There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 496

Chapter 496: Chapter 489. The Twin Shards

Nestled in a small chamber at the edge of the black desert, two crystals of light vibrated heavily, running around in circles like a pair of panicking children.

The source of that panic was the shadowy creature with a wide grin and an echoing giggling sound swinging its hands against a barrier protecting the crystals. Every time those hands, which looked like spiked tentacles, struck the barrier, the outer layer of the barrier shattered like broken glass. The crystals would take turns fixing the broken barrier and add another layer, but after doing it for a whole day, they were getting exhausted.

Normally, they wouldn’t be bothered by any beasts that might come close to their barrier. Those creatures made of miasma couldn’t breach their barrier anyway. But that one--that one big shadowy creature...

That one was scary. That one felt like them but also not. It could strike their barrier; only weakly at first, but with more power added, it started to crack the barrier until finally, it managed to shatter it. If they were alone, the barrier would probably be breached soon.

But they could feel their kin nearby, so they had been screaming for help.

"Fuck--this one’s bigger," a voice came from the other side of the bigger chamber; the shards flinched and the shadowy figure stopped its assault temporarily to turn around.

From the path where these creatures came from, two figures emerged, who were wholly different from the crystals or the beasts, or the scary shadows creature.

Or probably, not? The crystals--the shards--vibrated heavily and screamed even harder, calling out for their kin that finally came to their rescue.

"We’re on time, right?" Bassena said wryly as Zein jumped off his back. The Fragment, which was almost two times bigger than the last one, hissed and stared at Zein.

As expected, the Fallen Star’s Fragment could feel the presence of another fragment. Bassena stopped and stomped the ground, hissing back to the Fragment. "I told you not on my watch!"

Mana swept the ground and dark tendrils sprouted up, coiling into the shadowy creature like a bunch of persistent snakes. Bassena yanked his arms back and the tendrils dragged the roaring Fragment away from the barrier. More tendrils shot toward the other beasts who had been trying to strike the barrier too, and pulled them all toward the middle of the big chamber.

"Nightfall."

The spreading mana churned and even more darkness filled the bigger chamber, creating a dome that enveloped its caster and the bound creatures. Zein ran toward the shimmering barrier of light the moment the dome was created, and the Fragment who had been looking at him roared in anger. It grabbed some of the bound beasts and ripped them off the tendrils of darkness, throwing them out of the Nightfall’s dome just before it closed up completely.

Zein flicked his eyes toward the beasts flying toward him. He channeled his mana into his storage ring and tapped into Setnath’s fragment of power. Gripping the hilt of the daggers appearing in his two hands, Zein rushed toward two beasts stretching their claws at him and drew his dagger upward.

It was a hurried attack, so the slice wasn’t deep. The slowing effect of the white knife, however, was enough to stop them on their track. The beasts hissed and turned around at Zein who perched on the wall after the rush attack. He kicked the wall and propelled him forward to the beast, swinging the white knife at the beast who was at the front, slicing its neck. The beast shrieked and fell down, while Zein swung his other hand and stabbed the black dagger into the other beast’s core until they both slid against the ground.

"As expected of high-rank artifacts," Zein muttered in satisfaction at the successful kill.

He didn’t have any leeway to enjoy, however, since more beasts were coming at him. Among them, there was a giant bipedal pig swinging a big club in its hand which was a bit concerning. Worse, the beast came from the direction of the barrier where Zein headed.

Zein gripped his daggers better and dashed forward. For some reason, he wasn’t worried. Since earlier, he felt like his body was moving lighter and better. It seemed that the two shards’ energy was resonating with the power of the fragment inside him and giving him a boost.

The bipedal pig roared, its threatening tusk gleaming by the barrier’s light. Zein raised his arms, but instead of meeting the bipedal pig’s club, Zein slid onto the ground between the pig’s legs, and made a long, deep gush in the pig’s tendons.