Chapter 503: The End
I gasped the words through the pain, completing the second spell I held in my soul. Alverin froze, mouth parted mid-threat, as five magic circles blazed to life around him, the runes appearing like stars against the setting sun. He glanced at his ring, surprise turning to fear, as he found the enchantment gone.
He threw a desperate hand toward me, clawing at my face, but I’d already fallen back off his sword. Before he could react, thick strands of dark, oily mana shot out of the circles, binding his soul. They carried the vile taint of Curse Magic, drenching him in the same shadows he’d unleashed on me just seconds before.
Alverin screamed as the dark tendrils latched onto his soul, not in pain but in pure, unbridled rage. I flinched as the noise pierced my ears, but poured more mana into the spell, battling against his soul. He was powerful, with even more mana than I had, but no soul had inherent curse resistance.
His eyes locked with mine as our souls clashed, his breath coming as quick and shallow as my own. "I...will...never...submit," he growled through clenched teeth. "I am the master, you the slave!"
"You wanted the perfect Heart Crest, didn’t you? The version you cast on Elise was good, but it wasn’t perfect." I said, approaching him with slow, deliberate steps. It wasn’t out of any concern or intentional action but because walking simply hurt too much. "But how does it feel? To see the only true Heart Crest cast in this world?"
"You!" he snarled through gritted teeth. A vein bulged on his forehead, but he was held fast by the curse that slowly worked its way into his soul. "How dare you!"
I shook my head. "You’ve sought to enslave the souls of millions, but more, you took my dearest friend, the one who saved me when no one else would. You violated and humiliated her, broke her body and spirit day after day. Do you have any idea what that even means? How much she suffered?"
His snort was filled with contempt. "You care too much for a simple slut," he sneered. "The world is filled with useless creatures good for nothing other than an evening’s amusement. Whether I bed or torture her, what does it matter?"
"Is that what I am to you too?" I asked, my voice hoarse and strained, anger simmering beneath the surface.
He shrugged, a cruel smirk playing on his lips. "No, as you just demonstrated with this spell, you are so much more. You are actually worth something, a companion I would have by my side. I know you can’t kill me, nor do you have the character to keep me enslaved. Once I’m free, you will stand beside me. To be a slave is all you were meant for, the only destiny that could possibly satisfy you."
My stomach churned, bile rising in my throat. "I’m not that girl anymore. I could never stand by you."