant rage.
‘He must be frustrated.’
Dalen chuckled.
Having embedded his essence in the Chain Throne, the demon could only exert about thirty percent of his power compared to when he was in hell.
If he had his full strength, he could easily sweep them away, making his current predicament all the more infuriating.
Of course, this also meant that killing him here wouldn’t completely destroy him.
As long as his essence remained in the Chain Throne, he could always resurrect in his hell.
‘It doesn’t matter. At least not right now.’
The core of this operation was to prevent the demon from being summoned to the surface.
From the start, the goal wasn’t to annihilate the demon, so it didn’t matter.
‘And the experience points are coming in just fine.’
Boom!
Another bolt of lightning struck from the cave ceiling, now so damaged that the sky was visible.
The demon, battered and bruised, barely managed to erect a chain barrier, only for it to be shattered by the lightning, tearing his ragged body once more.
[Aaaagh!]
A scream, close to a death cry, echoed through the cavern. The massive body, over ten meters tall, collapsed to its knees.
Kalcas’s body was covered in wounds. The witch’s powers and domain persistently hindered the demon’s supernatural regeneration.
“It seems to be over.”
”…”
Dalen flinched at the dwarf’s sudden declaration, but he tried not to show it.
From his perspective, the boss fight was indeed over. Dalen landed lightly on the ground and approached the demon.
[Heh, heh…]
“What are you laughing at?”
[You’re strong, indeed. The tales of you defeating the Azure Dragon with the power of dragon’s blood weren’t lies. Though you can’t fully wield that power yet… even the increased durability of your body is a significant advantage for a hero with strength beyond mortality.]
What a long-winded speech. Truly fitting for a boss monster.
Dalen raised his sword indifferently. There was no need to let the demon fill the air with more monologue.
At that moment, Kalcas’s blue eyes gleamed.
[Enaxagus left a warning. To be wary of you, warrior.]
Whoosh—
The sword descended.
Accompanied by a lightning strike that could sever even a demon’s neck.
[And he left a gift.]
‘A gift?’
[He said not to neglect welcoming guests.]
Boom!
The lightning cleaved through the demon’s thick neck. The severed head’s eyes dimmed, their light fading.
At the same time, a broken staff fell from the demon’s hand.
Gurgle—
A viscous, magical energy oozed from the staff, engulfing Kalcas’s corpse before anyone could react.
“Dalen! It’s dangerous…!”
Sienna, watching from a distance, shouted. Simultaneously, the overwhelming surge of magical energy sent frantic warnings.
‘What is this?’
Time was of the essence.
Dalen’s mind raced to analyze the situation.
Kalcas’s main body was dead. The experience points had been received.
But the demon’s corpse was consumed by the sticky magic, literally evaporating. And that magic was something Dalen had encountered several times before.
The problem was that such experiences only occurred beyond the monitor, in the later stages of the game.
‘Damn it, Enax…!’
Swoosh—
Before he could finish his thought, the magic exploded. His vision flipped as he felt himself being pulled somewhere.
Quickly shaking off the dizziness, Dalen raised his sword and surveyed his surroundings.
Whoosh…
It was a forest.
The very same forest he had been in just moments ago.
A hellish landscape devoid of warmth, where thin and thick chains covered dead trees and parched ground.
‘Kalcas’s hell, the Chain Throne.’
The difference from the shadowy hell he had faced hours ago was the massive throne in the center of the forest.
[Heh, heh. Judging by your expression, it seems my efforts to welcome you were worthwhile, warrior.]
And atop it sat the high-ranking demon Kalcas, in perfect form, without a single wound.
[Why don’t you try running your mouth like before?]
Damn it, there wasn’t even a fourth phase in the game.