Chapter 166: Shaking all worlds
As the ghostly form of the Minotaur was sucked into the statue, its ethereal roar echoing through the air, Lyerin's eyes gleamed with the intensity of someone who was on the brink of a dangerous victory.
The Minotaur was now trapped, but it wasn't finished. Not yet.
"Time to seal that beast," Lyerin muttered to himself.
Without hesitation, he leapt from the ground and landed in front of the statue, his feet making a resounding thud on the cracked stone surface.
He reached into his magic ring and pulled out a series of intricate talismans, their surfaces glowing with a dull, menacing light.
He wasted no time in slapping them onto the statue, the air crackling as the talismans clung to the surface, their magic intertwining with the stone's ancient power.
The Minotaur inside the statue roared again, its spirit thrashing wildly as it struggled to free itself.
The ghostly form of the beast banged against the inside of the stone, causing deep cracks to spiderweb across the surface.
The very ground beneath Lyerin's feet trembled from the sheer force of the Minotaur's attempts to break free.
Lyerin gritted his teeth, his brow furrowed in concentration.
He could feel the power of the beast surging through the statue, pushing against the seals he had placed.
Sweat beaded on his forehead as he summoned every ounce of Mana he had left, channeling it into the talismans in an attempt to reinforce the barrier.
The statue glowed brighter, its surface shimmering with an otherworldly energy, but the Minotaur's spirit was relentless.
"Stay down!"
Lyerin growled through clenched teeth as he slammed his hand onto the base of the statue, feeding more Mana into the seal.
The struggle continued, and for every inch of ground Lyerin gained in containing the Minotaur, the beast pushed back twice as hard.
The sheer pressure of the battle was overwhelming, and Lyerin could feel his Mana reserves depleting at an alarming rate.
His hands shook from the effort, his muscles burning with exertion as he fought to maintain control.
It was as if he were wrestling with a raging storm, trying to tame a force of nature that refused to be subdued.
The cracks in the statue grew larger, deeper, and the ghostly form of the Minotaur could be seen pressing against the inside, its glowing eyes filled with fury and desperation.
The talismans glowed a fierce red, but even they were starting to flicker, their power waning under the immense strain.
Lyerin's breaths came in ragged gasps.
He was running out of time—and out of Mana.
---
Far above, in a realm beyond mortal sight, the six-armed shadows watched with growing dread.
At first, they had simply been curious, intrigued by Lyerin's audacity and resourcefulness.
But now, as they realized what he was truly attempting, their curiosity turned into something far more dangerous.
Panic.
"He's sealing the Minotaur inside the statue!" one of the shadows hissed, its many eyes widening in alarm.
"That's not just a temporary binding—he's trying to fuse the Minotaur's spirit with the Stonehooves Tribe's statue!"
"That… that human! Does he even know what he's doing?" another shadow muttered, its six arms twitching with agitation.
"The Minotaur isn't just a beast—it's a force of pure rage and destruction! To use it as a tribal spirit? That's madness!"
One of the larger shadows stepped forward, its voice trembling with fury.
"If he succeeds, do you have any idea what that would mean? The Minotaur would be bound to the tribe, its power magnified a hundredfold by the statue's ancient magic. It would become unstoppable—a weapon of unimaginable power!"
"But it's impossible, right?" another shadow chimed in, though its voice lacked confidence. "No one has ever been able to bind a Minotaur's spirit like that. Even the strongest tribes couldn't do it. It can't be done!"
"It is being done!" the largest shadow snapped, its arms flaring out angrily. "That human is doing it right now! And if we don't stop him, we will have a new disaster on our hands."
They all paused, the weight of the situation sinking in.
The six-armed shadows had long understood the dangers of the Minotaur, a creature whose anger was legendary, whose strength was feared across realms.
The Minotaur was not merely a beast—it was a symbol of chaos, a primal force that could not be controlled or reasoned with.
Its power had brought the downfall of entire civilizations, and now, this human, Lyerin, was trying to bind it to his tribe.
"It's more than just dangerous," another shadow murmured, its voice laced with fear.
"The Minotaur's rage is exponential. If he successfully binds it to his tribe, its power will grow alongside the tribe's strength. They will be able to unleash the Minotaur's fury whenever they wish, and it will grow stronger each time it is called upon. It will never stop growing."
The others shuddered at the thought. An immortal Minotaur, whose strength and rage knew no limits, bound to a single tribe? The idea was unthinkable.
"We need to stop this," the largest shadow growled.
"If Lyerin succeeds, the balance of power in this world—and others—will be shattered. The Minotaur will become the most dangerous spirit in existence. And if it ever breaks free from its binding…"
The other shadows exchanged nervous glances.
They knew what would happen if the Minotaur broke free.
It would be a cataclysm, a disaster that would consume not only Lyerin and his tribe, but the surrounding realms as well.
No one would be safe.
"But how do we stop him?" one of the smaller shadows asked, its voice trembling. "We can't interfere directly—our hands are tied."
The largest shadow sighed, its six arms lowering in defeat. "We'll have to call for reinforcements. There's only one being who can deal with something like this."
"Who?" the others asked in unison, their voices tinged with desperation.
"The Overseer," the largest shadow said grimly. "We need to summon the Overseer."
---
Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, Lyerin's entire body was drenched in sweat.
His vision blurred as his Mana reserves continued to drain, but he refused to give up.
The Minotaur's spirit was still thrashing within the statue, but he could feel it weakening.
Slowly but surely, the beast was losing its fight.
Lyerin grinned through the exhaustion, a wild, triumphant grin. "Almost there… Just a little more…"
But then, the statue shuddered violently, and the ground beneath Lyerin's feet cracked open.
The Minotaur's spirit let out a final, deafening roar, and Lyerin felt its raw power surge through the statue.
For a brief moment, he thought the beast was going to break free.
"No!" he shouted, throwing everything he had into the seal. His Mana flared to life, brighter and more intense than ever before, and the talismans glowed with a searing light.
With a final push, Lyerin slammed his hand onto the base of the statue and roared, "Stay down!"
The Minotaur's spirit let out one last howl of fury, and then, with a sudden, jarring finality, it was silent.
The statue stopped shaking.
The ground stopped trembling. .
The air was still.
Lyerin collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. His Mana was completely spent, his body weak and shaking from the effort. But it was done.
The Minotaur's spirit was sealed.
For now.
---
Far above, the six-armed shadows watched in stunned silence.
They had never imagined that a mere human could achieve such a feat. But now, they knew what they had to do.
One of them, the largest, turned to the others and said, "Summon the Overseer. This is far from over."