Fallen Realm Online: Rise of The Fallen Monarch

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"Is it just me…" Xylen suddenly muttered, his gaze still locked onto the ferocious battle unfolding before him.

He hesitated momentarily as though trying to make sense of the chaos before continuing, his voice laced with suspicion. "Or does it seem like those two gone completely… berserk?

Beside him, Lilith, who was still deathly pale from the previous near-death encounter furrowed her brows.

She hesitated for a moment, as though wary of confirming the truth before finally nodding her head. "I feel the same way, my Lord."

"Hmmm." Xylen acknowledged her response with a slow nod, though his mind remained sharp, refusing to sink into deep contemplation again—lest another disaster which might be worse than the previous time befall them.

….

Ever since the Mossling had viciously yanked the Springfox back into the battlefield earlier, everything had shifted this way.

If before, the two had fought with murderous intent, right now it was something far worse. Something that was no longer a battle between two leaders of their territories—it was now a death pact. A savage, unrestrained brawl where neither side cared for its own survival, as though locked in a race against an unseen doom.

Boom!

A dead, thorn-ridden branch suddenly shot through the air from nowhere and impaled the Springfox's chest.

With the Springfox's incredible agility, it should have evaded the attack—no, it could have dodged it.

Yet, for some unexplainable reason, it took the hit head-on, blood instantly gushing from its already mangled body as it continued its feral charge.

Then, just as it closed in on the Mossling, its form twisted, its body suddenly dissolving into shadowy wisps that flickered and danced with unnatural movement.

And in the next instant—

SKRIIIIIITCH!

An abrupt bone-chilling, agonized wail erupted from the Mossling.

Then right before Xylen and Lilith's eyes widened in shock, they watched the tree-like creature begin to bleed profusely—its blood not trickling but gushing out in torrents of thick, greenish fluid.

It wasn't that the Springfox's attack was particularly deep—no, something far more sinister was at play.

Unrelenting, unstoppable blood loss.

For a moment, Xylen was stunned, but then his heart skipped a beat as realization hit him like a sledgehammer.

Tornveil!

The very same skill he had seen in the Springfox's stat panel a moment ago.

An insidious curse that would inflict ceaseless bleeding that would be impossible to stop without powerful intervention.

Recalling this, Xylen swallowed hard, suddenly imagining himself and Lilith being attacked with this earlier.

Just then, an abrupt dark grin twisted across his face.

'This is perfect!' He thought, his pulse suddenly pounding with exhilaration.

He did not care what had triggered the beasts' frenzied bloodlust within the split moment earlier.

All that mattered was that they were tearing each other apart, piece by bloody piece, and as long as they destroyed each other… maybe even to the point of death, it was a victory for him.

That was what Xylen was busily grinning about when suddenly;

The Springfox, which had been charging in for another attack, suddenly froze mid-movement. In the following second, a flicker of alarm flashed across its glowing emerald eyes.

Then, as if realizing an invisible danger, it spun around, attempting to flee. But it was already too late.

Without warning, the Mossling's body convulsed violently before raining out a cloud of thick, crimson spores.

In the next second, the air became choked with the suffocating red mist, spreading like a hell fog.

In the next heartbeat…

"WRAAAAGGHHHHH!"

The Springfox's agonized scream ripped through the air, echoing across the forest with raw, spine-chilling intensity.

It was so deafening that both Xylen and Lilith instantly winced, their eardrums ringing as the piercing shriek reverberated through their skulls.

Immediately following this, a sight unfolded before them that sent pure, unfiltered adrenaline surging through their veins.

The Springfox's previous battered and injured body began to sizzle and melt.

That's right.

Its skin bubbled and peeled, sloughing off in sickening, pulpy chunks under the influence of the deadly red mist, revealing raw muscle and sinew beneath.

Then it staggered out of the mist, its body barely holding together, its earlier pride and ferocity replaced with pitiful, broken whimpers.

Gone was its terrifying aura when facing Xylen and Lilith. Gone was its mocking dominance.

But… it wasn't the only one suffering.

The Mossling, despite still standing amidst the carnage convulsed uncontrollably.

Its once-powerful body shook with spasms as thick green blood continued to pour from every gash and wound… particularly from the recent one caused by the Springfox.

Both creatures were…

Dying.

….

"I… I think this is our chance," Xylen suddenly whispered, his voice trembling with barely-contained excitement, his gaze never wavering from the two dying beasts.

"Huh?"

Lilith turned to him, her eyes blinking with confusion before a spark of realization lit up her face.

She hesitated for a second before asking, her voice hopeful, "Are you saying… we can escape now?"

"No."

Xylen responded without hesitation, his answer shattering Lilith's expectations.

She stared at him in stunned disbelief for a moment before finally:

"But… but they're both on death's door now! This is our best chance to get away before they have our time again!"

"You're not wrong," Xylen admitted, his eyes still completely and unflinchingly locked on the battlefield. "But…"

He suddenly paused, his lips curling into a cunning smirk. "Wouldn't it be a colossal waste to run away now?"

"This…" Lilith's voice faltered, utterly perplexed by Xylen's words.

Not waiting for her to ask, however, Xylen's gaze sharpened as he continued, his tone resolute.

"We've already faced the worst of I… standing at the edge of death earlier, yet we're still standing. Are we really going to run away now when victory is finally within our grasp?"

"This…" Lilith's mouth opened again, but no words came out.

She had already understood what her master was trying to say, but…

"No!"

She suddenly shook her head frantically.

"No can do." She repeated, shaking her head even more.

"No can do." She repeated, shaking her head even more.

"Huh?"

Xylen's mouth opened, suddenly feeling exasperated.

'What sort of NPC is this that does not ever listen to reason?' he wondered helplessly before suddenly, his eyes turned cold.

"Whether you agree or not," he began, his voice turning steely. "I've made up my mind."

"This…"

Lilith was dumbstruck, but before she could react, she saw Xylen gritting his teeth and forcing himself upright, his muscles screaming in pain.

He then grabbed his sword, its blade gleaming with anticipation.

"You can leave if you want. But first," his gaze flickered to her bag. "I saw some healing potions earlier. Hand me some."

"This…"

Lilith's heart sank. She looked at him, her master, standing firm despite his battered body, his decision already made.

Although the two monsters were indeed on the brink of death, but… they were still terrifying creatures at the end of the day, and one wrong move… just one casual move from either of the two creatures, she and her boss would be torn apart with no body to be hurried.

Her instincts screamed danger… yelling at her to flee, to escape before it was too late. But…

Could she leave her master behind?

Would she leave him to die?

The answer is obvious.

"…Okay, my Lord."

With a resigned sigh, she uttered and then dug into her bag, pulling out several vials.

Handing Xylen more than half of the potions, she watched him gulp them down before drinking some herself.

"The potions will kick in soon," she muttered, bandaging some of Xylen's wounds with trembling hands.

"Okay."

Xylen, who already knew this information merely nodded his head, his gaze fixed on the battlefield, his eyes blazing with fierce determination.

His heart thundered in his chest, powerful adrenaline coursing through his veins. This was it.

Everything would be decided in the next few moments.

Victory… or death.

It was a 50 – 50 chance and there would be no in-between.