Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Chapter 237: CCXXXVII. The Mistake

Continuing to scream in desperation, Dag, without even trying to cling on, dropped into total darkness, where even the air around him in free fall emitted no sound.

His body continued to fall into absolute emptiness for a few seconds, leaving a thin trail formed by the tears that flowed uncontrollably from his ajar eyes, which were about to give way to death.

*tum-tum*

*tum*

...

Dag opened his eyes again, taking a deep breath, like someone who has just been freediving underwater.

A strong Sun, albeit an artificial one, warmed his body and face partially covered with sand, which made him realize that he was still alive and in the real world.

The huge yellow, luminous sphere in the sky eclipsed behind another figure that sprang slowly from his feet.

Oyvind positioned himself above him, with his axe head pointed downwards, ready to strike him to give him the coup de grace and then show everyone his work, after teleporting back to Vaeren Island.

A temporary tingling enveloped Dag's legs, spreading up to his back, rising to his arms and neck, resembling a chill of cold.

The blood coming out of the wounds on his ribs was dwindling, but the cuts were very deep and the healing power of the dark liquid was taking longer than usual to take effect.

"Have you returned to the world of the living? Well! So the last face you're going to see before you die is mine! Hahaha!" chuckled again Oyvind, suddenly leaving the handle of the axe and dropping it on Dag.

Just as the enemy reeling from victory, Dag's hand grabbed one of the two large blades of the axe, locking it in the middle, with the sharp top of its head less than an inch from his eye and pushed it away, throwing it to the ground and disarming Oyvind again.

"What?! What are you doing?! he yelled, not believing his eyes and kicking one of Dag's wounds, causing him to scream in pain.

As Dag rolled into the sand kneaded with his blood, Oyvind walked toward his axe and with annoying air lowered himself to grab it from the ground.

Taking advantage of those few seconds when his enemy was distracted, Dag, gripped by the adrenaline of the moment, managed to grab the Giantbane and rest it on the pool of blood under his back, activating the power of its blades, which instantly became an intense orange, scorching like magma.

Before Oyvind could turn around, he threw the axe at his back.

After hovering in the air for a few meters and releasing a trail of fire behind it, the axe was about to hit the target, when the enemy suddenly turned, dodging the shot and sprinting backwards toward Dag. 

The Giantbane ended up in the sand more than 20 meters away, having been thrown strongly by him, who was sure to hit Oyvind.

Right under Dag's astonished gaze, Oyvind pulled one of his daggers again, and before Dag could grab the hammer, he stuck it behind his back.

"Aaaagh!" 

Dag's screams were chilling and dispersed in the warm desert air, away from everything and everyone.

Oyvind strongly pulled the weapon out and lifted Dag off the ground, grabbing the neck of his armor and causing him to fall backwards, away from the hammer.

"Stop escaping death, kid! What did you think? To come here in the middle of the night and take your girlfriend away?!" he asked, putting the dagger back in place.

At those words, Dag stopped moving, his eyes turned up and his eyes wide open.

"In the middle... of the night, ah?" he asked, chuckling and continuing to lose blood from his mouth, due to the numerous open wounds.

"Yes, so what? What did I say?! You're just stalling!" replied Oyvind angrily, who turned to him.

"Look in the sky, you idiot... I've never seen such a hot Sun! Wasn't it late at night?" whispered Dag, who, thinking only of killing his opponent and saving his life, had not even realized that he had gone from the darkness of the night to the light of day.

"Uhm?! What are you talking about?!" exclaimed Oyvind, looking away from Dag, not to let him know he was in trouble.

"Now I understand why my powers have not yet healed my wounds... your attacks are not really that fast, but mine that are slowed down! None of this is real, even if the pain I'm feeling is actually hurting me. This must be another illusion, we are in a world created by you! Hahaha!" chuckled Dag, continuing to make fun of his opponent after discovering the trick.

He could not immediately respond and drops of sweat fell from his forehead, due to the agitation of the moment.

"What was your plan? Killing me in this world wouldn't have killed me even in reality... how did you plan to get rid of me?" continued Dag, as his blood, dripping along the sand dune on which the two opponents were, slid slowly behind Oyvind.

"If I had killed you here, I would have gained precious seconds in the real world, during which you, thinking you were dead, would not have been able to parry my last attack, which would have ended your life. I was a fool, I was afraid of you for a few moments and this made me make a serious mistake. It's true, this desert doesn't exist, it's a figment of my imagination" said Oyvind, who immediately after speaking with his eyes down, raised his axe and violently struck Dag's leg, chopping it off.

He began to scream again, but his screams eventually became laughs, being aware that the pain he was feeling was only apparent, only in his head. Nothing that was about to happen was real.

"For a few moments you were afraid of me... and now? Aren't you afraid?" asked Dag, who, despite his severed leg and half-broken ribs, raised his head towards his enemy, looking at him with both bloodshot eyes, even the shining purple one, and a madman's gaze.