Dracul pushed Lux's body to the side before shifting his gaze toward the towering Giant who was now headed in his direction.
The Guardian of the Sacred Lands smirked before disappearing from where he stood and appearing right in front of Antero.
"You might be indestructible, but here in the Sacred Lands, I am supreme!" Dracul declared as he met Antero's punch, with a punch of his own, stopping it completely. "I apologize for killing your disciple, Gaap. In order to compensate you, I will scour the world for the most gifted child that possesses the affinity of Necromancy.
"I will also open the treasury of the Sacred Lands and allow him to raise his rank at a rate never before seen in the world. In just a month, I promise you that he will become a High-Ranker—even a Saint, after two years. That is the least I can do for your loss."
"Screw you!" Gaap roared as blood dripped from the corner of his lips. "Kill him, Antero! Use my entire life if you have to!"
Gaap only had one Disciple in the world, and before he could even nurture him fully, he died before even becoming a Ranker.
He had already witnessed how his Master died in the past.
Now, his only Disciple died before he could even do anything.
Gaap's heart was bleeding due to anger, guilt, as well as depression from what had just transpired.
Because of this, he threw all caution to the wind and ordered Antero to use his entire life span to avenge his Disciple, whose limitless potential was nipped in the bud by the very Guardian, whom all the Necromancers in the world trusted.
Dracul sighed because he understood that Gaap was not in the right state of mind to talk to him right now.
'I'll just knock him unconscious first and deal with the aftermath later,' Dracul thought. 'It is truly a pity. I really liked the boy. However, since I had to choose between him and the Sacred Lands, he could only die. This place will always be my priority.'
The Heavens above their heads had now completely turned red.
A moment later, something landed on Dracul's face, making him frown.
Wiping his face, he glanced at his finger and saw what seemed to be blood. Before the Guardian could even understand what was happening, blood began to rain down from the sky.
The battle on the ground had come to a complete halt, and all of Lux's Named Creatures and members of his Covenant knelt in front of their Master's body, crying tears of blood.
Slowly but surely, all the Undead in Lux's Army turned into particles of light.
Diablo, Ishtar, Pazuzu, Orion, Asmodeus, and Lazarus all started to turn transparent as the warmth on their master's body faded away.
None of them expected this to happen, and before they could do anything, their Master had already met his end.
The members of Lux's Covenant were also slowly turning transparent as well. Their powers and life were linked to the Half-Elf's, so his death was their death as well.
Lorelei watched this scene with a conflicted look on her face. She also didn't expect something like this would happen, and right now, she was at a loss about what to do.
However, when the rain of blood started to fall within the Sacred Lands of the Necromancers, she felt as if her very own blood was starting to stir.
Her instincts were telling her that something was about to happen, and whatever it was, it would change her life forever.
Kieran, who also sensed the sudden change in the environment of the Sacred Lands, hurriedly appeared beside his Disciple.
He was also shocked by the fact that Dracul had killed a junior, a Necromancer from the young generation.
Because of this, he decided to protect Lorelei at all cost, just in case Dracul chose to target her next.
All of the other Necromancers were confused as well and couldn't understand why Dracul did what he did. The only thing they could do now was watch the battle that was making the lands tremble as tears of blood fell down Gaap's face ceaselessly.
No one knew if these tears were from the blood rain or his eyes. The only thing they did know was that the old Halfling was completely heartbroken and devastated, even offering his entire life to avenge his Disciple.
"This is futile, Gaap," Dracul said as he once again blocked Antero's fist that was aimed at him. "As long as I am here in the Sacred Lands, nothing can defeat me. Even if a Supreme were to fight me right now, the one who will face defeat will not be me!"
Gaap slowly raised his head as he looked at the Vampire King, who had an apologetic look on his face.
He could feel his life ebbing away as Antero's Rank slowly advanced to Demigod.
What the old Halfling was doing right now was releasing the seal that his Master had planted on Antero's body, which would allow the Golem of Destruction to fight at its peak potential.
"You killed my Disciple because you said that his breakthrough would destroy the Sacred Lands, right?" Gaap raised his hand as the final seal that bound Antero was about to be released. "In that case, I will destroy this place myself. This is the only way that I will be able to face my Master in the afterlife. A Sacred Land that has forsaken one of its own people doesn't need to exist!"
Just as Gaap was about to unleash hell upon the world, a voice reached his ears, making him pause before he could break Antero's last seal.
It was a voice that he hadn't heard in a very long time, and it made him wonder if he was already at death's door and if his Master, Hereswith, had come to pick him up.
Suddenly, the loud tolling of a bell reverberated not only in the Necromancer's Sacred Lands, but also across the entirety of Elysium and Solais.
It reached the far corners of both worlds, making everyone who heard it raise their heads toward the sky in awe of what was about to come.
Lux's body, which was laying on the ground, slowly floated towards the sky.
As if it were being pulled by a mysterious force, the blood rain all flew toward the Half-Elf, coating his body entirely in blood.
Even the blood-soaked ground wasn't spared. The blood that originally dyed the ground scarlet turned into a blood mist and flew towards Lux, whose entire body was now encased in a dome of red blood.
The Sacred Lands began to tremble as if it was feeling afraid of what was about to happen next.
Dracul, who had also noticed the changes, frowned as he blocked Antero's punch with a punch of his own.
However, unlike what happened earlier, Antero's punch broke Dracul's arm and sent him crashing toward the ground, making the Vampire King cry out in pain and surprise.
'T-The Sacred Lands is afraid and has stopped giving me its blessings,' Dracul who didn't expect that the power, granting him the strength to challenge Antero without any effort, would disappear without a trace.
He could only grimace as he slowly propped himself up and braced for the Golem's next attack. But it never came.
Gaap stared at the Dome of Blood that was hovering above the heavens with a hopeful gaze as blood trickled from the corner of his lips.
Out of nowhere, a gigantic Skeleton King, who was just as tall as Antero, materialized behind the Dome of Blood and held it with its bony hands.
Soon after, a singing that could only be described as angelic reached everyone's ears.
The red sky that covered the entirety of the Sacred Lands turned blue, and for the first time since its creation, sunlight bathed the world with its Divine Light.
A crown made of light appeared above the Gigantic Skeleton's Head, making all the Necromancers below the rank of Supreme all kneel subconsciously towards it.
Even the Necromancers in Elysium and Solais did the same.
They all knelt because they felt that it was the right thing to do, despite not knowing what was happening.
As if waiting for that moment, Hereswith's voice, which was filled with excitement and jubilation, spread across Elysium and Solais, informing everyone that the dream she had long chased throughout her life had finally become a reality.
Hereswith spoke with trembling lips as she spread her arms wide, her voice being carried by a mysterious power for everyone to hear.
"All things are equal in death. Let this be a sign.
But, do not hold thy breath that Necromancy can't be divine."
The words she had spoken that day would be remembered and talked about for many years to come.
For it was the day when the world came to a complete standstill, as all hearts started to beat as one.
—------
(A/N: The words that Hereswith spoke were from a quote given by one of my readers, Fallen_Nephilim. I thought it was good, so I decided to use it here. Credit goes to him.)
