The altar blazed like a second sun.
Runes carved into its stone erupted, forming chains of pure white radiance that coiled through the air like living serpents. They lashed around Daichi before he could even move.
One wrapped his throat. Another bound his wrists. A third crushed around his chest until his ribs creaked.
He gasped, knees buckling, vision swimming. Every breath scorched his lungs. It's like I'm being strangled by the world itself!
Above the altar, Elara floated—her body suspended in a sphere of shimmering mana. Her silver hair flowed like liquid moonlight, and her eyes, now fully open, glowed a glacial blue that pierced Daichi's very soul.
Her voice echoed, soft yet sharper than any blade.
"You wear the mark of a Soulbinder. The leech of legacies. The parasite of queens. I thought I erased your kind from history."
Her delicate hand rose, fingers splayed. The chains constricted. Daichi's vision spotted with black.
[Warning: Soul Synchronization 70% -> 62%. Decline accelerating.]
---
Lilith stepped forward, whip in hand, her wings unfurling like a storm.
"Well, well," she purred, her crimson eyes alight with disdain. "The mighty Elara, Archmage of a Thousand Stars… still arrogant after centuries of beauty sleep."
Elara's cold gaze flicked toward her. "Succubus filth. You should have rotted in your pit."
Lilith laughed, sinuous and sultry. "Rot? Darling, I thrive. And this boy…" She crouched beside Daichi, tracing her claw along his jaw. "…he already claimed me. He tasted me. Can you say the same?"
Daichi's entire face went crimson. "D-dammit, Lilith—this is not the time!"
The chains flared brighter, punishing him for his outburst. Pain lanced through his chest.
Elara's lips curved faintly—not a smile, but mockery. "Pathetic. A Soulbinder that clings to succubi. How low the world has fallen."
---
Daichi's body shook, shadows writhing from his skin as he tried to resist. But each time his shadows touched the radiant binds, they burned into smoke.
[Suggestion: Outlast her. Overpowering is impossible. Win through persistence.]
Daichi's teeth ground together. "Outlast her? She's a thousand-year-old Archmage! She could crush me like a bug!"
[Correction: Probability of survival through sheer will = 12%. Probability of survival if surrender = 0%.]
Lilith chuckled darkly. "Mmm… I like those odds. I always knew you had stamina, darling. Show her."
Daichi coughed blood. "S-shut up…!"
Elara's voice rang again, serene yet merciless. "Yield. Kneel before me. Accept erasure, and your soul will vanish painlessly."
Her chains pressed harder. Daichi's knees struck stone. His bones felt as though they'd snap.
But through the haze of agony, his mind flashed with images—his death in the real world, his exile, the Ogre's crushing club, the Knight's burning grip. And above them all… the faces of those who mocked him.
No… I've come too far. I won't vanish here.
---
Daichi roared. His shadows surged violently, flames of violet bursting across his body. The chains cracked, fragments of radiance scattering like broken glass.
Elara's eyes narrowed. "Impossible…"
Daichi's voice tore from his throat, hoarse but unyielding.
"I don't care if you're a queen, a goddess, or the whole damn world! I WON'T KNEEL TO ANYONE!"
The chamber shook. Crystals embedded in the walls shattered, shards raining down as shadows and light clashed midair.
Lilith's laughter rang above the chaos. "Yes! That's my king! Show her you're no pet—show her you're the master!"
Elara's mandala of glyphs spun faster, conjuring spears of light that shot toward Daichi.
He staggered, raising his hand. Shadow claws burst from the floor, intercepting the spears. The impact rattled his bones, but he held.
---
The world around him warped. For a moment, Daichi realized he was no longer standing in the dungeon, but in a boundless void of black and silver.
This… this was the Soul Domain.
Elara floated high above, her figure framed by an infinite array of glowing runes, each one pulsing like stars. She raised her staff—formed of pure mana, ancient and regal.
"You defy me here? Then I will bury you where none can find your ashes."
Daichi's blade of shadow formed in his hand. His wings spread wide, violet fire coiling around him.
He raised his weapon, pointing it at her.
"I'm not here to be erased. I'm here to carve a throne."
Their auras collided, the void shaking as if it would split.
---
But the longer the clash raged, the more Daichi faltered. His veins felt like molten lead, his vision doubled.
[Warning: Soul Synchronization 41%. Collapse imminent.]
Elara's eyes sharpened, a glimmer of triumph in their icy depths. "You've lasted longer than most. But this is the end."
Her glyphs converged, forming a lance of pure white fire. She hurled it downward, the void blazing.
Daichi raised his blade, shadows screaming. He blocked, but the force hurled him to his knees. His arms quaked. His soul screamed.
He almost let go. Almost.
But then—he heard Lilith's voice, low and sultry. Not mocking this time, but steady.
"Don't you dare break, darling. You're mine. And I don't share broken toys."
Daichi gritted his teeth, blood dripping from his mouth. His shadows writhed like beasts in a cage.
No… I won't lose. Not here. Not to her. Not to anyone.
---
With a roar that tore his throat raw, Daichi surged upward. His shadows exploded, devouring the lance of fire, tearing through the radiant chains.
Elara's eyes widened, her mask of cold superiority cracking. "You—!"
Daichi staggered forward, step by step, until his shadow blade nearly touched her luminous mandala. His body bled, his soul frayed, but his will burned hotter than ever.
"Elara… I don't care if you call me parasite or monster. I'll forge my path. And you…" His eyes blazed violet. "…you'll walk it with me—or burn trying to stop me."
The void trembled.
The last chain shattered.
---
The Soul Domain split apart, fragments of light and shadow cascading like falling stars.
Elara hovered above him, her robes billowing, her hair a river of silver flame. Her icy eyes glowed with new intensity—rage… and something else.
Lilith licked her lips, whispering with dark delight. "Mmm… two predators circling the same prey. My king… will you conquer her, or will she conquer you?"
Elara raised her staff, her voice ringing like divine judgment.
"Very well, Soulbinder. If you would bind me… prove it. Or be annihilated."
Light and shadow collided once more, shaking the dungeon to its core.