WorldCrafter - Building My Underground Kingdom-Chapter 283: Elvira’s Last Gift

Eve watched from the side. "What a pure love. If I could help it, I would have let you two live."

But her words didn’t reach Ben.

He stared at Elvira’s beautiful face and kept mumbling, "Elvira... open your eyes... I want to hear your voice... Elvira..."

Memories of their first meeting resurfaced.

The first time he saw her, he was an ant queen.

They fought, and she even tore off one of his hands.

After that, he always suspected her reasons for keeping him close.

He was sure she had some hidden agenda.

In his old life, there was always a reason for a woman to get close to him.

He knew it was usually about money, and in this world it would be about power.

But Elvira never hid her reason.

She always said she needed his help to protect her kingdom.

But all this time, months and years, they never did a single thing for it.

If anything, she was always the one helping him.

Yet she never complained.

Only lately did she start asking, as the situation grew more dire.

’Elvira...’

Sadness turned into anger.

He placed her gently on the ground, then looked up at Eve.

Anger turned into hatred.

Even if he knew he couldn’t win, even if it was impossible, he still wanted to hurt her.

The rainbow flame and dark aether began to condense.

He raised his pickaxe and started gathering everything.

"Oh?" Eve asked. Her interest was piqued. "What are you planning now?"

Inside him, Apophis panicked.

"You crazy bastard!" she screamed in his mind. "I help you and this is how you repay me? You’re going to eat me?"

She could feel it.

Her essence and power were being consumed.

This was different from before, when she merged into him to become part of his strength.

Now Ben was sacrificing both Apophis and the Primordial Flame to feed the pickaxe.

The Empyrean Pickaxe began to glow.

Its shape started to change.

The edge turned darker, and strange symbols began to appear across the body.

They weren’t runes.

If Elvira were here, she would have known.

It was something else.

It was like laws condensing into symbols.

Apophis kept screaming in pain.

The presence of the Primordial Flame inside Ben suddenly dimmed.

Eve’s eyes widened.

"You!" she hissed. "You dare!"

For the first time, Eve regretted simply watching.

She had underestimated Ben.

If the Primordial Flame was swallowed by the pickaxe as a container, she would have a hard time taking it back.

***

[Item] Divine Blockify Pickaxe

[Type] Tool / Weapon 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

[Rarity] Divine+ (Growth)

[Durability] Infinite

[Damage] 200 (Melee)

[Ability] Send You Flying

[Effect] Knockback: 50 (Strong)

[Critical Strike Chance] 90%

[Ability] Blockify

[Power] 100

[Ability] Energy Destroyer

[Effect] When Blockify is used against any type of power, it consumes xx% of the host’s life essence.

[Limitations] Cannot be used on living beings.

[Tooltip] ???

***.

Eve moved first.

Space folded, and she appeared right in front of him, palm already turning into a spear.

Ben swung.

CLANG!!!

The pickaxe met her strike.

The impact didn’t explode.

It vanished for a fraction, like the world couldn’t decide what should happen.

Eve’s eyes narrowed.

Ben stepped in anyway.

BAM!

He slammed the pickaxe into her shoulder.

It cracked the space.

Eve’s body slid back a step, and the space behind her distorted.

Ben’s lungs burned as he charged, because every time he forced that ability into her power, he could feel his life being ripped away.

He still didn’t slow down.

CLANG!!!

He smashed the pickaxe into her palm-spear.

Each impact compressed into a tight ring of pressure that made the crystals around the lake crack.

Eve slid half a step, then her fingers twisted and the world twisted with them.

Ben felt the space around his shoulders tighten, like invisible hands trying to pull him apart before he could swing again.

CLANG!!!

Ben forced the pickaxe through that pressure anyway, the dark edge screeching as it scraped against her reality, and sparks of red-gold and black light burst out like torn threads.

The strange symbols on the pickaxe flared for a heartbeat, and the space around the weapon shatter, like it was being cut into clean pieces.

Eve’s hand flicked.

Ben’s ribs split open.

Ben staggered, but he shoved himself back into range.

He laughed crazily under his breath. He could feel his pickaxe power is working.

CLANG!!!

He slammed the pickaxe into her shoulder line, and for a moment the hit stuck instead of vanishing.

Eve’s eyes narrowed as her aura stuttered, and Ben’s veins flashed bright under his skin as his life essence burned faster.

Eve tried to step away, but Ben followed like a madman.

Each time she moved, he bet his life to come close, and each time she tried to end it with a casual flick, he forced another clash.

His body was starting to feel hollow. "You’re burning yourself for nothing," she said.

Ben didn’t answer.

He smashed the pickaxe down.

BOOM!!!

The ground caved.

Crystals around the lake cracked and burst, turning into mis of mana.

The whole barrier surrounding them begin to crack.

Eve raised one finger.

A thin needle of chaos formed.

Ben’s instincts screamed.

The needle pierced his side.

Without hesitation Ben stabbed himself with at the wound with pickaxe.

’Energy destroyer.’

Eve’s chaos law and strength were greedily eaten by the pickaxe.

Ben coughed blood, but he kept moving, dragging himself forward like a beast that refused to die.

He was hoping for an opening.

Eve’s hand rose again.

This time she She aimed to end it.

Her palm became a spear and drove forward.

Looking at it a idea formed in Ben’s mind.

If he cannot catch her why not trap her?

STAB!!!

Her hand pierced through Ben’s chest.

Blood poured from Ben mouth.

Eve’s eyes were calm.

Then her expression changed.

Ben’s pickaxe was already moving.

Even while she was inside him, Ben used the last strength in his arms and drove the pickaxe forward.

CRACK!!!

The dark edge punched into Eve’s chest.

For the first time, Eve’s breath stopped.

Ben’s face twisted into a grin.

He laughed loudly, and broken.

He push his body forward stabbing the other edge to his chest.

Using his body as a bridge he start destroying Eve law of chaos.

Behind him, a small snake-shaped shadow appeared, trembling.

It shot away in panic, fleeing with all its strength.

"You Lunatic!" Apophis screamed as she escaped.

Ben didn’t care.

He allowed it to happen.

Now all that mattered was revenge.

"Blockify," Ben rasped. "Energy Destroyer!!! Full Power!"

The pickaxe vibrate.

The strange symbols on it lit up.

Eve’s aura stuttered even further.

STAB!!!

Her barrier fall down, the pickaxe black edge finally pierced trough her flesh.

Red blood flow from her chest.

The energy inside her began to collapse.

Eve’s eyes widened.

Pain finally appeared on her face.

She tried to pull back.

Ben didn’t allow it.

He grasp her hand with all his strength.

Every second, his life essence was being drained without reservation.

His skin dried.

His blood burned.

His Organ start failing.

But he kept laughing.

Eve’s lips parted, and for the first time her voice panicked.

"Stop," she hissed.

Ben shoved the pickaxe deeper.

Eve screamed.

The lake behind them churned.

The barrier shatter.

Crystalline spires shattered into dust.

Ben’s arms began to dissolve.

His shoulders broke into ash.

His torso started to disintegrate from the inside out.

He still didn’t stop.

He leaned in close, laughing into her face.

"You feel it now," Ben whispered. "Good."

His body kept breaking.

Then his legs gave out.

His chest collapsed.

And Ben disappeared completely, turning into darkness and ash that scattered into the air.

Eve stood there, shaking.

The pickaxe was still stabbed into her chest.

Its glow dimmed, than The symbols faded.

It looked like a normal pickaxe again.

Eve coughed.

Blood spilled from her mouth.

Her eyes were cold, but her hands trembled as she grabbed the handle.

"Thankfully," she rasped, "I put that plan in effect. If I had let him grow longer with this pickaxe... I would probably lose."

She yanked the pickaxe out.

It should have hit the ground.

But in midair, it turned into dust.

The dust vanished like it never existed.

Eve stared at the empty space where it disappeared.

Her face twisted.

"Dammit!" she cursed. "The Primordial Flame escaped again, using that pickaxe as a container."

***

Ben’s world turned into darkness. Everything was cold, and he felt like he was floating in a void .

"So this is it..." Ben whispered. "The end of my life."

His thoughts were strangely calm, as his mind had already accepted it.

"As expected... there’s no afterlife."

He let his soul loosen, ready to dissipate.

Then warmth wrapped around him.

It was a familiar presence that held his soul together and refused to let it collapse.

Ben’s eyes opened. His soul shook as he stared ahead.

"Elvira?" His voice trembled. "How is this possible?"

Elvira stood in front of him. Her body was dim, like a spirit made of soft light, but Ben didn’t even think about that.

He only saw her face, and the gentleness in her eyes.

"My love..." Elvira raised her hand and touched Ben’s cheek.

Her palm was warm.

Ben’s throat tightened. "Don’t do this," he said. "Don’t leave me again."

Elvira smiled. "This is my last gift for you," she whispered. "Now I put everything in your hands."

"I don’t want a gift," Ben said. His voice cracked. "I want you."

Elvira’s eyes softened. "I know," she said. "That’s why I’m doing this."

She leaned in and pressed her lips to his.

For one heartbeat, the cold vanished, and Ben felt her like she was really here again.

Then her body began to break apart. She turned into freckles of golden light, and those lights wrapped around Ben’s soul like threads.

Ben reached for her, but his hands went through the glow. "Elvira!" he shouted.

"I will be waiting for you."

The last of her light sank into him.

The space around Ben began to tremble. A force grabbed his soul and yanked him forward

The darkness stretched into a long passage.

Ben was pulled through it at high speed, and the golden light around his soul kept him from breaking apart.

It moved faster and faster.

The pressure climbed, and everything around him blurred into streaks.

Ben couldn’t tell how long it lasted. He couldn’t even tell if he was still thinking.

Then he saw a light at the end.

Small at first, then growing fast.

The pull surged one last time.

Ben shot straight toward it, and the passage opened.