Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 2657: Him again

The dark elf in front of him appeared haggard and worn—his clothes were torn, his face pale, and his crimson eyes bloodshot. It looked like he had crawled through hell and barely made it out. But there was no mistaking it.

"Talaro..." Emery whispered, fists tightening.

The very same Khaos champion he had narrowly escaped in the Eternal Void nearly a year ago. To meet him again—here, in the belly of the Leviathan—was beyond improbable. Unless, of course... it wasn’t a coincidence at all.

"He must be the one luring me here... the voice," Emery muttered under his breath, tense and prepared for any sudden movement from the ruthless dark elf.

Talaro looked just as stunned to see Emery, though his reaction carried an eerie, manic joy. A crooked grin split across his face as a chuckle bubbled from his throat. "Heh... hahaha... You look a little different... but it’s you. It’s really you. I’m not imagining things... Good. This is perfect!"

There was no warm reunion. No further exchange. Talaro’s laughter died in his throat, and without another word, he began to raise his arms, flared with Khaos energy as he prepared to strike.

Though he was clearly battered, Talaro still radiated danger. A Three-Cosmos Grand Magus, corrupted and empowered by Khaos—it would be a mistake to underestimate him.

The dark Emery immediately summoned his inner strength. The primal force of Khaos surged in his veins, responding to his will.

[Primal Transformation][20% Integration]

Along with his monstrous physical transformation, a wave of dark energy burst from his frame. His eyes glowed, and his limbs pulsed with raw power, veined with shadowy tendrils.

"I won’t let you escape again!" Talaro roared as he lunged forward like a madman.

In one hand, the dark conjured a bone saber—jagged and laced with a soul-freezing aura. With the other, he launched a twisted incantation. Runes spiraled in the air, and in an instant, a spatial prison snapped shut around Emery like an iron cage of void.

The saber came down like death incarnate, its chilling aura freezing the air. But Emery, with a primal roar, unleashed his claws. A shadow in the shape of Cthulhu shimmered behind him as he intercepted the blade.

BAAMMM!!

The clash of energies exploded in a thunderous shockwave. Sparks and tendrils of corrupted mana screamed through the air as bone met claw. Emery gritted his teeth as he was thrown back, his boots skidding across the grass. A dozen steps, but he held firm.

Talaro staggered a half-step back, eyes wide, surprise flickering in their crimson depths. "You’ve improved... so fast..." he muttered. His fingers clenched the hilt of his bone saber harder. "I really can’t let you live and grow any further."

Without warning, he lunged forward again.

Emery gritted his teeth, barely having half a second to dispel the lingering frost that clung to his Khaos-charged claws. His body tensed, and with a sharp breath, he twisted space around him [spatial bending] just in time to evade the saber’s path.

Despite restraint from using the power of cosmos, Emery’s recent breakthrough to the Grand Magus realm had greatly enhanced both his body and his spatial magic—enough to keep up... barely.

The second strike came from above—he spun and shifted aside.

But the third... there was no room left to evade.

Emery raised both arms to block, and the impact sent a wave of chilling energy crashing through him. He staggered back, blood spattered from his mouth. His arms trembled from the force of the blow.

"Now... submit!" Talaro’s voice boomed, a demand backed by lethal intent.

Emery groaned, feeling the strain on his clone body. He wouldn’t last much longer at this rate.

Raising both hands, he spoke quickly, "Wait!...We’re both trapped in this cursed place. We should not fight... Let’s find a way out together."

It was all a ploy. Emery wasn’t expecting mercy—he needed time. He could already sense his other self approaching through their bond.

Talaro frowned, sensing something, and turned his gaze toward the nearing energy signature.

"Who... is it?" Talaro muttered, curiosity flickering in his voice—only to twist into disappointment the moment he saw the figure burst out from the earth. R𝘈ɴ𝘖ʙЁŠ

It was the other Emery, emerging while carrying the charred and broken form of Galalel. The Ember Sage was in a dreadful state—his entire lower body was missing, his skin blackened with creeping veins of violet, a clear sign of deadly poison.

The light Emery glanced at Talaro, visibly surprised to see him there. But without a word, he quickly returned his focus, kneeling to place a healing pill between Galalel’s clenched teeth.

Talaro chuckled, watching the scene unfold with amusement."...So, which one of you is the clone?" he asked, voice sharp with intrigue. "This annoying technique of yours... I must admit—it’s improved a lot."

The light Emery didn’t respond. He focused on stabilizing Galael. Once done, he gently laid Galalel on the ground and turned to his dark counterpart. "The poison... see if Chutulu can help him. I’ll deal with this one."

Dark Emery nodded and rushed over to tend to the Ember Sage, who groaned in agony, barely conscious. Meanwhile, the light Emery turned his attention to Talaro.

"To think you’ve managed to survive this long in here," he remarked.

Talaro scoffed. "And you. I suppose you found someone to help you." He gestured at Galael. "Lucky bastard."

Emery studied him carefully. It was clear Talaro had no idea where they were. No knowledge of the Tartarus Realm. So much had happened since they were separated.

With that in mind, Emery offered again, "What do you think? Let’s cease this fight... a truce... at least until we find a way out of this place."

Talaro’s eyes flared with suspicion. Madness danced behind his expression.

"You won’t fool me again. Not after what you did," he snarled. "You escaped alone... left me behind... And now... I know what you’re trying to do... stalling until your friend recovers so you can gang up on me!"

His voice trembled with fury, unleashing the full weight of his Khaos power. The air behind him twisted as a massive shadow emerged—a spectral form of the bone dragon, Daurgothoth.

"I’m done giving you chances! I’ll kill you both and take the Guardian by force!"