Fire Mage-Chapter 652: Devouring

Chapter 652: Devouring

"Taboo magic?" Phoebe sneered. "Hmph. The original me was far worse than anything in your dreams."

He raised his hand again. "Dreamcatcher Snare!"

A wave of dream-essence shot toward Elre, aiming to drain his life force.

But Esim intervened, stepping in front of Elre and casting a hidden spell. A light pulsed from the depths of his chest and formed a faint hexagonal structure around him.

"Elre, I’ll take it from here," he said, summoning a shadowy staff out of thin air.

He touched Elre’s hand and cast another spell. Then he raised his staff and released dense shadow energy into the air.

"Web of Shadows... to trap me?" Phoebe muttered. Then, without hesitation, he cast Nightmare Cry.

A horrifying divine sound tore through the air, erasing all the shadow essence.

Esim staggered slightly at the intensity of the spell. "That’s... Demi-God level energy? No, not quite there yet."

"Elre," he said, his voice grim, "take care of the others."

Without waiting, he invoked [Shadow Walk] and vanished.

He reappeared behind Phoebe an instant later, raised his staff high, and muttered the final incantation.

"Dark Eclipse Domain."

Esim’s form dissolved into pure shadow, engulfing the surroundings.

Suddenly, everything darkened. Phoebe’s senses—sight, touch, sound, even thought—were cut off. A creeping dread washed over him.

He’s sacrificing his life force to maintain this domain? No... this shadow energy—it’s absorbing my wisdom power! What spell is this?!

With each passing second, he felt himself being drained. Something vital slipped away.

Then—slashes. Over and over, Esim struck with precision, draining his wisdom essence.

He’s trying to kill me.

Panic flared.

Phoebe’s third eye flew open—a pitch-black orb on his forehead, radiating an eerie, unnatural energy.

At the same time, a strange black bead on his bracelet shimmered faintly. It resonated with the third eye, feeding it energy.

Within seconds, the eye unleashed an overwhelming suction force.

It devoured everything—Esim’s shadows, the domain itself. Darkness vanished.

Then—Esim’s consciousness disappeared, consumed by the third eye.

Phoebe stood free, gasping. But then a stabbing pain erupted in his skull. He clutched his forehead, disoriented.

And the suction didn’t stop.

It intensified.

Nearby nightmare creatures were pulled toward him—no, toward the eye—as if magnetized.

The eye expanded, swelling across his forehead. It consumed everything—rocks, sand, even the very air.

Phoebe screamed in agony as his body twisted unnaturally.

"W-What in the world is this?!" Elre’s voice cracked. Terrified, he turned and fled.

Phoebe tried to regain control of the eye—but it was useless.

"SOMEONE! HELP ME!"

Suddenly, time slowed—then stopped.

But thanks to the eye, Phoebe retained a flicker of consciousness.

W...h...a...t... i...s... h...a...p—

A familiar figure appeared before him. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

The boy from the Throne Hall?

No. The figure began to shift—his body igniting, turning into pure reddish flame.

E...l...e...m...e...n...t...a...l?

"I’ve seen enough," Charles said telepathically.

He unsheathed his sword, raised it calmly, and slashed Phoebe’s neck.

The Divine King’s head fell.

But the third eye still writhed—trying to devour Charles.

Hmph. That suction isn’t strong enough to pull me in.

He raised his sword again.

As the blade neared the eye, a blackish-red aura enveloped Charles. Madness essence surged from Grace into the blade’s edge.

With one clean stroke, the sword sliced through the eye like paper—severing its connection to the black bead.

"Good," Charles muttered.

He raised the blade again and sliced off Phoebe’s left hand. As bluish-green blood floated mid-air, he extended his hand and took the bracelet.

"Genesis, cancel the time-stop spell," he ordered, backing away slightly.

A ripple spread from his body—time resumed.

Phoebe’s severed head glowed. With a surge of divine energy, it reattached.

But his body had changed—thinner, wrinkled. Aged.

My wisdom power... it’s gone.

His Rank had fallen to the Pseudo-Legendary Realm. He could still cast one Legendary spell, but it would risk his existence entirely.

"Stop daydreaming and answer my questions," Charles said sharply.

Phoebe blinked, stunned. He looked up at the flame elemental before him.

"W-Who are you?"

"You don’t get to ask questions." Charles dispelled the flame form and returned to the form of young Karr. "Why did you say no one can leave this dimension?"

Silence. Then Phoebe’s eyes shifted.

"It’s not that I stop them. Anyone who leaves this dimension... loses their mind. They become savage beasts. They forget who they are and attack everything. Eventually... they eat the corpses. They become Corpse Devourers."

So the Corpse Devourers were once Celestial Guards... or test subjects. Charles narrowed his gaze and looked at the bracelet.

Then... who is he really? The Will of the Fallen Dream God Phoebe? Or a puppet of this artifact?

"What’s the real reason you can’t leave this place?"

Phoebe hesitated, then answered with a quivering voice.

"B-Because we’re not Karr beings anymore. We might think we are... but we’re just clones. Created from corpses."

So he is behind the Corpse Devourers.

Charles nodded slowly, eyes fixed on him.

"But why did you create them?" Charles demanded. "Why make this whole city into a paradise? Why does everyone trust each other so blindly, like wickedness never existed here? Is it connected to the Bracelet on my hand?"

A flicker of surprise passed across the Divine King’s face.

"Before I answer," Phoebe said slowly, his voice trembling with a trace of desperation, "may I ask you something in return? What is your purpose here? Are you... a Karr Being? If you already know about the Bracelet—can you break the seal and release me?"

He wants to leave? Charles narrowed his eyes. So, he isn’t the one who created this city’s unnatural harmony. Then who... or what did?

His gaze dropped to the Bracelet glowing faintly on his wrist.

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"I’m neither a Karr Being," he said, lifting his left hand to his face, "nor a Corpse Devourer."

Before Phoebe could react, Charles’s form began to shift. His height shrank, his third eye slowly faded into nothingness, and his features transformed—becoming more human with every second.

Phoebe stared in stunned silence as the stranger before him morphed into a man—an ordinary human by appearance, yet veiled in something far more profound.

"I’m a Human," Charles said at last, his voice calm, steady, and unshakably clear. "From a High Plane called Edhen."

The silence that followed was thick and heavy, almost reverent.

Charles met Phoebe’s eyes once more. "Now, answer me. Why did you create this city? And who are you really? Just a puppet left behind—or a separate consciousness of the Dream God, Phoebe?"

"Yes," the Divine King confirmed. "But I didn’t create this dimension—my original self did. It’s a powerful dimensional seal meant to contain the Bracelet. The Nightmare Creatures appearing in the outside world... that’s the Bracelet’s doing. It draws in evil emotions from all living beings."

"So Dream God Phoebe made this dimension to seal the Bracelet," Charles said slowly, his gaze sharpening. "And he made you the guardian?"

The Divine King gave a solemn nod. "He foresaw his own death. So he hid the Bracelet, severed all traces, and even split a portion of his divine power to create me. But he didn’t trust even his own mind—he bound me to the dimensional seal itself. I’ve never left this place... not even once." He let out a bitter breath. "But he never anticipated that his entire Divine Kingdom would be absorbed into a Dungeon and turned into a hunting ground for explorers from distant worlds."

Charles’s eyes narrowed. "Then why did you create the Corpse Devourers?"

A tired smile tugged at the edges of the king’s lips.

"Loneliness," he admitted. "After centuries trapped here, I grew weary of the silence. So, I used the artifact to create a race resembling the Karr beings. I forged soul puppets, stitched together from memories, each reliving its past through dream recall. In time, I recreated my home city. But the Corpse Devourers are flawed. If they stay outside this dimension for more than two days, they lose themselves—go mad. They devour everything, absorbing souls and forming twisted, evolving personalities."

’So the Inner World of Purple Dimension... He built their souls using it as a base,’ Charles mused, eyes glinting with realization.

"How do I leave this dimension? And can I take this Bracelet with me?"

"The teleportation circle inside the Palace will take you out," the Divine King replied. "And yes, you can carry the Bracelet. But be warned—exposure to others’ negative emotions will affect more than just the user. It changes the people around too. Even my original self fell victim to its influence in the end. And that... that’s just one of its abilities." His voice trembled as he added, "Can you save me?"

Charles’s expression remained unmoved. A third eye slowly opened on his forehead, burning with chaotic fire.

"I’m afraid not."

Before the Divine King could react, a searing beam of fire pierced through his forehead. His body convulsed once, then collapsed into ash—his existence erased in seconds.

Charles brushed the dust from his shoulder and turned his gaze to the ancient city.

"My goal has been achieved. Time to leave."

He activated the [Veils of Shadows] spell, muttered a short incantation, and vanished in a burst of flames, reappearing in the Royal Palace’s Throne Hall.

A dense crowd had gathered outside. Powerhouses from various clans listened intently to Elre’s account in the House of Poetry.

Charles glanced at the Bracelet.

"Hmm. What happens if I leave with this?" he muttered, scanning the palace with his wisdom power. His gaze locked onto an underground chamber beneath the Throne Hall.

"This whole dimension is woven from dream energy. They might not vanish instantly... The Corpse Devourers probably go mad because the Bracelet’s connection to them breaks when they leave. If I sever it manually, they’ll die."

He found the hidden door behind the throne, slipped through it, and descended into a dimly lit hall filled with stone statues. At the center stood a black stone wall, oddly familiar.