I raised my hand, shielding my eyes from the blinding light. The air around me trembled, my body began to smolder, seared by the Divine Law.
With a buzz, I sensed it and moved instantly—a massive beam shot out from the surface of the Divine Law. I rushed to intercept, gripping Endbringer tightly in both hands, blocking its path.
A thunderous crash—the moment the beam struck me, my body felt like it would explode, swept up in the light and plummeting toward the black formation below.
Gritting my teeth, I swung Endbringer, roaring. Black lightning surged like a torrent, instantly ripping apart the falling beam. I charged toward the surface of the Divine Law.
Things were getting worse—my ghost aura was nearly depleted. Though I continued to generate it, the consumption far outpaced production. Resisting the Divine Law demanded a massive expenditure of ghost aura.
"Curse Ghost."
I shouted and surged toward the surface of the Divine Law. Releasing Endbringer, I pressed both hands against its surface. Instantly, my hands were stripped to bare white bone. The Divine Law was like molten lava—under its heat, my body blackened, my face burned away bit by bit, exposing bone.
Scarlet chains stretched along the surface of the Divine Law. I could only force out power with curse energy, hoping to suppress it before the Divine Law attacked, buying time for Redmond to finish the formation.
Waves of scorching heat surged out again and again. My body burned and regenerated, cycling endlessly. I struggled to press down on the surface of the Divine Law, unable to care about anything else.
"Instinct... coexist..."
With a roar, I felt a surge of power erupt from within. A corporeal black Evil Ghost appeared at the Arctic. I roared again, converting all strength into curse energy, multiplying the scarlet curse chains across the surface of the Divine Law.
"It works—Redmond, hurry!"
I shouted again, gritting my teeth. Beneath my palm, it felt like I was pressing down on a blistering balloon, swelling and deflating, ready to burst at any moment.
Just then, as I turned to look at the surface of the Divine Law, a white humanoid figure appeared before me—nearly two meters tall, with golden-red eyes and golden, web-like lines crisscrossing its body. It stood motionless, hands clasped behind its back, its gaze utterly devoid of emotion, locked onto me.
"Divine Law!"
My eyes widened—the humanoid said nothing, still scrutinizing me.
"Foolish action, mortal."
My eyes widened in shock—suddenly a fist was before my face. With a bang, I was struck head-on, my connection to curse energy severed. The scarlet curse chains covering the Divine Law's surface crumbled to ash. As I fell, the manifested humanoid of Divine Law kept pace with my descent, its golden-red eyes locked on me. I raised a hand, black lightning crackling in my palm.
A thunderous boom—I pressed a hand to the Divine Law. A massive cluster of lightning appeared in the air, enveloping the Divine Law. But Endbringer's power seemed useless against it; the entity stood unscathed in the black lightning, gripping my throat. Its eyes began to change, swirling into golden-red vortices.
I felt my consciousness, my strength—everything—being sucked into those swirling eyes, utterly powerless to resist.