Chapter 402: - Ivana’s Level Continued to Drop


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    Between Elowen and Gremory, two bright white streams of energy connected them, pulsing intensely as both of them screamed in agony.


    "What''s happening?" Broken and the others rushed forward, trying to figure out what was going on. They reached out to touch the glowing energy, but their hands were forcefully repelled.


    "What''s happening here?" Broken looked at Elowen, seeing her in obvious pain.


    Marlene, struggling to make sense of the situation, spoke up. "It looks like she''s performing some kind of ritual... one that''s draining both their lives."


    "What?" Broken''s eyes widened in shock as he frantically searched for a way to stop the ritual. He swung his greatsword at Gremory, hoping to sever the connection, but Elowen''s screams only grew louder as a result.


    Ivana, standing near Elowen, began channeling something, trying to intervene.


    "Her soul is fading fast-if this keeps up, she''ll die too," Ivana warned, her voice tense.


    "No way!" Broken thought, desperation creeping in as he realized Elowen''s life was slipping away along with Gremory''s.


    "But why did she show up just now?" Broken asked, still confused.


    Marlene stepped in to exin. "Everyone outside is overwhelmed, Broken. Some have died. They''ve been retreating, trying to save fallenrades. Even now, the monster waves are stilling."


    "The monster waves are still going?" Broken asked, stunned.


    "Yes. Even though many leveled up, almost everyone died at least once. So they haven''t gained much in the end."


    "And Elowen... she managed to sneak into this ce?" Broken turned back to Elowen, unsure how long the ritual couldst.


    Desperately, he moved closer and cast his Healing skill over her, but it had no effect.


    "Broken..." Ivana''s voice trembled. "This elf is sacrificing herself to die along with the demon. She''s slowly losing her Core."


    Broken quickly checked Elowen''s status, and his heart sank. Her stats had dropped dramatically, almost cut in half. She was fading, and fast.


    But on the bright side, this was proof they were going to win, right? Though it came at the cost of someone sacrificing their life for the victory.


    Broken nced at the Demon Egg, which was still relentlessly absorbing the blood scattered across the floor and room, even drawing the blood from Gremory''s own body. He checked its progress-95%.


    "Isn''t that a bit slow?" he thought, frowning. Considering how much blood it had already absorbed, the hatching seemed to be dragging on longer than expected. Something didn''t feel right.


    [The Fetus has entered the final phase before hatching. It is now constructing the abilities it will wield upon birth.]


    [The Fetus has gained High Affinity with the Advanced Shadow Element.]


    [The Fetus has gained High Affinity with the Advanced Blood Element.]


    [The Fetus has gained High Affinity with Advanced Combination of Shadow and Blood, Vermillion Dusk Element.]


    [Vermillion Dusk: A haunting fusion where the red of blood meets the creeping shadows of dusk. The user can manipte shadowy blood to create deadly tendrils, drain life from enemies, or vanish into the dark like flowing crimson mist.]


    Suddenly, shadowy tendrils began to emerge from the egg, resembling the tentacles of an octopus. The egg dropped to the ground, awkwardly moving on its eight shadowy limbs as if learning how to walk for the first time, stumbling left and right.


    "Tell me that the egg is going to do something to help us, Broken?" Marlene asked.


    "It said it just unlocked a new advancedbined element," Broken replied.


    "I think that''s good news."


    "Broken..." Ivana called out, still by Elowen''s side as she screamed in pain. "We need to do something... we can''t let this keep happening."


    Broken swallowed hard, his mind racing. Damn, what can I even do right now?


    "Let''s try to cut the connection between them and cancel the ritual," he suggested, desperation creeping into his voice.


    "Broken!" Marlene called, pointing toward the egg. He turned to look.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The egg, which had been struggling to move before, now steadied itself after a few shaky steps. Slowly, it began moving toward Gremory. It paused, as if it were surveying the chaotic scene around it, taking everything in.


    More shadowy tendrils surged from the egg, this time in overwhelming numbers, wrapping around it until the mass of shadows morphed into the shape of a massive cat-like head, with twisted horns made from pure shadow curling upward.


    "This egg is far more terrifying than I imagined," Marlene muttered.


    "What is it about to do?" Charmelyn asked.


    "Maybe... swallow the demon bitch?"


    The shadowy cat head expanded rapidly, its dark form growing at an rming pace. Before anyone could react, it lunged forward, engulfing Gremory''s entire body in a swift, horrifying


    gulp.


    The room fell into stunned silence as the realization set in-yes, the egg had done exactly what Marlene had guessed.


    The room fell silent as the shadowy figure consumed the demon whole. The connection between Gremory and Elowen snapped instantly, causing Elowen to copse to the ground, her body trembling from the sudden release.


    The Egg then made a grotesque chewing motion, as if savoring its prey, before pausing. A soft, rumbling burp escaped from the shadowy form, followed by an odd choking sound. Suddenly, it spat out several items onto the ground—a ring, a dagger, a crown, and other bizarre objects ttered across the floor.


    Simultaneously, a series of notifications flooded Broken''s vision, one after another.


    And, yes!


    They hadpleted the trial.


    Gremory was dead, just like that.


    The demon eggy still on the floor, its progress now at 97%. Without wasting a moment, Broken quickly stored the egg back into his inventory. Skipping past the barrage of notifications, he sprinted over to where Eloweny, her head resting in Ivana''sp. He knelt down beside the elf, concern etched across his face.


    Marlene and Charmelyn approached as well, silently watching over the weakened elf.


    Broken checked Elowen''s status, and what he saw confirmed his worst fears-her stats had plummeted to less than half of what they once were. Desperate, he reached for her hand,


    hoping to help in any way he could.


    [Healing Touch (Active Skill) Lv. 4]


    He activated the skill, but despite the gentle glow of healing magic, nothing changed. The magic seemed ineffective, barely touching the deep damage done to Elowen''s soul.


    "That can''t heal the elf, I''m afraid," Marlenemented quietly.


    "What''s going to happen to her?" Broken asked.


    "Most likely, she''s already sacrificed her soul. It''s just a matter of time before she loses her


    lifepletely," Marlene replied.


    Broken suddenly I heard soft sobbing. He looked up and realized it wasing from Ivana.


    "She sacrificed herself for us," Ivana said, her face filled with regret.


    Broken still held the elf''s hand gently. "Let''s bring her out of here. Maybe there''s still


    something we can do."


    Without a word, Ivana ced her hand on Elowen''s chest. Broken watched, unsure of what she


    was trying to do. A soft, white energy began to radiate from Ivana''s palm, flowing into


    Elowen''s chest.


    "Ivana, what are you doing?" he asked, confused.


    As he held Elowen''s hand, he suddenly felt her fingers twitch. His heart skipped a beat.


    Wait, is she recovering?


    Broken turned to Ivana, quickly checking her stats, and what he saw shocked him. Ivana''s total stats were dropping, and her level was rapidly decreasing.


    "Ivana! What are you doing?!" Broken shouted, but she didn''t respond, her focus entirely on


    Elowen.


    "She''s sharing her soul with the elf?" Marlene murmured. "Don''t waste your soul on a stranger," she added with a sigh, clearly concerned.


    Ivana''s level continued to drop-minus 11 levels now. 206, 205, 204...


    "Ivana!" Broken wanted to stop her, but he hesitated. He knew this was her own choice, her


    own will. But if her levels kept falling, and nothing changed for Elowen, wouldn''t it be a


    terrible waste?


    It seemed that Ivana''s sacrifice was indeed helping to restore Elowen, as her health and vitality were improving rapidly. However, whether this method would fully save the elf remained uncertain. There was a risk that Ivana''s continued loss of levels and stats might not be enough topletely revive Elowen or might even lead to unintended consequences.


    If Elowen''s core was too damaged or her soul too fractured, Ivana''s efforts could be in vain, leaving both of them gravely weakened.


    It was a race against time, and the oue was still hanging in the bnce.