Red, even at the horizon, was filled with endless scarlet mist.
William felt his body falling. He tried to flap his wings to maintain balance, but turning his head, he realized he'd lost the ability to transform into an Armanigus—so, instead of trying further, he began to contemplate his current situation—there hadn't been any sensation of spatial transportation just now, so this was... a virtual realm.
It only took William a moment to understand his situation, so...
He lowered his head, looking at the deep crimson chains piercing through his limbs and bone marrow. There was no pain as he moved his arms, the chains stirring the mist, revealing the solid black ground below. William gave a strong pull and dragged himself from mid-air back to the ground, finally feeling like he had both feet on solid ground.
But at this moment, a greater crisis came from all directions—the thick crimson mist began to churn, gradually forming one twisted shape after another.
Goblins, trolls, wizards, werewolves, Ashwinder followers... all the enemies he had battled, who died by his hand, emerged as if crawling out of the deepest nightmares, their forms visible in the crimson. They seemed composed of pure energy, with eyes burning with hateful flames and throats emitting soul-piercing howls.
Endless enemies, like a tide of corpses, marched stiffly from all directions, flooding toward the center where William stood.
"Welcome to the prison I've prepared just for you, William Richard."
Isadora's voice came from above, and William looked up to see the woman's figure suspended beneath the crimson sky, her form almost blending into the background, only those grey eyes looking down at him, full of mocking satisfaction at her plan's fruition.
"Here, gathered are all the grievances and unwillingness born from the fates prematurely ended because of you."
She continued, her voice echoing through the space, "Of course, they can't kill you—after all, they are merely collections of resentment, but believe me, their numbers are endless..."
As she spoke, the first wave of 'zombies' lunged toward William. Instinctively, he swung his fist, the silver light-clad fist easily shattering a goblin's skull. The red mist exploded but then quickly reformed at a distance, another troll's fist smashed down, and William dodged to the side, slicing its abdomen in a backhand motion, but again, it only briefly dissipated.
"Do you see?"
Isadora's voice whispered like it was right by his ear, "Defeating them is meaningless; these guys will relentlessly resurrect and converge, with no food, no rest, no end... until your spirit is tormented to numbness, collapses, and ultimately becomes forever lost in this eternal cage custom-made for you—"
As she spoke, her lips curled into a smirk, "How is it, do you like it?"
"Not bad, but could you switch these things' models to Hatsune Miku? Would be more pleasing to the eye that way."
More zombies surged forward, and William attempted to fly. This time, the Thunderbird's wings finally unfolded behind him, silver electric light tearing through the scarlet mist, but simultaneously, creatures formed by the scarlet mist appeared in the air—a twisted Hippogriff, a Thunderbird pieced together from skeletons, even some dragon apparitions, screeching as they lunged.
William swung his arms, clearing a brief space around him, his gaze locking onto Isadora high above—
He beat his wings mightily, becoming a reverse meteor, shooting straight towards the sky.
Yet, facing William's assault, Isadora merely watched quietly, not even making a defensive or evasive move, just as William's hand was about to touch her body.
The woman's figure shattered like a reflection on water, silently dispersing into the mist.
Only her final words lingered like sticky webs around William's ears—
"Be patient, Richard... I await you at the end of time."
The next second, more 'zombies' pursued from below and all around, roaring to completely drown William, piercing silver light exploding and flickering within the red mist like a lighthouse struggling in a storm, but quickly swallowed entirely by the endless waves.
...
...
The sound of the wind howled, mingled with the crackling of distant trees burning.
Victor Rookwood, with difficulty, reformed himself, the black mist slowly flowing on his body.
The man gasped for nonexistent 'breath,' looking at the silent figure standing not far away—
William's eyes were tightly closed, his brows slightly furrowed, as if immersed in a nightmare, motionless, the charm in his hand had dropped to the ground, the Thunderbird's wings behind him retracting into his body, only a faint silver-white arc flickering occasionally at his fingertips.
Then, Victor's gaze moved beside William—
Isadora Morgana's figure floated there, but now, compared to when she first appeared, she looked much more... ethereal, her whole being somewhat transparent, like a poorly made ghost, even the wound on her chest dimming to near invisibility.
"Did it... did it succeed?"
Victor's voice was hoarse, laced with uncertainty and hope.
Isadora slowly nodded, "Perhaps, it half-succeeded." Her voice was airy, lacking substance.
"Half?"
Victor was puzzled, instinctively stepping a bit closer, reaching out as if to confirm if this enemy was truly subdued.
"Don't touch him."
The woman immediately voiced the warning, "If I were you, I absolutely wouldn't touch him."
Victor's hand paused in mid-air, then awkwardly retracted.
Just then—
"Roar!"
An angry dragon roar came from the side; Norbert seemed dumbfounded by William's stillness, giving a bone dragon an opportunity. It seized the chance, blasting Norbert's abdomen with a concentrated dark red breath, shattering dragon scales, splitting skin, and sending the massive body rolling backward, raising dust to the sky.
The bone dragon, however, didn't pursue but quickly shrank, the dark red mist gathering, transforming back into a goblin form, clad in dark red armor as the goblin landed beside Victor and Isadora. It appeared to be in much better condition than the other two, only the flames in its eye sockets slightly dim, but looking still human... no, goblin-like.
"Is it... solved?"
Lanlock looked at the immobilized William, his voice carrying weariness and a hint of pleasure.
"We've successfully trapped him, but it's just shy of truly solving it..."
Isadora nodded again, concisely explaining.
Lanlock breathed a sigh, the flames in his eye sockets flickering slightly, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic battlefield below the hill. His intentions were now clear, since the 'enemy leader' was already 'subdued,' the next step is clean-up...
"Wait a minute, what about those werewolves and stone men?"