A large wave of magic energy traveled all other the continent.


    That continuous stream of energy want enveloped the cities, bathing them in a warm feeling that eased the inhabitants of Triazils.


    Orion''s massive release of magic caused his light magic to cover the whole continent. Subconsciously, his desire to get rid of the corruption in front of him transformed into a powerful wish to protect everything from it.


    As Triazils'' inhabitants felt great for no apparent reason, they in fact were purged of the little corruption in and around them.


    For the first time since Miasma''s first appearance, the land became clean of corruption. Weaker beasts died and turned to dust as their core disintegrated in their body, and larger ones entered a state of lethargy that made them practically unable to move anymore.


    But not everything was purged. Eogis, enveloped by a dark veil of corruption, remained unaffected. To break that protective shell, a stronger power needed to be used. A power as strong as Miasma himself.


    Even though this incredible feat happened thanks to him, Orion had no idea how his simple thinking changed the world outside his realm, Horizon.


    Only during late afternoon, the wave of magic traveled far past the continent, covering the large plains of Frigoria, or Cepha?d, as Elliott called it.


    Nylon and Elliott were both in a struggling battle against a burrowing giant. A massive worm that was difficult to attack, or approach, whatsoever.


    It used fire to keep its body constantly moving, and turned the frozen land into an inferno of molten rocks and burning flames.


    Snow completely melted around them. Trees were burnt to ashes, and piles of burning dirt surrounded the two.


    They were stuck on the spot, enduring the constant tremors of the worm, dodging as best as possible its attacks.


    Elliott was gravely injured. He had protected Nylon from a large rock being thrown at him by cutting it in as many pieces as possible, yet, a large piece of it hit his left shoulder, fracturing his bone in the process.


    With only one arm available, it became critical for him to kill the giant rapidly. But the problem was its cores.


    It had one on its end, one at two/third of its body, and one in its mouth. Dealing with the two on its body was simple, but the one in its mouth was tricky.


    The only plan Elliott had that was barely viable was to throw himself into its mouth and break it while Nylon destroyed the ones outside.


    But he wasn''t sure he would be able to survive being in the worm. Throwing himself into the mouth of the beast wasn''t the best idea.


    While doing his very best to at least protect the beastman next to him, he suddenly felt a wave of energy enter his body.


    At first, he was about to stop the intrusive energy from entering his body, but after taking a moment to at least understand what it was, he stopped himself from blocking it, and bathed into it.


    He felt a warmer than usual, as the pain in his shoulder rapidly vanished. Somehow, he remembered Orion and smiled.


    Both of them were injured, and this miraculous event healed them completely. The strain on their body magically subsided, as if their journey had just begun.


    The piled up exhaustion vanished, and the scars and wounds they had accumulated during their time in Cepha?d were healed.


    More importantly for Elliott, something inside him cleared up. The fog in his mind cleared up.


    Traces of the corruption his father had left inside him hindered his recovery until now. By being purged of these remnant patches of corruption inside him, he felt whole at last.


    A surge of energy exploded from his body, finally liberated. His eyes glowed a bright yellow, with his whole body covered in a faint light similar to his fight against Orion.


    Nylon stared with surprise at the sudden burst of power from Elliott, but quietly watched without questioning him.


    The rumble stopped, before the two looked forward. With their senses back at full throttle, they were able to clearly feel the worm''s movement.


    Elliott took a few steps forward, and grabbed his trusty sword. It glowed brightly next to him, as he proudly stood his ground.


    The faint light began to merge into something else. An immaterial armor formed over his body. Completely free of his burden, Elliott was now able to bring all of his strength out.


    Which meant that his enemy was only a pebble in his path. All of his abilities were available again.


    Invidia, a full plate of armor formed with his energy.


    Ira, a shield capable of withstanding the most powerful attacks.


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    Gula, a magical cage that could absorb a tremendous amount of magic and transform it into his own energy.


    Acedia, golden boots that boosted his speed tremendously at the cost of it being useful only in a straight line.


    Superbia, an ability that made his brain understand the flow of battle in an instant.


    Luxuria, a devouring vortex that destroys what Gula cannot absorb.


    Those were the primary abilities Elliott possessed. They were the bread and butter of his strength, personally taught by his mother, the Valkyrie Frey.


    He had way more artifacts on him, like ''Calamitas'', the invisible whip, but these were situational weapons. Elliott needed to encounter certain criteria to use them.


    With his power now released, the Knight Elliott was born. Freed of the corruption, freed from the never-ending battlefields, free from the mindless killing, he clenched Vanitas.


    Following what his mother taught him to heart, he chose to swing his sword not for himself, but for those in need. For the ones living in fear in front of unreasonable beings.


    Be it his own father, or the creatures that destroyed his country.


    The worm erupted from the ground, transforming the earth into molten lava. Its red body flew high in the air, before it plunged toward Elliott.


    Until the last moment, Elliott stood there, glaring at the creature. The massive mouth of the beast opened, revealing the crystal inside.


    Everything was now in place. He slashed upward using his sword, creating a crescent shaped energy wave. The slash sliced the giant in half from his mouth to half of his elongated body visible. The core in its mouth not only broke in half, but shattered in dust afterward.


    The split worm crashed where Elliott was, but the man had already vanished from the spot. Since the worm was in a straight line, it was perfect.


    Elliott jumped on the top of the worm''s body, using Luxuria to devour the fire magic covering its body.


    He ran on its body while using Acedia, and closed on the second core in a matter of seconds. Nylon observed, in disbelief, as the second core exploded after being grazed by Elliott.


    Three light appeared on the giant core, growing in size before erasing the part they covered. A huge chunk of flesh around the core also vanished, destroyed by the explosion.


    Still running on the crashing beast, the end of the worm finally emerged from the ground. Elliott deactivated Acedia, and let his body fall toward the ground.


    He placed Vanitas behind him with both hands on the handle, and angled himself perfectly so that he could slash the core.


    With a swift movement, he slashed through and destroyed the last core, rendering the giant corrupted unable to heal from its injuries.


    While falling back down, Elliott used Ira, his shield, to stop his fall. He placed the shield under his feet, and slammed on the ground before sliding further away, unharmed.


    That was how Elliott proved that his power returned to him. Once he stopped, he turned around and looked at the rest of the beast crashing down on the ground.


    Its motionless body confirmed that it had died, making the man sigh in relief.


    ...


    "This sure was incredible. So that''s your full power..."


    Nylon said after joining back with Elliott.


    "You''re not scared of me now that I recovered my full power?"


    Placing Vanitas back in its scabbard, Elliott looked at the beastman with a nonchalant expression.


    "Why would I? I''ve been with you for more than a month now. I think I know you enough to say that you are a nice person."


    "Heh."


    Elliott chuckled and removed his hand from the sword handle.


    "Well, if you say so. But there''s a little misunderstanding there."


    "A misunderstanding? About what?"


    Not sure what Elliott meant by that, Nylon tilted his head, making his right wolf ear twitch.


    "I haven''t recovered all of my power. What I recovered was my abilities, and the freedom of using them. I still feel sluggish, and out of practice."


    Understanding his meaning, Nylon nodded.


    "Oh, right. But it has been a month now, aren''t you feeling better?"


    "Partially. Two thousands years of inactivity is quite taxing on the body, as a matter of fact. Though, I''ve been saying that a lot, it sounds like an excuse at this point."


    He shrugged and looked at the dead worm in the distance.


    "But still, you were incredible. You''ve dealt with it in less than a minute. Don''t you think we are ready to tackle that last giant?"


    "The spider giant... maybe."


    Elliott fell in deep thought, thinking of the last corrupted giant.


    ''I should be able to kill it now.''


    ~


    An angered voice echoed in the building Elliott was imprisoned in.


    "That fucking useless piece of shit!"


    A bowl flew across the room and crashed between two motionless men.


    Layla, controlled by Miasma, walked angrily toward them.


    "You two, when are you going to look less pathetic and move out?"


    The two flinched and looked at each other.


    "Lord Miasma, even if you tell us that..."


    "Right? We won''t make a difference."


    These two were Dony and Pierre, the remaining corrupted Apostles that Orion failed to kill in time before Elliott and Miasma broke the seal.


    "Pathetic. There''s a limit to how useless you can be!"


    Layla''s body violently lashed out at Dony, who stood on the left.


    Dony was a middle-aged man with a pretty face and long hair held in a high ponytail. He had a style that naturally attracted women, and he used it, perfectly aware of it. He was wearing proper clothes, like a high-ranking elite or a rich lord.


    Her fist broke the man''s neck, and he dropped on the ground lifelessly.


    Pierre looked at this scene with horror, before closing his eyes and averting his gaze.


    He was past his prime, but was a muscular man. He wasn''t comparable to Eric in terms of muscle strength, but still, he could easily lift a rock effortlessly.


    His face was rough-looking, with a pair of thin glasses. With short hair and a long beard, he looked very imposing compared to the now deceased Dony.


    "I just lost my newest creation. Do you think I am in the mood to listen to those excuses? Answer me!"


    He grabbed Pierre by the throat, even though Layla was way smaller than him. A platform made of corrupted matter formed under her feet, lifting her up to his high level while strangling the man with one hand.


    "I-It is... not an excuse! We have lost our power after you''ve... returned! We are no longer..."


    Having difficulty breathing, Pierre thought it was the end for him.


    "Trash."


    But Layla released her grip on his neck, and returned to the ground by creating stairs from the platform.


    "I should have known to not depend on those without power. Losing Elliott was certainly a thorn in my plans."


    She turned around and lifted her left hand toward Dony''s body.


    A puddle of corrupted matter formed under his body, before it ended up enveloped by it.


    "I will remake you completely. I''ll make something better out of you two."


    *Cough*


    "What?!"


    Panic took over Pierre, before he felt his body sink into the ground. This felt like sinking in sand.


    "Please! Lord Miasma! Don''t do-"


    His entire body disappeared into the floor, not a single word escaping from it. The same happened to Dony''s corpse.


    "..."


    Miasma, controlling Layla, turned around and looked through the window while clenching her fists.


    "Orion, while bothering my plans is one thing, killing my creation is another."


    "Stay in your corner, child. Or I''ll make you pay greatly for going against me."


    His words echoed inside the walls of the building, but never reached the concerned party.


    Only Miasma, and Layla, heard these threatening words.