Chapter 1345: Sacrifice
Chapter 1345: Sacrifice
Sylphy saw Ivy fighting and dragging the True Demon back in her best efforts to not bring even more danger to the Dungeon, meanwhile, she had her own problems to deal with. Namely her entire body paralyzing and almost being unable to move, as the strange, cursed demonic miasma flowing through her bloodstream was trying to seal away all her powers, and separate her soul from her body.
It was all an elaborate scheme of the Evil God of Dungeons, who wanted nothing else than to ruin Sylphy's future and see her die a slow death, like a cripple, while taking away her Dungeon and claiming its bountifulness as his...
Yet Ivy had appeared, using her spiritual powers, she helped her liberate the miasma clogging her soul and body connection, and managing to connect with her soul again.
Her Familiars, which had been sealed inside, were able to manifest themselves and speak with her again once more, this even included Alice, Ignatius, and even Curse!
"I don't think Ivy can take care of that thing on her own!" Ignatius said. "But we have to protect Sylphy too, dammit!"
"There's no helping it!" Beelzebub said. "We must prioritize her safety... And find a way to heal her already! Oi, Naturia, Yggdra, Alice! Can't you do something?! You're the best healers we got!"
"N-Nothing works... not even my divine runes can purify the cursed miasma flowing through her!" said Alice. "It's an immensely strong divine curse, something a being as strong as the Evil God of Dungeons could use...! And at the same time, it is not truly a curse? It has a physical form, countless... tiny droplets of demonic miasma. It is way too complex, even for me..."
"I've healed her as much as I can, but these are also my limits..." Yggdra sighed. "I'm so sorry, Sylphy!"
"Eat my leaves and fruits, at least it can remedy the pain and tiredness a bit!" Naturia offered Sylphy her products.
"It's fine..." Sylphy smiled, as she devoured the leaves and tiny berry-like fruits, swallowing them. "Gulp... Hahhh... If things continue as they are, you'll end up sealed inside my soul again... I have to - Ugh! I have to take a gamble. Curse, do you truly promise me that it's nothing that will worsen me?!"
"We've lived together for years now; do you think I would lie to you now? We've made a contract together, my loyalty is yours, Sylphy... And if we do this anyways, I'll have to... sacrifice myself," Curse said.
"What?! You're...?!" Sylphy muttered.
"Worry not, it's not that I will die but... My form, as a familiar, might disappear," he said. "But I shall remain within you, I will become your power and your heart, if necessary. A demonic, cursed heart capable of absorbing the divine curse of that god... But for that, the Spirit Heart you have must be shattered and fused with me."
"S-So that's what you meant by shattering it..." Sylphy felt a slight amount of despair.
"I still find it too much to shatter her but... I feel ashamed myself, my powers... for the first time, they cannot fix this problem," sighed Alice. "Because I am connected to her soul, if the connection weakens, then... I won't be able to help her body as much as I would like to." "Alice..."
Sylphy had heard from her mother that the Spirit Hearts were a great weakness of the elves, shattering it might not just deprive them of ever conjuring spiritual energy again, but it could even disconnect them from their contracted spirits.
Or outright destroy their contract and banish them!
"But what about the rest... will they be okay?!" she asked.
"They're strong... They should be able to bear with the pain and some of the burden for you, but if we do things right, they will not die!" Curse said. "You have my word, Sylphy."
"You've become so confident out of nowhere..." Sylphy laughed. "We've spent years together as familiar and master... But I've barely got to know you well, Curse."
"My existence is merely a reflection of my creator..." Curse sighed. "But in these years,
master... I've learned the little joys of living. For that... I'm thankful."
"Curse..." Sylphy felt moved, shedding a few tears. "Thank you..."
"It's nothing," he said. "Let's do this, quickly."
"Okay then... Let's begin. I'll... shatter it, okay? that's it?" I asked him.
"Yes, but you must shatter it by letting it overflow with Abyssal Energy from the Curse," he said. "Let me help you!"
Sylphy tried to concentrate as she saw Curse enter her chest, turning into a mass of Abyssal Energy. Using her Mana, she moved the Abyssal Energy through her body, rapidly moving it to her chest, where her Spiritual Heart was.
For a little moment, she hesitated, but at the same time, she nodded. The Abyssal Energy and Mana flowed into the Spirit Heart, slowly beginning to bloat it. Its beautiful, glistening color, slowly darkened, becoming completely black and corrupted.
And then...
Crack, crack...!
"UGH?! Aaaaagh!"
Sylphy screamed in agony as she fell to the floor, feeling a few tiny cracks was more painful than she imagined. And the cracks only continued to expand and expand, it was as if her heart was being ripped apart out of her chest.
"Sylphy, endure! Use Spells to mitigate pain!" Curse said.
"I am trying but... Ugh, none work with this type of pain!" Sylphy cried. "Just continue... Anything is better than being left as a cripple anyways!"
"Very well...!" Curse nodded.
CRACK, CRACK!
The Abyssal Energy continued its curse, bloating Sylphy's Spirit Heart to its limits, more and more cracks spread out, she kept screaming in agony.
Until finally... Crack, crack...!
CRASH!
"AAAAAGGGHHH!"
Her Spirit Heart was fully shattered, the spiritual energies within it erupted, about to escape her body and dissipate, and the connection with her Spirits began to slowly disappear, their
strength decreasing as a result.
"Sylphy!" Alice said.
"Hang in there!" Ignatius roared.
"We're here with you!" Naturia cried.
"Please, don't leave us...!" Beelzebub said.
"Even if the Spirit Heart is broken, our contract with you will be forever!" Yggdra proclaimed.
"Chuuuuhhh!" Brownie roared in unison.
FLUOSH!
Their Spiritual Powers gathered into her chest, the fragments of her Spirit Heart suddenly
beginning to unify.
"And this is where I must go..." Curse said, his crimson eye looking at Sylphy. "I'll never forget the time we spent together... Thank you, Sylphy, for giving a meaning to my life other
than being a curse."
"Curse...!" Sylphy cried, shedding tears as she saw Curse fully melt into a miasmic liquid of spirit and miasmic energies, and then synthetizing her fragmented spiritual heart, alongside
the power of her Spirits.
Her Curse within her soul shook as its connection with Sylphy's body became even stronger than before, no longer was it inhabiting her soul alone, but now her body.
RUMBLE!
Her entire body overflowed with tremendous quantities of Abyssal, Demonic, and Miasmic energies, shaking the entire Miasmic Nest.
The Evil God of Dungeons gasped as he saw Sylphy suddenly defying her destiny once more.
"What is she doing?!" he gritted his teeth. "No... Is she...?! Impossible! Stop her...! STOP HER
AT ALL COSTS!"
He waved his hands, as the Demon Gate shook, several smaller True Demons surged from within, resembling six-limbed red imps, rushing towards Sylphy.
"Ugh...! It's... not enough!"
And Sylphy noticed that her Spiritual Heart... it couldn't yet form!
It wasn't enough.
"No...! You're kidding me?!"
Yet...
FLASH!
Something within her soul awakened.
A black cocoon that has been sleeping for years.
"Mama... take... my power...!"
And the tender voice of a child.