Chapter 2423: The Beginning Of The End [4]

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"Drake! W-Wait!" Miranda panicked as she watched him rush downward. "Shit, Jake! He’s...!"

She turned toward Jake, only to realize he had vanished. Panic rising, she held Benladann close and noticed Gold along with several other Split Souls nearby.

They were carrying Jake’s recently deceased body inside a sphere of divine ice, completely frozen—both body and soul preserved at the same time.

"D-Drake?! But weren’t you down there?!"

"I am, and I’m also here through these Split Souls," Drake sighed, trying to push down his anger. "I’m currently chasing him, but he’s descending faster than I expected... Benladann, I’m so sorry. If only I had been quicker."

"D-Drake..." Benladann gazed at her husband and hugged the nearest Split Soul tightly.

At Drake’s will, the Split Souls unified into a single form, including Gold. This second body shared the same soul, and his wives and children were already accustomed to him doing this.

"Can’t you heal him?! Wait, Benladra can do something!" Benladann cried.

"I already tried, Mom!" Benladra said. She was right beside her father. "B-But nothing works on Uncle! I don’t understand what’s happening to his body or soul! That monster didn’t destroy him completely, but somehow... I don’t know! It’s like he won’t let him regenerate or heal!"

"What?! How is that even possible?!" Yuki asked.

"Oberon has attained a power I don’t fully understand yet," Drake explained. "But I believe he has gained the ability to destroy concepts. He destroyed Jake’s concept of ’life,’ so no matter what we try to regenerate him... we can’t."

"N-No! Jake!" Lucia began to cry as she saw the young man frozen inside the sphere of ice.

"Damn it!" Chris groaned, striking the barrier with his fists while fighting back tears.

"I only just met him... He’s my brother and I only just met him, and that bastard took him from me!" Benladann sobbed. "He took my village... he took my dad and my mom! And now my brother...!"

Although Benladann’s parents had ultimately been revived by Drake, it had taken time. For most of her childhood and into young adulthood, they had been dead.

That trauma remained even after they returned. Deep down, she felt nothing could ever truly be the same again.

"What’s your plan?" Skadi asked Drake, peering into the vortex. "I assume we have little time, right? That damn bastard... I can’t believe how helpless and weak I felt. Everything I’ve achieved in my life seemed meaningless in front of him..."

"I agree... I don’t know what we did, but he simply stopped us from moving," Belle muttered. "It wasn’t time or space manipulation as we know it. He just willed it, and it happened... It’s a power that goes beyond the elements we understand."

"It’s... a step beyond Dimensional Manipulation," Drake explained with a sigh. "I think what he has attained is Reality Manipulation. Oberon can alter the reality around him. It was purely theoretical to me before, but it seems to be the combination of Space, Time, and Dimension Manipulation. Something I had only considered in theory, never truly imagined possible."

"Are you kidding me...?" Yuki asked. "That bastard is invincible now?!"

"No..." Andromeda stepped forward. "Although his powers reach that far, Drake managed to ignore the paralyzing effect and reach him, even if Oberon was incredibly fast and easily evaded his attacks."

"I still felt weakened, but something inside me lets me break through that Domain," Drake explained. "The only way to save Jake is to learn how to cancel Oberon’s power over destroying concepts and restore Jake’s concept of life."

"I-Is that even possible...?" Benladann asked, looking down.

"It has to be," Drake said firmly. "I’ll make it possible."

"No, we’ll make it possible, Master!" Surtr declared.

"Yeah, please don’t forget about us!" Emerald nodded.

"You’re not alone, you know?" Amethyst sighed, crossing her arms.

"We might be powerless individually, but maybe we can do something together?" Hrimvaldr suggested. "Or at the very least, take our power, Drake."

"If I had more time to analyze things, I could help," Hydra offered. "I might assist you in figuring out how to counter Oberon’s powers. You do possess the talent."

"I’ll help however I can... Maybe my mirrors could be useful?" Celene wondered.

"I’ll help too!" Triton said.

"We’ve all awakened Archetypes as well," Root added. "Perhaps that can help? After all, this mysterious power is what has allowed us to surpass our limits and reach even greater heights."

"That’s right..." Drake muttered, clenching his fists. "But it will be dangerous—more dangerous than anything we’ve ever faced. I don’t want any of you to die. Stay behind me, okay?"

The entire group agreed, even Fuyu’s crew led by Charlotte. The mechanical titan she had become hovered in midair, gazing downward.

"Just what is Oberon’s plan?" Andromeda asked. "I remember him saying he wanted Eternal Life and Immortality. But now he’s going underground... seeking the truth? What is that?"

"He wants to reach Yggdrasil’s roots," Drake explained. "I have no idea why... Well, let’s go. I’ll teleport you all close to where I am. Combine and coat your Auras together. Stay as close as possible!"

"Dad!" Benladra cried. "Do your best!"

"Yeah!" Drakda roared.

"Daddy, don’t die..." Kate whispered.

"Dada! Awawah!" Yudra said, furrowing her tiny brows.

Drake smiled tenderly at them and nodded.

"Don’t worry. I won’t... I can’t die that easily anyway. I’m one tough nut to crack, after all. Oberon will have to relearn that lesson again, it seems."

Drake quickly enveloped everyone in his power. With Hermes and Logi’s assistance, he teleported the group to his location—or rather, a safe distance away. He didn’t want them caught in Oberon’s Aura, Domain, or whatever else he now controlled.

He also led the group with his second body to ensure Oberon couldn’t sneak up on them while he fought.

And indeed, as everyone arrived, they saw it.

The vortex plunged endlessly deep into the world’s tectonic plates, reaching a long-forgotten realm—the homeland of the Death Dragons.

"W-What the hell?!" Alma stared downward. "Wow, we’re going so fucking deep! But everything is dark down there...!"

"Is there... another world down there?" Hermes asked.

"Something like that!" Hydra replied, peering down. "It’s a place no living being is allowed to enter, but I suppose I’m in no position to stop you now. That place is the Underworld, Helheim! An Ancient Realm born beneath all others, where the roots of Yggdrasil spread underground. It’s the world of repenting souls or those who could not pass on, filled with regrets. Sometimes they leak to the surface and become undead that roam certain places. We try to contain them, but there are simply too many."

"So it’s a world where souls go if they don’t want to move on to the Afterlife, whatever that is?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, that’s a fair description, but it’s far more than that," Hydra said. "It’s the home of my kind, the Death Dragons, and of our Primordial Dragon Mother, the Death Dragon Queen, Hel."

As they spoke, they watched Oberon laughing, descending rapidly on his giant butterfly wings while Drake gave chase, his speed increasing dramatically.

"OBERON! COME BACK HERE AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN!"

"Come now, have some patience! We’re almost there! I’m sure you’ll love to learn the truth, Drake!"

Oberon’s body pierced a massive layer of black and gray clouds, plunging deeper. Drake followed swiftly, pushing through the thick, chaotic barrier. He groaned and coughed as he forced his way through until...

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