CHAPTER 40: BLAZING THUNDER & BLACK ROSES
Arcane Drifters: The Journey – Light Novel Format
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The Bloodvaults beneath Glass City trembled.
Crimson mist hissed from ancient cracks as three figures stood before a broken seal—a doorway pulsing with blood-forged magic. Shadows slithered like serpents across the stone floor.
Kenya cracked his knuckles, fire dancing on his shoulders.
> "That's not a welcome mat," he muttered.
Ruke nodded, lightning snapping around his fists.
> "It's a damn gate to war."
And from the mist, a presence heavier than death itself rose.
With each step, stone warped. Magic roared.
The Arcane General had awoken.
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VAEGAS – ARCANE GENERAL, RANK 5
Vaegas emerged like a nightmare carved from ancient war. Standing three meters tall, armored in voidsteel scales, with six arms wielding deadly cursed weapons—each carrying the weight of hundreds of fallen Drifters.
His voice was like grinding bones.
> "Three little insects… are these the protectors of humanity now?"
Kenya flared into Fire Demon Form 2, eyes blazing with fury.
> "I'm not here to protect. I'm here to burn your legacy to ash."
BOOM!
He vanished in flame, appearing above Vaegas with a downward strike that cracked the ground. The General slid back a step, growling.
From the side, Ruke struck—his body a bolt of living lightning.
> "Thunder Drive—FANG MODE!"
He spun mid-air, fists landing like meteor impacts on Vaegas' chest.
But the General's arms moved in impossible rhythm—one sword deflecting, one spear stabbing, the flail smashing the ground beside Eliz, who barely dodged.
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ELIZ'S TRANSFORMATION
She stood apart from the boys, unmoving.
The once-gentle expression on Eliz Betham's face had been replaced. Her eyes now burned with sharp violet intensity. The soft warmth was gone—replaced by ruthless clarity.
> "Tired of being left behind," she whispered.
"Tired of watching Shen bleed while I stay weak."
She raised her hand. Magic twisted around her—no longer just Death Cyclone, but something deeper.
> "Death Mode: Oblivion Bloom."
Black rose petals spun from her palm, shredding the very air. Each petal was razor-sharp magic—cutting faster than wind, sharper than blades.
Vaegas grunted as petals sliced into his left arm.
> "Impressive," he growled. "But weak alone."
He slammed his axe into the ground—shaking the entire chamber.
Eliz gasped. She tried to cast again—but was too slow.
> "KENYA!" she shouted—
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BATTLE STRUGGLE
Kenya intercepted with a blast of flame, shielding her, but took the hit—his shoulder bursting open with blood.
> "We're getting nowhere…!"
Ruke crashed beside them, panting, electricity flickering out.
> "His armor... it's adapting. He's analyzing us."
The three backed away, bloodied, breathless. For the first time—they were outmatched.
The chamber darkened.
Vaegas laughed.
> "You're not ready. None of you are."
A low hum filled the air—as if reality itself had begun to fracture.
Eliz clutched her side, eyes darting.
> "Something's coming…"
Kenya narrowed his eyes toward the far end of the chamber—where the shadows trembled unnaturally.
A fourth presence had entered the room.
Unseen. Silent. But suffocating.
Ruke's skin prickled.
> "...Did you feel that?"
Eliz looked up, breath catching.
> "No... not now. Not him—"
Kenya stared into the gloom, eyes wide.
> "He came..."
But before any of them could speak the name—
the shadows swallowed the echo.
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TO BE CONTINUED...in volume 2