The With-God's Devotion System

Chapter 8

Rachael slowly sat up in the crater. Her white hair floated around her head as if blown by an invisible wind. Blood dripped from her nose, freezing before it even hit her chin. 

The black veins of the Mana-Rot had reached her neck now. She was dying fast, but her S-Rank power was still overwhelming. She pointed a single, shaking finger at Julian. "Die," she whispered.

Above Julian’s head, the moisture in the toxic green fog began to freeze. In just three seconds, a massive, deadly spear of ice formed in the air. It was ten feet long, sharp enough to cut through a mountain, and pointed directly at Julian’s heart.

[Warning!] the System flashed bright red in his eyes. [Miasma Shield failing. 30 seconds remaining.]

Julian looked at the massive ice spear floating above him. He looked down at his trapped arms. He was totally stuck. If she dropped that spear, it would blow a hole straight through his chest. No amount of System healing would save him if his heart was completely destroyed.

"System!" Julian yelled in panic, kicking his legs wildly. "Help me out here! Break this ice!"

[Negative. The Host’s strength stat is too low to break S-Rank Ice. The System cannot intervene in direct combat. Advice: Survive.]

"Useless piece of garbage!" Julian screamed at the blue screen.

He looked back at Rachael. She was clutching her chest, screaming in sudden, terrible agony as the black veins crawled up her throat. Her control over the magic slipped for a fraction of a second. 

The giant ice spear hovering above Julian wobbled slightly. She was fighting the Mana-Rot. Her mind was slipping away.

"Professor Blackwood!" Julian yelled at the top of his lungs. "Listen to my voice! Look at my hands! I have no magic! I'm a Null! I can't hurt you!"

Rachael’s glowing blue eyes flickered. For one tiny second, the madness cleared. She looked at Julian hanging on the wall. She saw his rough, scarred miner hands. She saw his cheap, torn clothes. She realized he had no magical aura.

She lowered her shaking hand slightly. The giant ice spear stopped moving. "A... Null?" she gasped, her voice sounding small and weak. "Why... are you down here?"

"Because the same rich snobs you hang out with threw me down here to die!" Julian shouted back, panting heavily. "Listen to me! I can save you! I have a way to pull the bad magic out of your body! Just drop the ice and let me go!"

Rachael stared at him. She let out a weak, bitter laugh. Blood dripped from her lips. "Save me? A Null? Do not lie to me, boy. Mana-Rot has no cure. Even the High Council cannot save me. I am already dead."

"I'm not the High Council!" Julian yelled back. "I have something else! A secret bloodline! I swear to God, I can cure you. But you have to trust me!"

Rachael’s eyes narrowed. "Trust a man in the Miasma Rift? Never."

Suddenly, her body convulsed violently. A huge wave of black magic burst from her chest. The Mana-Rot had reached her heart.

"Ahhhhh!" Rachael screamed, falling flat on her back. Her crystal staff rolled away from her. The black veins finally reached her face, crawling across her pale cheeks like ugly black spiders.

The moment she lost focus, her magical control completely vanished.

The giant ice spear hanging above Julian’s head suddenly dropped. It was falling straight for his chest.

[Warning! 15 seconds until Miasma Shield fails! Extreme cold will freeze Host's heart instantly!]

Julian’s eyes widened in absolute terror. He had no time to think. He had no time to plan. If he stayed pinned to this wall for one more second, the giant spear would kill him.

He could not pull his clothes free. The ice was too strong. So, he did the only thing he could do.

"Arghhhhh!" Julian roared, using every single ounce of strength in his legs. He didn't pull his clothes out of the ice. He pulled his body out of his clothes.

He pushed his feet hard against the stone wall and threw his entire body forward. The thick icicles pinning his jacket and trousers tore through the fabric, but they also tore through his skin.

Riiiiiiip!

Julian tore himself free from the wall, leaving large pieces of his black suit and chunks of his own flesh pinned to the ice. 

Sharp pain exploded in his shoulders and legs where the ice had sliced him open. Blood sprayed into the cold air.

He hit the icy ground, rolling desperately to the side.

SMASH!

A fraction of a second later, the giant ice spear slammed into the exact spot on the wall where Julian’s chest had been. The impact shattered the wall, sending huge chunks of rock and ice flying everywhere.

Julian scrambled to his feet, ignoring the burning pain in his bleeding shoulders and legs. He looked at the countdown timer in his vision.

[10 seconds until Shield failure.]

He looked at Rachael. She was lying in the crater, screaming in pure agony. Her body was glowing with a dangerous, chaotic mixture of blue ice and black rotting magic. She was seconds away from exploding.

"I'm not dying here. I'm not dying here!" Julian chanted to himself.

He started running. He ran down the slope of the crater, his bloody boots slipping on the slick ice.

[8 seconds...]

The temperature was dropping even further. The black mud around the crater was cracking from the absolute zero freeze. Julian could feel the green Miasma Shield around his body flickering, struggling to keep him warm.

[6 seconds...]

Julian reached the center of the crater. Rachael was thrashing wildly on the ground. The black veins were creeping over her closed eyes. The air around her was crackling with wild blue lightning.

"Hold still!" Julian yelled, diving toward her.

He grabbed her shoulders, pinning her down against the ice. Her skin was so cold it burned his hands right through the failing green shield.