Chapter 1297 Transmutation Arts


    "I doubt that''s the reason you came here. What is the heir of a different nation doing in Hikma?" asked ric with confusion as he deactivated his ability with a frown. "Even more, protecting the royal pce of Sourna?"


    "You realized my identity, so you should piece together what is happening," said Rn with a smirk as he waved his hand. Humanoid creatures rose from the ground, fortified with elemental mana that seemed to change every second.


    "We should nip this in the bud," said Diana as she summoned her mana. Before they could attack, Diana released her frost to freeze them. However, the humanoid elementals turned red, bursting with mes. Their high heat melted down the frost, rendering her attack useless.


    "My elementals are far stronger than any other because of their adaptability," said Rn with a confident smirk as he created even more. "I have studied your abilities and created these elementals specifically to counter them. They are soulless and can summon elements as they desire, just like you."


    "Is that so?" asked Diana as she stared at the elemental golems with a rxed expression that did not suit the situation. ric had a feeling that she was nning something, and he couldn''t wait to see what it was. "Although I would love to kill you straight away, there is the issue with the sand thieves. I need you to release them."


    "These are my precious statues, a testimony of the fragile resistance that they represent and their foolish ambitions. This hall will remain like this until they turn to bones, reminding whoever steps in that the rulers cannot be defeated." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "A rather cruel mindset," muttered Diana with a frown. "But since you are the only one who can undo the damage, I have to let you live. Name your price, Rn of On."


    "I don''t need a thing," said Rn with a smile as his body finished forming. "But I did not expect the King of Wrath himself to step into Sourna and disrupt our ns. If he promises to return to his runic city, I will spare their pathetic lives."


    ric was silent the entire time because he reactivated his ability. Although it was a hacker ability, it was different than what one would expect from the name. His ability to hack is not limited to technology that Earth now possesses. Its main usage was against runes, and the world was full of them.


    While Diana and Rn conversed, he was studying the structure of the pirs that held the sand thieves, still groaning while being suffocated. Once their chests became immobile, there was no way for them to breathe normally. Thus, he had to make haste to release them.


    ''As expected,'' thought ric while watching the pirs. ''The thieves are not fused into the pirs, only trapped in them. It seems that the mana cost to manipte the human body was too great for Rn to consider. If this is the case, I might be able to save them.''


    ric faced one issue in particr that prevented him from achieving this. The pirs themselves were not created from runes, only manipted to be a vessel for the thieves. Rn did not need to expend mana to keep them in their current shape.


    "Miss," whispered ric as the tension rose between the two sides. "I made sure of it. The thieves are only entrapped inside the pirs, not fused. If we destroy the pirs, we might be able to save them."


    "That''s too risky," said Diana as her attention did not leave the rising golems. "One wrong move and one of them could die. I cannot let that happen, since Arthur delegated the task to me."


    "We can summon him here."


    "Not a chance," said Diana with a frown. "I don''t want to disturb his reunion with his family, so I will handle this situation before following him," she said. ric was once again amazed by their indestructible bond. He had no idea what the two of them faced together to be inseparable, but he knew it wasn''t anything he could obtain himself.


    "Your puny thieves will meet their end in ten minutes," said Rn while taking out an hourss before flipping it upside down. "After that, they will suffocate to death inside the pirs, and you will have a reminder of your failure inside this hall. That is, if you refuse my offer."


    "You can try all you want, coward," said Diana with augh as her wings burst with mes, engulfing the hall. As they touched ric, he found them to be gentle and warm, not harming him in any way. "I can see through your fear. You are afraid of what Arthur can do to your nation."


    Rn frowned as she revealed his true feelings. If Arthur indeed fights them, they would be in big trouble. "If that''s the case, I just have to capture his weakness: you." Rn then waved his hand, and the elemental golems rushed forward, shooting different kinds of elemental attacks toward the two.


    ric stepped back as a wall of ice appeared to shield him. At the same time, Diana allowed her blue mes to burst, covering the entire hall. The elemental golems did not disintegrate but simply fell to the ground without the control of their master.


    "The golems might be resilient, but not the fragile control you have over them," said Diana with a smirk as she raised her hand, summoning an ice sword. The entire hall began freezing the moment it appeared, and even Rn lost his cool a little. "Arthur is not the only enemy you should be afraid of, Rn of On."


    As he watched the golems fall, Rn realized his mistake. He did not gather enough data about the effects of the Soulfire, expecting them to only work on living targets. This mistake stemmed from theck of understanding of spiritual energy and how it affects the world.


    "If this is the case, then I will fight you myself," said Rn as he stepped forward, his existence merging with the very nature of the world. "I will show you the real terror known as the transmutation arts."