The Lazy Chronicles: Apartment of the Apocalypse-Chapter 109 - 108

The creature was unlike anything Mallory had ever seen. It was shapeless, a writhing, shifting mass of shadows, towering over them. Its form constantly morphed, flickering between clawed limbs, skeletal wings, fanged maws—as if it couldn’t decide what it wanted to be.

But its eyes—

Its eyes were ancient.

Cold. Endless.

The moment it turned its gaze upon them, Mallory felt something pulling at her mind—trying to erase her.

She moved.

With a burst of golden light, the Blade of Heroes cut through the air, its power clashing against the creature’s darkness. The impact sent shockwaves through the cathedral, cracking the marble floor.

The others sprang into action.

Quinn vanished in a blur of motion, his daggers slashing through the tendrils of shadow. Alex drew his sword, his silver aura flaring, striking with brutal precision.

Elara’s hands burned with arcane fire, launching blazing torrents into the creature’s writhing form.

Greg, meanwhile, ran in the opposite direction.

"NOPE! NOPE! I AM NOT BUILT FOR ELDRITCH ABOMINATIONS!"

The Horror let out a deafening screech, the force of it shattering the cathedral windows. Darkness surged outward, swallowing the walls, the ceiling—the entire world.

And then—

Mallory felt it.

The blade pulsed.

The knowledge filled her mind.

This was why she had been chosen.

This was what the Blade of Heroes was meant for.

Not just to seal the creature. freёnovelkiss.com

To end it.

Mallory’s eyes burned with golden light.

She charged.

And the battle for the First Horror truly began.

The First Horror lunged.

Its formless mass twisted and expanded, jagged limbs forming and dissolving as it surged toward them with impossible speed.

Mallory reacted on instinct.

Her blade ignited with brilliant golden light, and she slashed downward, sending a searing arc through the darkness. The energy cut through the creature’s mass, splitting it apart—

Only for the void to stitch itself back together.

Mallory’s heart pounded.

It’s not dying.

The Horror screeched, its shadowy tendrils lashing out in all directions.

"Move!" Alex shouted.

Quinn flipped backward as a tendril nearly impaled him. Elara spun, summoning a barrier of arcane fire that burned through the nearest appendage. Greg yelped as he barely ducked another attack, scrambling behind a toppled column.

The cathedral was collapsing around them.

The golden lanterns lining the walls had gone dark, and cracks splintered across the marble floor. Shards of stone rained down as the structure groaned under the force of their battle.

And in the center of it all—

The Oracle remained standing.

Watching.

Waiting.

Mallory clenched her teeth.

No more waiting.

She gripped the Blade of Heroes, and this time, she let the weapon guide her.

The runes on its hilt flared, and suddenly—

She understood.

This sword wasn’t just a tool.

It was a memory.

A fragment of every hero who had wielded it before her.

She could feel their presence—countless warriors, standing behind her, lending their strength.

The golden light around her intensified, and for the first time—

The Horror flinched.

Mallory took her chance.

She charged.

A Battle of Wills

The Horror lashed out, but this time—she was faster.

She ducked beneath a massive claw, pivoted, and slashed upward—pure golden energy cutting through the void. The creature reeled back, its shriek shaking the ruins.

Alex was at her side in an instant. "Whatever you just did—do it again."

Quinn landed beside them, wiping sweat from his brow. "I don’t know what’s crazier, the fact that we’re fighting a nightmare from the dawn of time or the fact that Mallory is actually winning."

Elara’s eyes flickered with determination. "Then let’s finish this."

She raised both hands, and the air trembled.

A vortex of blue fire ignited around her palms, swirling, growing—

Then she unleashed it.

A massive torrent of enchanted flames surged forward, colliding with the Horror’s shifting form. The creature howled, its darkness burning away beneath the onslaught.

But even as the fire consumed it, Mallory could see—

It was reforming.

The Horror couldn’t be destroyed like this.

Not yet.

The Oracle’s voice echoed through the crumbling cathedral.

"You cannot kill what has no form."

Mallory’s breath caught.

Then... how?

The answer came from the blade itself.

The golden runes pulsed against her palm, filling her mind with a single truth—

Seal it.

Mallory’s eyes widened.

This was never about defeating the Horror.

It was about binding it—permanently.

She whirled to the others. "We have to force it into a single shape! It can’t be destroyed while it keeps shifting!"

Alex nodded. "Then we hit it with everything we’ve got."

Greg peeked over the fallen column. "Okay, but, uh... what do I do?"

Elara smirked. "You’ve got barriers, don’t you?"

Greg groaned. "Oh, I hate this."

But he raised his staff, and a shimmering field of silver energy spread around them—trapping the Horror within.

It had nowhere to run.

Binding the First Horror

The creature thrashed against the barriers, but Greg held firm, sweat dripping from his forehead.

Quinn darted forward, slashing at its tendrils, forcing it to compress. Elara’s magic surged, fire and wind entwining, crushing the creature inward.

Mallory lifted the Blade of Heroes, its light now blazing like a miniature sun.

The Horror let out a final, deafening wail—

And then, for the first time, it took shape.

A monstrous blackened figure, its body solid, its limbs now fixed.

And Mallory struck.

The blade plunged into its chest, golden energy erupting outward. The runes along its hilt flared—

And the Horror began to unravel.

Its limbs shattered into particles of darkness. Its massive body collapsed inward, swirling, twisting—

Then—

Silence.

The darkness was gone.

All that remained was the Blade of Heroes, now dim and silent.

Mallory fell to her knees, panting.

It was over.

The Oracle’s Warning

The Oracle approached, their silver mask gleaming in the dim light.

"You have succeeded," they said. "But the blade has not yet fulfilled its purpose."

Mallory’s exhaustion vanished in an instant. "What do you mean?"

The Oracle gestured toward the ruins beyond. "This city was only the first prison. There are others."

A cold weight settled in her chest.

"The First Horror was merely a fragment," the Oracle continued. "The true nightmare still stirs beneath the world."

Greg groaned. "You mean there’s more of them?"

The Oracle nodded. "And unless they are sealed... they will awaken."

Mallory clenched her fists.

They had won today.

But this battle... was far from over.

A New Path Forward

The ruins were quiet as the party stepped outside.

The sky was still dark, but the weight in the air had lifted. The unnatural silence was gone, replaced by the distant sound of wind rushing through the broken towers.

Mallory looked at her sword, now humming softly in her grip.

The power had changed.

She could feel it now—a connection to something far greater.

This was no longer just her fight.

It was the fight of every hero before her—

And every hero yet to come.

She turned to her friends, determination burning in her eyes.

"We’re not done."

Alex smirked. "Didn’t think we were."

Quinn sighed. "We just finished nearly dying, and now we’re talking about round two?"

Greg groaned. "You people are insane."

Elara smiled. "But you’re coming with us."

He threw up his hands. "Unfortunately, yes."

Mallory looked back at the ruined city one last time.

A storm was coming.

And this time, she would be ready.

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