Sadly for Phantasmos, his plans went terribly bad. While charging with all his strength, Falco managed to break through the army of Skeletons, not even the Giant Skeletons stopped him!
FLUOOOOSH!
By flapping his wings rapidly, powerful tempestuous winds emerged, devastating the skeletons and shattering them into pieces. At the same time, Elayne, and everyone else attacked using their long-ranged magic.
Rita's Shadow and Holy Bullets, Mark's Dragon Flames, Josuke's powerful vermillion bird spiritual flames, Rose's Blood Magic, and their familiars attack such as Blackie's shadows, Whitey's Light Beams, and the three skeleton's charge using their new hardy and bulkier bodies completely demolished the Skeleton Army or the "Legion of the Dead" that Phantasmos was so proud of.
CLASH! BOOM! CRASH!
"Josuke, Mark! Burn those ponds of Nether! Rita, shoot them some holy bullets!" Elayne commanded, as she did the same, shooting rays of life mana into the Nether ponds, which started being purified and then disappeared.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM!
After several explosions, the Nether disappeared and the Skeletons stopped spawning completely. To make things even more amazing, all the skeletons were now piles of bones, and to not waste time, Elayne spread out her hands into several branches, grabbing all of their magic crystals, which amounted to over 50 of them.
She swiftly absorbed them through her own arms, crushing them and devouring them entirely. She didn't had time to do it the proper way. But thanks to her strength and new Light Element Magic, she was able to easily purify the Nether on them while consuming them.
"Here!"
She touched Mark and Rita's shoulders, imbuing a share of all this Magic Power, their Magic Circles quickly started rotating rapidly as several Runes started being inscribed.
The voice echoed within Elayne's mind once more.
[You have absorbed a tremendous quantity of high-quality Mana, Nether has been purified.]
[Hundreds of new Spiritual Runes have been inscribed within the Magic Circle.]
[Your Magic Circle has improved from Tier 2 Rank 5 to Tier 2 Rank 7.]
[New Spells have been created: [Heavenly Light Flash], [Life and Light Chains of Restraint]...]
[Your Magic Power has improved greatly.]
[Your body can now acquire a Physique.]
"And done… Though I still can't get a physique… I'll have to figure that out later for now." Elayne sighed. "Falco, crush the door wide open!"
"CRAAAAAH!"
Falco was also given a share of the Magic Power, overflowing with all the Mana he had lost previously, he furiously kicked the gates, shattering them into pieces and entering the Boss Room.
CLAAAAASSSHHHH!!!
RUMBLE!
The entire Dungeon started to tremble, as what greeted them was not a giant ghost monster but… a human?
"Huh?" Josuke felt confused.
"There's… a person?" Rose wondered.
"Where's Phantasmos at?!" Rita reacted.
Everyone quickly reacted the same way, looking at the end of the hall, empty with nothing else than a throne made of bones and a man wearing black, cursed armor, and holding a giant blade imbued with phantasmal and demonic power.
However, although the three felt confused, Elayne and Mark quickly realized who this person was. And that Phantasmos was, indeed, right in front of them. The Great Spirit felt the pressure coming from this man's body.
"T-This is…" Elayne said. "I think that's your friend, Josuke, Rose."
"Albert, wasn't he?" Mark muttered, swallowing saliva.
"Wha…?!" Rose was surprised. "Albert?! This Demonic Aura is his own!"
"What's the meaning of this, Albert?!" Asked Josuke.
However, Albert's voice did not answer. Instead, the one that answered their questions was the vile, monstrous voice of the one behind everything, Phantasmos.
"Your friend is no longer here." He said. "He is now in a deep slumber he shall never wake up from."
TRUUUMMMM…!
An enormous, phantasmal and demonic aura pressure was unleashed from Albert's armored body, quickly making even Falco, a gigantic bird, fly back and reach the ground, intimidated.
"Wait… you bastard! You possessed Albert from all people!?" Josuke was pissed. His entire body started growing an armor of feathers made of spiritual flames.
"I see… So that's why we couldn't sense him moving, nor we couldn't find someone as strong as him. He was captured from the beginning…" Rose muttered. "But how?! Isn't his body already the vessel of a demon?"
"And we've reached a nice agreement. I supply Hellberos with delicious souls, and he allows me to become the second user of this body! I get even to share the demonic powers." Laughed Phantasmos. "The moment you let go of your friend, his destiny was sealed as my new vessel!"
"Hellberos… How could you sell Albert like that?!" Josuke roared angrily.
"Haven't you been partners since he was a child?!" Rose was also furious.
Hellberos, however, manifested himself as a gigantic red flame emerging from Albert's body.
"I am not a being like you. I am a Demon; I have endless lifespan. And I live to devour souls and torment you mortals. Do you truly believe I would ever have a friendship? Nothing but frivolities to kill time. Albert is a good vessel, but I am not someone that cares about him in the slightest." The Demon laughed. "You're foolish to believe I would EVER share a bond such as something so pathetic as "FRIENDSHIP"! Pfff… hahahaha!"
"T-This… you're lying!" Rose cried. "We've shared so many years at your side and that's… how you respond?!"
"You fucking sellout." Josuke said. "I thought you had changed, but you're just a bastard. Where did the whole "we underdogs take care of one another" speech went to? Was all of that just a lie?!"
"A few words can make you humans trust anybody, even a demon. Don't blame me for your naivety. I have simply found someone stronger, much more powerful to serve, the Demon King of Death, Thanatos! He has promised me greatness in exchange for cooperating, and that's what I shall do!" Hellberos laughed.
"You heard him!" Phantasmos was amused with the drama. "Now… Come at me and die by our hands, mortals!"
"HELLBEROOOOSSSSS!!!" Josuke couldn't contain his fury, charging first with all his might! "GIVE… ME… BACK… MY FRIEND!!!"
FLUOOOSH!
"Wait, Josuke! Don't be reckless!!!" Elayne cried.
CLAAAAASSSSHHHH!!!!
