Chapter 2564 - 2564: Restrain
Emery’s sharp gaze swept across the shrine as realization dawned upon him—he was trapped within a formation. Not only did it suppress his spatial abilities, but it also kept him rooted in place. The glowing stones, the pulsing runes, the way energy hummed through the air—every detail pointed to an elaborate, ancient magic designed to restrain even the strongest beings.
He exhaled slowly, keeping his composure as he turned his focus to the Moon Guardian. Her expression remained serene, untouched by his frustration.
Emery’s voice carried no anger, only cold calculation. “Is this how you treat your guests?”
The supreme being merely plucked a string on her wooden instrument, and her voice drifted into his mind: “Do not resist, and you will not be harmed.”
As soon as she spoke, the melody deepened, resonating not just in the air but within Emery’s very soul. It was unlike any spell he had encountered before—no incantations, no runic structures—just pure, raw sound that seemed to toll through his mind like a celestial bell.
A weaker version of himself would have been ensnared instantly.
But not his current self.
His body tensed, suppressing the pain ringing in his skull. A slight smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “I assume this isn’t the Fey Shrine, then. In that case, you won’t mind if I destroy it all.”
Emery lifted his hands, and the ground trembled beneath him. The raw force of the Earth element surged outward, shaking the formation with a devastating tremor. Cracks spread like spiderwebs across the ground, the air itself rippling with his sheer might.
The Moon Guardian did not flinch. “Your command over the Earth is impressive,” she admitted, plucking another note. “But it is not enough. We Fey control the power of nature. Our arrangement is—”
She suddenly cut off, her silver brows knitting together as the air around them shifted.
The runes flickered, and stones—small at first, then larger and larger—began floating, pulled skyward by an invisible force. Soon, even the massive boulders anchoring the formation trembled, fighting against the unseen hand that lifted them from the ground.
“This… this is the Law of Gravity…”
The energy swirled violently as Emery manipulated the very fabric of reality itself. With the combined might of Khaos and Soltz’s formidable body, he tore through the formation’s delicate balance, prying open the bindings that kept him in place.
Almost there. Just a little more, and he could break free.
But before he could shatter the last seal—
Roots burst forth from the ground, thick and gnarled like ancient serpents. They lashed around his legs, twisting up his body, wrapping around his arms and chest. The surrounding trees groaned as they bent toward him, their branches coiling like living chains.
“This won’t stop me!” Emery roared, his fury igniting.
A dark force surged from within him—Chutulu’s power.
The twisted energy of corruption seeped from his core, spreading like a disease into the living wood that bound him. The ancient trees, once brimming with vibrant life, recoiled under his influence. Their emerald leaves curled inward, bark splitting with sickening cracks as their vitality drained away. Roots that had risen to ensnare him twisted in agony, crumbling into lifeless husks.
He was almost free.
Then, the fey warriors struck.
They moved as one—three cosmic experts descending upon him with precise coordination. Emery barely had time to react before two of them seized his arms, wrenching them behind his back with overwhelming force. A third struck his legs with a concentrated blast of nature magic, sending him crashing to his knees.
Gritting his teeth, Emery felt the crushing weight of their combined strength pressing down on him, restricting his movements. His muscles strained, his veins bulging as he fought back, refusing to be subdued.
“Damn it! Let me go!” he roared, his fury shaking the air.
The ground beneath him trembled. With a furious surge of will, jagged stone spikes erupted in all directions, forcing the three warriors to leap back. One stumbled, caught off guard by the sheer force of the attack, and Emery took the opportunity to twist free. He barely had a moment to move before another threat emerged.
Shimmering threads of rainbow light wove through the air, faster than the eye could follow. They wrapped around him like sentient chains, tightening against his body with unnatural strength. The delicate-looking strands burned against his skin like molten steel, reinforcing the binds with an unbreakable grip.
These were no ordinary bindings.
The fairies had joined the fight, their combined magic reinforcing the cosmic warriors.
Seven experts—working together, their power interwoven into a single overwhelming force—concentrated on restraining him.
The air crackled with energy as more layers of magic wrapped around him, each seal restricting his movement further, pressing down like an invisible mountain.
Emery struggled, his body resisting the immense pressure even as his vision darkened at the edges. He could feel the crushing weight bearing down, his bones groaning under the force, but he refused to yield.
“I am not giving up!” His voice roared through the shrine, shaking the very air.
A pulse of raw energy flared from within him. Khaos.
Dark smoke whipped outward, coiling like vipers, slashing through the rainbow bindings. The light-based restraints shattered like fragile glass, their magic dispersing into the air. The warriors staggered, pushed back by the sheer force of the burst. One stumbled; another barely caught themselves before being thrown off balance.
One step. One more step, and he would be free.
But the Moon Guardian only strummed a single note.
It cut through everything.
A sharp, piercing melody—a sound not meant for ears, but for souls.
Emery’s vision blurred. His body trembled. A force unlike anything he had ever encountered clawed at his very being, prying him apart from within.
His breath hitched as he suddenly saw himself from outside—
His own body, still struggling, still fighting.
But he was no longer inside it.
His soul had been torn from Soltz’s form.
Panic surged through him. He reached out instinctively, trying to reconnect, but the melody’s vibrations pushed him further away with each attempt.
“No!” Emery strained, trying to resist. He could feel Khaos reaching for him, trying to pull him back in. But the force keeping him apart was stronger, severing the link piece by piece.
Every inch felt like miles.
Every heartbeat pushed him further away.
And then—
The final tether snapped.
Darkness engulfed him for a single, weightless moment before he found himself floating—his body distant, his soul adrift.
The Moon Guardian’s voice whispered into his mind.
“We have successfully removed you from that being… Now, you may meet the Earth Mother.”