Serbast, the demon, explained that Vlad, like himself, was not from this world. He claimed that returning Vlad's soul would lead to a catastrophic problem for their mana-deprived world, as any creature from a dungeon could easily destroy thousands of lives.
However, Lyra, scanning the painting, detected no mana signature from Vlad within it. She informed Adam via neuro-link that Serbas was lying about Vlad's soul location. She scanned the room further and found the distinct mana signature of Vlad's soul stored in a stone within a box nearby.
Adam then challenged Serbas: if he was truly concerned about human safety, why did he give them the artifact's finger, which caused the plague? Serbas put his hands forward, attempting to calm them, stating that the artifact's finger was stolen from him, leading to the current catastrophe. Lyra, however, detected fluctuations in Serbas's energy, informing Adam that he was lying again and stalling for time.
Serbas's Trap and Adam's Counter
Adam remained composed, telling Serbas that everything he'd said was a lie. He gave Serbas two options: surrender the artifacts and Vlad's soul, or face torture.
Serbas's smile drastically changed, morphing into a devilish grin. "You don't seem to realize you are inside my trap," he sneered.
Instantly, both Adam and Lyra found themselves ensnared within a barrier.
Adam and Lyra swiftly teleported behind Serbas. Adam conjured a sword of ice and fire, slicing Serbas from the back and cutting him in half.
Lyra grabbed the box containing Vlad's soul and gave it to Adam, who secured it in his dimension. Knowing Serbas wouldn't go down easily, Adam created a dimension rift to trap Serbas inside, while both transformed into their armored forms.
Serbas's body vanished, and a fiery explosion engulfed the area. Adam and Lyra remained within Adam's barrier, absorbing the fire attack. Serbas was seen running away, but an Adam duplicate appeared before him, unleashing the absorbed damage back at him. Serbas was blown to pieces, yet he instantly reappeared inside Adam's barrier, forcing both Lyra and Adam to move away at top speed.
Serbas slowly walked towards them, giggling, his eyes fixed on them. He moved his fingers, and Adam and Lyra found themselves trapped by invisible strings. Their armor, though strong, strained against the deadly threads. Adam conjured his barrier, destroying the strings, while Lyra created a divine circle and charged towards Serbas with a sword of light. Serbas, however, swapped places with Adam, causing Lyra's blade to hit Adam's barrier, knocking her back.
The Ultimate Lock and a Desperate Escape
Unknown to Serbas, multiple Adam duplicates struck him from all sides, freezing his body in ice.
"There is no escape this time," Adam declared, preparing to launch a massive mana attack to utterly destroy Serbas.
Serbas's face remained fearless. In an instant, the duplicates and ice vanished. Serbas laughed maniacally. Adam and Lyra's armor suddenly disappeared. Adam, gripped by instant fear of sudden death, tried to create a barrier, but it wouldn't work. Magic itself had ceased to function.
Serbas walked closer, conjuring a demonic sword. "You're fools to enter my trap," he snarled. "This place is where no one can kill him. Every skill you have will be locked once you use it here." His eyes burned, and the sword in his hands turned fiery red. "Your skills will be mine once I have devoured both of you."
Lyra, with lightning-fast processing, urged Adam to run for the teleportation circle. "You must survive, no matter what, to save Emily!" she pleaded.
Adam, tears welling up, knowing Lyra's body might cease to exist, ran towards the teleportation circle. Lyra, for the first time, used an unknown form of magic, casting a gravity spell that forced Serbas to his knees.
Serbas smiled, knowing her spell would only last for a few seconds. However, before it wore off, Serbas vanished and reappeared directly in front of Adam, his blade slicing down. Before the blade reached Adam, both Adam and Lyra were teleported away by Lyra's hidden teleportation scroll. They reappeared atop a tall office building, 100 meters from their previous location.