Chapter 520: Magic… of Lucifer?
Vergil stood in the center of the destroyed clearing, his body still smoking, while the rest of the group tried to compose themselves.
He broke the silence, his voice low but sharp:
“Okay… game over.”
Titania sniffed loudly, still hugging Zuri, but Vergil paid her no attention. His gaze swept over the charred remains of the High Guardian, the cracked columns of the arena, and the bones still crackling like braziers.
“Those two weren’t here for nothing,” he said, his tone now serious, almost clinical.
“Creatures of that scale don’t move without purpose… they were guarding something.”
Katharina, still burning, laughed as she spat out a stream of blood.
“And what do we do? Walk away and pretend nothing happened?”
“No,” Vergil retorted, sheathing his katana with a curt gesture. “We’re going to find out what the hell they were guarding.” Roxanne looked around, her red eyes sparkling beneath the ash.
“It makes sense… this arena, this enclosed field, felt more like a prison. Maybe it wasn’t meant to keep us here, but to hide what lay beneath.”
Rize, panting, wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. Her webs were already dissolving into the cracked ground, but she forced a wry smile.
“Hah… if it’s treasure, I hope it’s worth the headache.”
“Treasure, secret, curse…” Vergil interrupted, his gaze fixed on a spot on the charred ground. “It doesn’t matter. But it’s something these two sacrifices joined together to protect.”
He nodded. “Spread out. Look for cracks, symbols, anything that looks like a focus of energy.”
Vany cracked her neck, her fists still trembling with purple energy.
“Okay.” After beating up a titan made of lava and bones, digging almost feels like therapy.
“Hurry up,” Vergil growled.
The group split up.
Katharina began burning the ground, melting layers of rock as if opening a wound in the earth. Rize sent out thin threads, testing fissures like sensors. Roxanne climbed one of the cracked columns, searching for hidden marks. Vanny kicked at rocks and debris impatiently.
Zuri, still panting from the transformation, held Titania close, huddled. The little fairy, still sulking, muttered softly,
“I bet it’s nothing… they just want to see us suffer more.”
Zuri smiled slightly, but her golden eyes remained watchful.
“No, Titania… Vergil’s right. Guardians like that… they never fight for anything.”
It was then that Roxanne shouted, “Here!”
Everyone turned. At the top of the column, she pushed aside a layer of fused bones that crumbled, revealing a circle of red runes etched into the stone. The markings pulsed, alive, like open veins.
Vergil walked to the base, his cold smile returning. “I knew it.”
Katharina, licking the blood from her lips, raised the flaming spear and pointed it at the seal.
“How about I force this open?”
“If you do it wrong, it could be the last seal you ever open,” Roxanne countered sternly.
Vergil raised his hand, silencing them both.
“I’ll take care of this.”
He placed his palm on the ground. Blue energy coursed through his arm and seeped into the runes, which glowed in response. It was as if the seal recognized—or rejected—his presence. The circle trembled, the symbols distorting like snakes trying to escape his touch.
Vergil smiled even wider, his icy eyes reflecting the red light.
“Ahhh… so this is what you were guarding.”
The earth shook.
From the circle, cracks spread like webs. The air grew heavy, and a wave of heat followed by a chill ran through everyone. The sound that echoed wasn’t of stone breaking—it was a whisper, a muffled voice trying to penetrate the seal.
Titania recoiled, squeezing Zuri tightly. “V-Vergil… that doesn’t seem… like a good idea.”
But Vergil didn’t move. His hand pressed harder against the seal, as if demanding an answer.
“Good idea?” He chuckled softly. “Fairies don’t understand anything. Nothing great comes from good ideas.”
The circle exploded in a column of intertwined red and blue light. The floor sank, revealing a spiral staircase that descended into the bowels of the arena.
Vergil withdrew his hand, adjusted his katana, and looked at the group. “There it is.”
Roxanne narrowed her eyes. “What if it’s a trap?”
Vergil shrugged. “Then we break the trap.”
Katharina laughed excitedly. “Finally, something interesting.”
Rize took a deep breath, her body still trembling from the previous fight, but forced a smile. “After this, I don’t even know if I have the energy… but if I have to go to hell, I’ll go head first.”
Vanny cracked her fists. “Let’s go.”
Zuri looked at Titania, who was pale. The fairy murmured, almost crying, “I don’t want to… I don’t want to fight anymore…”
Vergil stared at her for a moment, his smile fading into something almost serious.
“Then stay behind. Whoever goes down with me will see what these guardians tried to hide with their own blood.”
The silence was heavy. Until Titania, trembling, swallowed hard.
“…I’ll go,” she murmured, her voice weak but resolute.
Vergil arched an eyebrow and smiled again.
“Good girl.”
He turned to the staircase, the steps lit by the still-dancing embers.
“Let’s go. The real game begins now.”
And, without waiting, he descended the first step.
The staircase seemed endless. Each step creaked like dry bone, and the light coming from the cracks in the walls wasn’t flame, but something alive, pulsing like blood.
The air smelled of sulfur and iron. With each step, Titania felt her wings tremble as if they were about to be ripped off.
Katharina walked briskly, leaving sparks in her wake, as if the suffocating atmosphere fueled her.
“Ahhh… I can almost feel it in my chest. There’s something down here… something monstrous.”
“And dangerous,” Roxanne added, her voice low and serious. She brushed her fingers against the walls, feeling the hidden runes. “This isn’t just a staircase. It’s a descent into a prison.”
“Hah.” Rize laughed, spitting to the side. “Then let’s free what should remain imprisoned. What a brilliant idea.”
Vergil didn’t answer. He walked ahead, as if he owned the place. His steps were firm, his smile unwavering.
“Do you feel it?” he said, without turning his head. “The energy here isn’t just demonic. It’s ancient. Pure. Almost… celestial.
Vanny snorted, raising her fists, encased in purple energy. “Whatever it is, if it tries to bite me, I’ll rip its teeth out.”
Titania swallowed, her voice trembling.
“I… I know it.”
Everyone stopped.
Vergil turned away, puzzled.
“You know it?”
The fairy clutched her chest, tears welling in her eyes.
“These runes… these chains… are made of ancient magic. Binding magic used by… Lucifer.”