The Hated Hero: Sigil-Powered Warrior-Chapter 29: Rain of Black Fire

Trying to blow Justus up to chunks of burnt flesh turned out to be a terrible idea.

The chain of explosions left the entire hallway engulfed in flames. He was certain that the blasts killed the two black monks—they were still running when the first black daggers exploded.

As for Justus, the blasts did not kill him—they changed him. From being a massive brute clad in black armor, he had become an even larger brute. Pieces of his black armor lay around him, dented, crumpled, and good for nothing. Smoke rose from the fallen pieces of his armor and his dark-skinned body, inscribed on which were numerous sigils, each of which emanated a pale, deathly white glow.

Just like his eyes and long flowing hair.

His axe must be made of much tougher material than his armor. Despite the intensity of the chain of explosions, it stayed intact, undamaged even, disregarding the crude faint pattern scratches on the surface of the blade. The pattern scratches glowed not long after the sigils on Justus’s body glowed, serving as an answer to Immanuel’s question in his mind. The pattern scratches on Justus’s axe bore the same eerie white glow as with the sigils on his body.

His axe is magical in nature. His armor is not.

Amid the rubble, Justus growled, his voice echoing, while looking around for Immanuel. "It is not often that someone triggers this one sigil of mine."

Immanuel focused his intention on teleporting to the other end of the hallway, where he last saw the black monks running. Justus eyed the glowing sigil on his forearms. "The Civil War still raged the last time I was brought so close to death that only this sigil could save me. There were so many of them who nearly had my head on a pike.

Hearing this, Immanuel’s mind darted back to Justus. That sigil feels like the Breakthrough sigil. Should I bother with that sigil?

Immanuel decided to keep Justus’s appearance in mind as his mind moved back to where he last saw the black monks. "I must commend you, Immanuel Maier," Justus began.

Immanuel found the two monks buried, lifeless, under rubble. Shit!

"You are only oneman..." Justus spoke from a distance.

Then the voice seemed to have shifted and was now much closer to Immanuel, startling him. "...but you have brought me to death’s gate once more."

Justus was standing behind Immanuel with his greataxe raised. Its symbols were lit and its blade was enveloped in black flames. Immanuel tossed a copied throwing dagger aimed at Justus’s head in response, but he managed to jerk his head to one side and dodge it. The explosive dagger blew up part of the ceiling, and fist-sized debris rained upon Justus and Immanuel.

While Immanuel teleported away, Justus stood still, letting the debris rain on him while he watched Immanuel from a distance.

"Your clown tricks won’t work against me!" was Justus’s reaction to the debris hitting his head and shoulders. Then, with flaming axe raised, Justus leapt towards Immanuel, who immediately teleported away.

The near miss resulted in Justus’s flaming axe smashing the floor instead of Immanuel. He said something about a document. If I bring him close to it, I might find out what he’s really after.

Justus and Immanuel teleported away from their positions at the same time. When they reappeared, Justus was at Immanuel’s previous position, while Immanuel was already paces ahead of him.

As though both men were of one mind, they once again teleported out of their positions at the same time. Immanuel once again reappeared paces away from his previous position while Justus reappeared where Immanuel previously stood.

The chase went on in that manner for a few moments. But eventually, Justus managed to get paces ahead of Immanuel by expending more mana and teleporting twice in one heartbeat.

Immanuel decided to shift strategies at that tight, lamp-lit hallway in the Cathedral. By my knowledge of this place, we are close to the library, where the knowledge of sigils is kept, and the Hierophant’s chambers.

Immanuel recalled the monk’s ability to turn invisible. Then he charged towards Justus like an enraged monkey and turned invisible when he was halfway towards the axe-wielding brute. He stopped for a moment, then moved again, this time with silent steps.

"Another one of those clown tricks, is it?!" roared Justus. He raised his axe overhead. The black flame enveloping it intensified and roared. "WITH ALL OF THE PAIN YOU GAVE ME, I SHALL BURY YOU WITH THE VERY PLACE YOU PROTECT!"

Whatever it is that he’s referring to... this is bad, went Immanuel’s disorganized thoughts.

Just as the axe began its rapid descent, a sideways tongue of black fire appeared and blocked the axe’s blade. The collision of the flaming axe with the tiny black flame somehow resulted in a shockwave that brought the whole hallway rumbling and momentarily destabilized Justus’s footing.

"What?!" roared Justus. Immanuel was just as confused as he was.

The tongue of black fire lengthened, shaping itself like the blade of a sword. Immanuel reappeared, positioned out of the massive axe’s striking path. He wielded a throwing dagger, the blade of which was enveloped in the elongated tongue of black fire.

Despite the great difference with the sizes of their weapons, and despite the great power backing the axe’s descent, Immanuel managed to stop the axe. There was no hint of strain on Immanuel’s face, and his body held like a rock.

The black fire is capable of repelling and blocking attacks, it looks like. Keeping this in mind for later.

"Another clown trick. I see," Justus growled. Then the entire area darkened, and the air around Justus was once again freezing cold. Shit! I’m in a bind! 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

If I fight back, I’m frozen solid, the tendrils would get me, or both. Likely both.

If I back away, this entire floor will be blown apart. Think, Immanuel!

Just as the tendrils appeared around them, Immanuel figured something out. The Reach sigil flashed once, and from Immanuel’s lower back, a tendril emerged, appearing like a tail. Its end gripped a throwing dagger, the blade of which was enveloped in a tongue of black fire.

From behind him, Immanuel swung the tendril up. The dagger enveloped in black flame hit and pierced Justus’s wrists, loosening his grip on the axe and sending him howling in pain.

In one quick sequence, I got him! Immanuel thought, referring to how fast he pulled off his last attack. Now to evade the tendrils.

Immanuel yanked the dagger off Justus’s wrists as he assumed shadow form and melded with the darkness below. Then, as the axe was falling, he teleported to the ceiling.

"Fuck, he disappeared again!" was Justus’s disgusted growl as he looked around him.

With trembling hands, he bent down and tried to pick up his axe, only for it to fall not long after he held it. Good.

"No matter," he balled his trembling hands into fists. "If I must end him with just my hands, so be it."

What is he saying? He can’t even pick up his axe, how do you think he’d finish me with just his hands?

The answer came a moment after Justus rose back up. Lines like those of a sigil’s appeared on his hands and forearms. These lines glowed pale deathly white and seemed to be what stopped his hands from shaking.

"I will need to use so much mana for this ability if I were to swing my axe again," he lamented. "But this will do." The way he cracked his knuckles after saying those words spoke volumes of the brute’s ability.

Interesting, Immanuel thought before making his move. While melded in the darkness, among tendrils, Immanuel had willed a torrent of mana to make his essence tiny, such that the tendrils could not sense his presence.

But even with a diminished form, his voice still retained the same eldritch sound when he spoke. "You are here for a document, are you not? What is it?"

"COME OUT HERE!" roared Justus. He then raised both arms up and assumed a fighting stance.

"Are you sure you want me to come out and face you? I’m warning you... the moment I come out, your death is certain."

Frustrated that Immanuel was playing games with him again, Justus roared the loudest he could. A portion of darkness in front of him and the tendrils on it moved aside as he roared, as though terrified of him. Justus, seeing the floor in front of him bare, then followed up his frustrated roar with a downward punch. The force of his punch cratered the space.

But Immanuel remained unfazed by the threatening gesture. Interesting, he merely thought. A quick fix that gets me back into the fight in no time.

"Just as you spared me earlier, I will spare you, but only for a few moments," said Immanuel from within the darkness. "I will ask you one last time. What document are you after?"

"FUCK YOU!" was Justus’s response. He then turned towards the iron door ahead, which led to the library. The readied fist, enveloped in black flames, and the patch of darkness on the door that moved aside hinted to his intent to wreck the door open.

Oh no you don’t.

Multiple tendrils shot out from all sides of the deep darkness and bound Justus. Immediately, the tendrils that have been there since the darkness appeared whipped the thinner tendrils that Immanuel conjured.

Immanuel let out a pained groan. The tendrils he conjured were a mix of the Mouse and Reach sigils—some tendrils were created from his essence. Justus feels cold. These attacks feel hot. My mana boils.

On the ceiling above them, conjured copies of throwing daggers aimed below disappeared one by one.

Boiled water evaporates if left unwatched. He’s draining my mana with every strike! I must act fast!

Fresh tendrils appeared from the darkness to support those already wrapped around Justus.

Immanuel used a good amount of his continuosly draining mana to envelop the continuosly dwindling number of throwing daggers in tongues of black flame.

Then he released his hold on Justus, and he charged towards the door once again.

Just as he was within reach of the door, the flaming daggers hit him from behind. Justus fell forward, hitting the door.

With his consciousness gone, his body slid down the door, leaving tracks of blood upon it. The darkness and the tendrils disappeared into thin air, replaced by a huge cloud of thick smoke that quickly spread as soon as the copied throwing daggers popped. Immanuel reverted back to his human form, believing the area safe at that moment. He was catching his breath.

Priscilla’s the only remaining person to ask about the document they are after.

His quick thinking saved him enough mana for another fight. But as it was a quiet moment, he moved out of the area, Justus’s greataxe in tow, intending to rest and recover lost mana before proceeding. That was, if there were still enemies remaining by the time he had enough rest.

Hierophant Hawking will prevail. I believe in him.

If not, well... at least—

Something massive burst through a solid stone surface, interrupting his thinking.

Not again! He raised the axe and ran back the way he came.